For a young woman all of 25 years, the delightfully demure Alessandra Bell has accomplished much — achieving what many looking to break into the international fashion industry can only dream of. Designer Roberto Cavalli’s and celeb deejay du jour David Guetta’s numbers are on Bell’s BlackBerry; she’s styled Kelly Rowland for her latest music video; met Madonna, Kanye West and Sarah Jessica Parker at London Fashion Week (LFW); dressed Mariah Carey and Kylie Minogue; and made flight arrangements and seated Anna Wintour front-row at LFW. It’s a fast-paced, glamorous life and she’s enjoyed every minute of it.

Catching up with SO last week at friend Laura Marley’s MANTRA restaurant, our convo starts outdoors (where a denim shorts-wearing Bell swats at pesky mosquitoes on her exposed gams and remarks — “good to be home!” before moving indoors to a corner table in the eatery.

With the Jamaica OBSERVER CELEBRATES FASHION’S NIGHT OUT only two days gone, we quickly learn fashion insider Bell, who’s worked for two years with the British Fashion Council on LFW to boost its image on the world stage, is in fact well versed with FNO across the continents. The Rock-born lady, who migrated to London at 17 to study elements of design and tailoring at Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, shared that she has experienced FNO in Beijing, New York and Paris over the years.

FNO, an economy-boosting global initiative conceptualised in 2009 by American Vogue editor Anna Wintour and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, is an event that Bell has cherished memories of, and eagerly anticipates each September wherever in the world she might be. In the Big Apple for the first FNO, Bell recalled: “New York is the city that never sleeps and for FNO, it becomes a city on steroids… it’s very souped-up.”

Bell remembered that during her FNO New York stay, she unexpectedly bumped into Sean Paul (a surprise delight for her) and went shopping with pal Dutch supermodel Doutzen Kroes, the lead star of L’Oreal ad campaigns, at the Chanel store.

In Beijing the following year, Bell had an amazing time. “They love to shop, they are clothes connoisseurs,” she told SO. “Whereas in New York, it was about Diane von Furstenberg and Michael Kors, in Asia, they looove Marc Jacobs and British designers like Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney.”

Sharing tales of her illustrious run in the glamorous world of fashion, we discover the Immaculate Conception High alum interned with Brit designers Eley Kishimoto and Michiko Koshino, working backstage and the front of house with the two big-name fashion stars while going to college. Her spitfire Jamaican personae, she said, was a big help in landing her first full-time job with the British Fashion Council. “I learned that a dream job was available and I went to meet Anna Orisini and told her I was the best person for the position and it should be mine.”

Bell’s bravado and her confident sell worked. She worked with the Council for two years, helping with organisation and budget schedules, liaising with the international fashion press and also working on the UK government-sponsored New Generation Designers project.

Back home for a near-month vacay (her first in three years), Bell is super-thrilled to be on familiar territory, mosquitoes and the heat be damned. The well-travelled fashionista raved: “this is the most beautiful country in the world. I went to Portofino in Italy last year on a cruise and felt it was where I wanted to retire but coming home to Jamaica has blown that out of the water,” she said. “Coming home, I can measure how much and far I have grown. No matter where I go, there is nothing like home. This is my foundation, it’s where I started.”

Her thick British accent peppering our convo, Bell, currently a freelance senior public relations manager who has worked on ad campaigns for Range Rover, Samsung and Fujifilm, said for the next phase of her career, she wanted to explore her fashion sensibilities as a swimwear designer. “I know having been in the industry that fashion brands only get recognition through public relations and so I want to be prepared to position myself to have my own label in the near future,” Bell revealed. Her line to include bags and shoes, which she is eyeing to possibly launch next year, will ideally be retailed on cruises and in airports. “I feel the reason I have managed the things I have accomplished is because I’m Jamaican,” reflected the lady whose pricy and colossal wardrobe, we pry from her, is colour-coded and alphabetically listed by designer, of course. “I hope my future is as bright as my past,” said the self-admitted chronic shopaholic, with a soft spot for Chanel.

Alessandra’s Take on Fashion

“I knew Alexander McQueen before he died. He was very personable and unlike most designers was very unpretentious. We never expected his death. His passing shows the pressure can be intense for fashion designers. and this incident will make them tread water more carefully.”

“The Jamaican fashion industry has serious potential. I’ve seen the development over time, and I think it’s more edgy now. We need to move forward with a vision to take the industry to the world.”

“I believe we need to make successful Jamaican models official ambassadors. Some of them are doing amazingly well and we need to train them and make them ambassadors for the country.”

“Grace Jones should be given an award by the fashion industry or the Jamaican government here. She’s still influencing today stars like Rihanna and Lady GaGa, and she once told me she feels like she has not been recognised here.”

“I think Coco Chanel is the ideal woman because she’s an inspiration. She was a woman who went beyond trends. Chanel for me is the ultimate brand of luxury and I’d love to model my own brand from it.”