Fashion: Kacion's mind-blowing designs

Fashion designer Kacion Collins hopes to empower women through her swimsuit line, BESSO Designs. The acronym means 'beautiful, empowered, sexy, strong and outstanding' - words that came to Collins while studying fashion and textile design at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts two years ago.

"I've always wanted to start my own fashion line, and one day, I was thinking, and the words came to me," Collins told THE WEEKEND STAR.

"I knew I wanted the name to be empowering, and I wanted to create something vibrant and unique with Caribbean women in mind. I wanted to make every woman feel good in a swimsuit, regardless of her body type."

Collins prides herself on creating custom-made fits that incorporate different cultures and sometimes even her very own custom prints.

"I like traditional print, so you'll see African prints in my work," she said. "I get a lot of inspiration from the Caribbean, and I'm a country girl from Mandeville, so that inspires me as well. I pull elements from animals, too, and I'm also fascinated by the style worn in 3000 BC by the Romans and Egyptians."

The 27-year-old rocks her designs at events but hopes to style personalities like Krystal Tomlinson and Emprezz in the future. But there are challenges.

"So far, I've got a lot of support locally and internationally, but it's hard to break in the industry here if you don't have a big name," she said. "I am a new company trying to get my name out there, so I'm in the process of marketing. I stay motivated because I love what I do and I love to see the expression on people's faces when they see my designs."

Collins attended Belair High School in her home town, where she discovered and developed her knack for the arts. She credits her design ability to her parents, who have experience in different designing fields. Even though her mother is an interior designer, Collins said she was not initially enthused about her ambitions.

"She didn't want me to pursue it because she's from the old tradition, where she doesn't believe fashion can bring you somewhere. She also didn't want me to have to struggle the way she had to."