Friday, March 29, 2024

Neatly tied up

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WALTON TROTMAN is all about accessorising. And one way to do that is with bow ties.

Walton says a bow tie isn’t just a replacement for those who don’t want to wear a tie – it is much more.

EASY spotted Walton at the recent BMEX pavilion and he agreed to an interview.

For the creative director/designer of Imperial Stylings it was a matter of not wanting to wear the “normal or classical tie you would find in stores . . .you know the one that was all one colour or all one pattern” when he headed to church at the New Life Seventh Day Adventist.

“I was looking to have something unique, something different in the collection and that’s where it started,” he said. The “where you got that from” and “how much does it cost” when he wore them to church pushed him to started experimenting with making them.

It took him all of four YouTube tutorials to learn what to do initially, he said with a laugh. His mother’s sewing machine was a godsend and after some “trials and errors” he was ready to go.

Having no background in fashion or art except for the classes he did at Graydon Sealy Secondary, he enrolled in garment-making courses at the Barbados Vocational Training Board.

“Last year, after I started experimenting with making the bow ties I wanted to take it further. I said why stop at making bowties for myself when I can make my own clothes.

“I started with the bow ties and now that it has gotten this a business, I’m looking to expand to do the normal ties, pocket pieces, lapel pins, scarves, shawls and so on.

“With the bow ties, I’m targeting both men and women. What I like is that some of the guys  like that unique style that you wouldn’t find in stores so you get that option to explore your creative side and that’s where you can see the difference and variations coming out,” he said.

He prefers to customise pieces for customers because he likes them to be unique.

“I love when a client says he wants polka dots and plaid or paisley and stripes”, patterns that don’t usually go together.

“That would be a unique piece in the sense of how it reaches out and speaks just by looking at it. You would wonder who would put paisley and polka dots together.

“So, for the guy that really wants to express himself through his accessories, that’s where I come in along the lines of customisation.”

Eighteen months on, Walton,  34 years old, has no regrets about giving up his plumbing job and starting the business. He is optimistic he can go far in the accessories arena.

“People love them because it’s trendy but again when most people are not knowledgeable about something they tend to shy away from it. So when more people hear about it they tend to think about tuxedos or formal dinner parties, black and white affairs, that kind of thing. Most people think bow ties are boring or that you have to be a certain culture or subset to be rocking bow ties.

“Now, with fashion as it is and how it extends to all subsets and how the fashion industry takes bow ties and does a whole lot of stuff with them, you could either dress it up or dress it down, from being formal to casual or urban,” Walton said.

He explained that the first step in the manufacturing process is knowing the type you want to make and the style line.

“When I say style line I mean if it is a normal butterfly type shape, which is the regular shape which flares out and looks like a butterfly with its wings open, or an asymmetrical, which has the diagonal edges. There’s also diamond tip, which has pointed edges.

“In essence, the style lines vary and there are different names and to the average person it is just a bow tie but if you really get into it, it’s like learning a new subject . . . .”

With his ties showcased on the BMEX catwalk and patrons showing great interest in what was displayed at the booth, particularly the Independence ones, in the national colours, he is ready to move to the next step.

“The sky’s the limit. I just need to get the capital, the links, the connections to get myself out there. Once the connections are made, you can do anything,” he said.

Walton is working through the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme programme and it is through that agency that he participated in BMEX. Quite a number of orders were made for his Independence tie.

“That tie is specially dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Independence. It’s a big hit,” he stated.

Imperial Styling has outfitted the men in four wedding parties to date and has also done a signature tie for a business celebrating an anniversary earlier this year. (Green Bananas Media)

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