Vincentian designer presents ‘SOKA’ in Bermuda

Vincentian designer Karen DeFreitas recently represented St Vincent and the Grenadines at Bermuda Fashion Week.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT, DeFreitas, founder and designer of the brand SOKA, said that the show left her feeling inspired.

“This experience has reminded me why I’m a fashion designer,” she said.{{more}}

She explained that while she doesn’t really give her lines a name, the line she presented was her Resort 17 collection, which is based on imagery of Havana in the 1940s.

“I looked at the architecture, the way women dressed, the beautiful colours, the silhouettes of that time and even Pan Am posters promoting flights to Cuba. It’s the same story line as my Soka Spring/Summer collection 2016.”

The brand, which was launched in 2014, has been featured in Marie Claire Serbia, the cover of Bassculture Island Magazine and on Vogue.com. She has also flown the Vincentian flag at Brooklyn Fashion Week and Island of the World Fashion Week.

De Freitas pointed out that she has previously worked as an intern for internationally renowned designers Yigal Azrouel and Zac Posen and also as a stylist at Bullet Magazine.

“My next step in life is actually finding a job within my field. I see myself working with a fashion company for a couple years, building to the level of creative designer, so I can gain experience at an established brand. I’m still going to maintain Soka, like Alexander Wang did for both Balenciaga and Alexander Wang,” she said.

The designer indicated that in the next five years, she would like to see her designs in stores in New York, London, Japan, Brazil, Australia and South Africa.

She said that she, for the rest of the year, will focus her attention on her cancer support ‘Project Pink’.

“I developed the idea of this initiative to create an avenue to support those persons battling cancer. Project Pink is a team of dedicated and passionate people. It is our goal to raise awareness and act as a vehicle for fund-raising efforts to eliminate this disease.” (CM)