MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Designz by Vas was officially brought to life at Mandeville Hotel where new lines of clothes were showcased and a brief history of the company’s development shared.

The small business is run at the home of founder and mastermind behind Designz by Vas, Vasiana Miller-Hewitt in Knockpatrick, Mandeville.

Miller-Hewitt designs and manufactures her signature “Happy Shirts” with a cheerful array of colours and patterns. She also produces other trendy pieces under various themes such as the ‘African Pride’, ‘Let’s Go for a Stroll’, and the ‘Let’s Dress It Up’ lines of clothes.

Designz by Vas does clothes for both male and female, adults and children, and all clothes are custom-made only.

Miller-Hewitt told Jamaica Observer Central that having a nine-to-five job is one of the challenges of owning her business, as she is also the marketing and social media coordinator at Manchester Co-operative Credit Union Ltd.

“This is something I do outside of my nine-to-five job, so I work in the evenings and on weekends and during my vacation. It can be challenging, it can be daunting, but what keeps me going is when I do something for a customer and the customer is smiling, and they love the piece and they’re excited — that motivates me to continue,” she said.

The self-taught dressmaker began creating clothes in December 2018 after struggling to buy herself an African-themed outfit to wear to an event. She said she eventually decided to make her own clothes and, in the process, started creating pieces for her friends.

Miller-Hewitt later registered her company in May 2019 and has been producing clothes ever since.

Apart from dressmaking, she also does decorating for events.

She thanked those who helped to make the launch of Designz by Vas a success. Sponsors included A&E Technical Solutions, Fontana Pharmacy, First Heritage Co-operative Credit Union, Super Books and Stationery, Odane Morgan, Impact Centre, Southern Contracting Company Ltd, Stephenson’s Gifts and Flowers, and Milljen Technical Services.