Sade Priestly expresses herself through fashion

Sade Priestly has always had an affinity for fashion, so much so that she walked away from the chance of being a nurse and chef just so she could have the freedom to wear what she wants.

Now, as a manager of Kavalli Jerk Pit in east Kingston, Priestly has no regrets.

"Fashion means everything to me. It's a way to express yourself as a person and say, 'this is who I am'. It really makes me feel happy," Priestly told THE WEEKEND STAR.

The mother of four recalled unearthing her love for fashion at 12 years old. She said she would find herself drawing designs, but noted that they were too raunchy to be worn at that age. While at Holy Trinity High School, Priestly said she tried entering Pulse Fashion Model Search, but was told she was too short at 5'4'.

But this did not discourage her from pursuing fashion.

"I started sewing stuff myself because I didn't want to look like anybody else," she said. "Even when I used to buy jeans or whatever, I would cut it or personalise it in some way."

After leaving high school, Priestly considered being a nurse, but said: "It couldn't work because it would confine me. I like to wear what I want, and I love to change my hair colour."

This was the same when she enrolled at the College of Hospitality in Ocho Rios for a culinary programme. Having decided that the corporate look would not work in her favour, Priestly took to the party scene.

"I started making my own stuff and going to parties. Everybody would ask where I get my stuff from, and I told them I did it," she said. "I wasn't ready to do stuff for people, as I was a bit selfish and I didn't want anyone looking like me. I didn't have the time to sew them, too. After a while, I started doing designs for people and then I would just have someone else sew it."

Priestly hopes to have her own fashion line one day, but for now, she wants to start an online store.