Miller brothers looking for the cutting edge

A major shake-up is in the making for the clothing and apparel industry in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). Come end of September, Norris and Noel Miller will open their state-of-the-art manufacturing plant at Campden Park.{{more}}

The new entity named The Edge Apparel Inc. will employ over 30 persons within the first six months with more workers added as the business becomes more established. They will also offer specialized training within the industry and the related fields.

Within the 4000 square foot factory space, the Millers intend to produce school and corporate uniforms, casual wear and linen for the local and regional market. “We will also do custom work if the jobs are big enough”, said Noel. The brothers also have their eyes set on the hotel and tourism industries to be their biggest customers for linen.

With over 80 years combined experience in the industry, the brothers, who hail from Chateaubelair, plan to take it to the next level. Their father Leonard Miller has left a stout legacy for his sons to carry on; Miller was a master craftsman and worked for all the major retailers in SVG in his time, including Edwin D Layne and Sons, Fred Dare, George’s Family Store, Top Fashions and the American Store. He also made uniforms for the police force and was the creator of the Petit Bordel Secondary School’s uniform in 1976 when the school opened.

After finishing school, Norris apprenticed with Grafton Audain, another of Chateaubelair’s master tailors at the time, however, he opened his own shop after a few years and made a name for himself before migrating to the USA in 1976.

In the US Norris worked for power house designers like Calvin Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt, Jones New York and London Fog among others. He worked as a pattern designer, instructor and international liaison between design houses and manufacturers all over the world. A graduate of the Academy of Design; now International Career Institute, Norris was first runner-up for the new flag design for SVG in the mid-eighties.

Younger brother Noel began making simple, elastic waist pants when he was nine-years-old. After five years as a school teacher and a short stint as a prisoner officer, he returned to tailoring full time. When his father retired, Noel took over the family business then went solo after his dad died as the demand for locally produced clothing fell.

Not to be outdone by big brother Norris, Noel migrated to the USA in 1992 and began working as a specs technician for International Patterns Service; a sports and casual wear maker, he also worked for Lorenzo Vegas, a high end silk jacket designer and at Urban Apparels where he made designs for the Gap, Banana Republic, Chad Stephens, Abercrombie and Fitch, Popular Club and Victoria’s Secret.

Noel was the production manager for Archipelago Inc., a maker of luxury linen for Saks Fifth Avenue and other high-end outlets. He will spearhead the linen division of “The Edge Apparel Inc.” “We are bringing a whole

new prospective to linen, we will change the way Vincentians look at their bedrooms, bathrooms kitchen and dining rooms,” he said. Noel also known as Sammy also apprenticed with top movie set designer Nina Ramsey of “Married to the Mob” fame.

At present the brothers are hard at work getting their factory ready, they plan to source material from Trinidad and Taiwan. “We will accept no sub-standards, everything will have to be first class”, said Noel as his brother echoed “We are the authority in clothing and apparel in St Vincent and the Grenadines.