It’s ‘the day after’ for British fashion designer Natalie Christine. The day after she unveiled her debut knitwear collection at Sandals Royal Caribbean Private Island; the day after the worry of audience reaction has abated, the day after… when she is in relax mode at Hanover Grange, home of Andrew and Theresa Roberts, who invited Christine to show her Spring/Summer 2014 line on The Rock’s shores at a fashion show at Sandals Royal Caribbean Private Island a week ago. The lithe, lovely designer — who traces her familial roots to Jamaica — brings us up to speed about fashion and life inspirations over sips from a J Wray and Nephew-hosted bar, just ahead of haute couturier Isabell Kristensen’s fashion showcase.

What are you sipping?

An amaretto cocktail.

What kind of day are you having?

An extremely relaxed one. I was in the jacuzzi and the swimming pool; I was doing my nails earlier.

Is this your first visit to Jamaica?

It’s actually my fourth visit to Jamaica but my first time in Montego Bay.

What’s been the highlight of your stay in Jamaica?

Definitely the night of the fashion show. And, of course, tonight is Isabell Kristensen’s fashion showcase with all these beautiful people.

So you’re booking a return ticket here anytime soon?

Oh yeah! Absolutely! I love it here, it’s gorgeous.

LBD or jeans?

I’m a curvy person so I’m more a T-shirt and jeans kind of girl. I do love the sexy LBD but I prefer jeans with heels.

What perfume are you spraying?

I use mainly body oils. I don’t necessarily use perfume.

Who does your hair?

I do. I’m very low maintenance.

Who does your nails?

I do.

What steered you towards becoming a fashion designer?

I always enjoyed customising and collecting little trinkets when I was younger and then my mom was the one who really acknowledged the fact that maybe I should be steering in this direction.

How long have you been in the biz?

Since I graduated university, I would say it’s been about two years. I studied at Nottingham Trent University; I studied fashion knitwear and textiles, which is reflected in the collections that you see from me. I specialise in knitwear but I enjoy mixing media and experimenting with different textiles to create beautiful fabric so all the fabrics that are in the show are made by me and a small team of mine in London.

Tell us about your debut collection.

The collection is called Missionary Kid. It’s my Spring/Summer 2014 collection, and my first since university; and it’s really about my travels with my mom when I was younger. She was a missionary so it was kind of an expression of myself. I would always wear the long skirts and the shirts with the long sleeves with unflattering shapes to be appropriate for going on missions. The collection was really about how when I was younger, I always wanted to wear a long dress, something more fitted, and I did try that once and it didn’t go down very well, so the collection is about experiencing different cultures, so I have the sari silk fabric in the show as well.

Who are your favourite designers?

There is an amazing knitwear designer called Sandra Buckland. I also enjoy watching Mark Fast, another knitwear designer.

What would you like your signature to be as a designer?

I endeavour my signature to be somebody who strives for excellence and always wants to one-up the set she had before, to create beautiful, quirky fabrics or garments in an elegant way. The fabrics that you are seeing would be distressed but styled in an elegant fashion.

How did it feel unveiling your collection here in Jamaica?

I was so nervous but extremely excited. It was an amazing feeling.

What’s playing on your iPod?

I love jazz, so I listen to a lot of Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, along that vein.

Are you a romantic comedy or adventure film kind of woman?

Absolutely adventure. I think romance is all around us and we can enjoy it in different ways but with adventure, it’s exciting to see how other people are experiencing different challenges.

Who is your inspiration?

My mom. Travelling with her and my two sisters inspires me.

Where do you go to unwind?

I go to a good book.

What’s your idea of the perfect man?

The perfect man would be somebody who challenges me, someone ambitious, kind and who can make me laugh.

What’s your idea of the perfect date?

It would be a day where I would be completely spoilt and be both ourselves and completely casual. I’m low profile.

What would be your words of advice to fashion designing aspirants?

It might sound cheesy but my advice would be: be yourself and just follow your intuition because it is very scary to go out there and create new garments and have new inspiration. But if I didn’t personally follow my intuition, then I wouldn’t have this collection because I would be too worried about what people would think or how other people are going to interpret what my message is going to be; you can’t please everybody. My message would be go with your intuition and follow what you want to express to the world and you will have an audience.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

I am hoping to have my own atelier and be completely established as a knitwear designer.