ENTREPRENEUR Burchell Gordon has shrugged off the death of a loved one to launch himself on the way to a progressive future in business.

Gordon, 23, lost his sister two years ago, but has since mustered the strength and courage, while mourning, to continue on the journey of success.

Now, he has thrown himself into fashion, his first love.

“My sister was the core of my existence — my strength — and when she passed a few years ago I was faced with the challenge of finding my own strength. I did,” Gordon said.

“I had always created my own garments but my desire was fuelled by that special person in my life who motivated me to pursue it as a business, since she thought I was well above average, even with my inexperience, and had the potential to do it, so I’m doing it now,” Gordon further explained to the Jamaica Observer.

His line, called ‘Bromio by Burch’, is represented by a lion that Gordon explained holds a sentimental representation, as it was the last picture sent to him by his late sister. In addition, ‘Bromio’ was coined from a Greek mythological character that means ‘roar’ or ‘buzz’.

“We decided to create that buzz in the fashion industry, giving people an avenue to express their own idea of style in a personalised yet trendy manner, creating ‘havoc’ through flamboyance while maintaining ultimate sophistication,” Gordon stated

“This desire is what inspired the slogan: ‘The buzz in your beats — Exclusivity, Sophistication, and Class’,” he stressed.

Bromio by Burch is not just a brand; it’s a unit that offers a unique service. Not only

can you find ready-to-wear clothing, custom clothing design and avant-garde fashion, but they also offer garment delivery, altering services and image consultancy.

Image consultancy is what allows Gordon to employ his knowledge gained from studying psychology at Northern Caribbean University.

“On an academic level, I love psychology as it presents an understanding of everything that happens in life. Fashion, however, is the love of my life, as a music lover I sing fashion daily… I eat, breathe, and sleep fashion. Fortunately, I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. I have found great use for the knowledge I have gained in psychology as I am now able to study the way people feel when they look a certain way. I have realised that the level of confidence as well as the psychological health one has can be greatly impacted by what they wear and how they wear it,” Gordon suggested.

Gordon failed on a few occasions, but is still happy that his successes have surpassed his failures.

His time at Ardenne High school saw him scoring eight distinctions at the CXC level. From there, he went on to the Northern Caribbean University where he pursued and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with cum laude honours.

While others went to university to get away from their parents and explore adulthood, Gordon found the experience as one of fashion discovery.

“This experience allowed me to explore new alleys in a new town, noticing with every glance, what was trendy and hot or made statements and vice versa,” he said.

This fashion discovery has helped to develop Gordon’s pre-existing sense of fashion. He knew that for a young man from humble beginnings, having a degree by age 23 was a great achievement, but fashion is where his passion lies and his cousin Alrick McKenzie admired his desire and taught him the tricks and trade

of business.

“He taught me the art of writing business proposals, seeking sponsorship, how to communicate with corporate executives and, most importantly, marketing and sales strategies. Thanks to him… because he is one of the reasons I could fulfill this dream of mine,” Gordon disclosed.

Gordon aims to design trends that will represent Brand Jamaica and will leave an everlasting impact on

his consumers. He sees himself as the fashionable psychologist who will leave a long-lasting mark on Jamaica’s fashion industry and believes in the saying ‘whatever your mind can conceive, you can achieve.”