Karlene Torey’s touch of culture

THEY say children live what they learn, and Karlene Torey’s life is a reflection of this.

Torey tells All Woman that she came from humble beginnings and was highly influenced by her mom who made soft furnishings. Also, summer holidays spent with her aunt Yvette Richards in Stony Hill added to the passion for creating and designing things that depict Jamaican culture.

“She (mother) was always sewing and repairing and mending things at home. She was always asking if we had anything to fix and she made things work for her. During the summer with my aunt, my four cousins and I helped out and observed what was taking place where food and entertaining was concerned.”

From there, she says she developed an appreciation for the Jamaican culture as a child and would ensure she was part of the queue on Saturday mornings to take part in the late cultural icon Miss Lou’s Ring Ding.

“There was just something about Jamaica at the time, growing up in the 80s, that was taking off culturally, and I was pretty much a part of it,” she remembers.

To top it off, while at The Queen’s School as a teen, Torey fell in love with home economics and clothing & textiles and then recognised that her mother’s love for sewing and creating things had begun to truly influence her.

Practicality had her hopes set on a career as an air hostess, though, thus she pursued business subjects and then went to the College of Arts, Science and Technology, now UTech. But her mother’s passions saw her taking short courses in screen-printing and art-based subjects at Annie Gee’s School of Fashion.

When the now defunct Air Jamaica became privatised, Torey joined the company as an air hostess in 1997. While travelling to other countries and going through gift shops, her creative juices started to flow as she assessed the craft items and souvenirs she would see on display. As a result, she snuck her way into trade shows to learn more about doing things of a similar nature.

“I printed business cards even though there was no business at the time – just to get in. A whole new world opened up to me and I realised this was how the big guys do it. The houseware and everything was top of the line and I started collecting catalogues. When other flight attendants went to the mall, I’d go to trade shows, houseware shows, and immerse myself in a whole new world of creativity.”

Subsequently, she started thinking about how to sell brand Jamaica in her own way that would teach the person purchasing or looking at an item something about Jamaica, not just reproducing the existing stereotypes. This led to her using Sky Writings magazine as research, and then collecting all the issues from its publisher, CGR Communications, to get ideas before introducing her items in stores.

“One thing that piqued my interest was some old prints of Jamaica. So I started doing old seas of Jamaica on table mats, trays and coasters and that’s how I started selling them to airport shops.”

When the airline changed hands back to the government, Torey thought about pursuing her new-found love as a career. She subsequently took a leap of faith in 2007, resigned from Air Jamaica, and branded her business Creole Jamaica in 2008 to focus on manufacturing and supplying wooden tableware and exquisite gifts including ceramics, all of which were quintessentially Caribbean and based on our rich culture and exotic locale.

Influenced by British company Pimpernel’s place mats, and having a burning desire to be like them, Torey – with a spirit of determination to excel – consulted Christine Matalon of Craft Cottage who showed her a design from the English company and advised her to find someone to reproduce it, as it did well in the Caribbean. This, based on Matalon’s advice, was the way to propel her business.

This new task was by no means simple and after many attempts with local artists proved futile, in 2012 Torey was fortunate to connect with the original artist Jean Bradley, sign a licensing agreement, get the print on her wooden designs, and like Matalon’s prediction, scored a profit.

“The old seas designs were doing well, but people liked colour and it embodied the spirit of the Caribbean,” she says.

She has secured corporate contracts and landed licensing agreements with PJ Stewart to reproduce her orchid series, Ewan McAnuff to use his ackee designs, and Andy Ballentine to use his fruit basket designs on her table mats.

Torey says being a woman in manufacturing is no easy feat but she’s determined to be the ‘Pimpernel of the Caribbean’ and showcase the region’s food, flora and fauna in a tasteful way.

Torey is big on mentorship and currently provides guidance and assistance to a university student locally. She also offers her words of wisdom at career fairs.

“Being a part of Scotiabank’s Vision Achiever’s programme has boosted me, and one thing I learnt is that failure is not an option. If you have a wealth of knowledge and you’ve lived meaningful experiences, give back and guide someone else. If we don’t mould young people, what will happen to Jamaica in a few years? I’ve been with her every step of the way and I don’t intend to stop.”

She added that leaving a well-paid job was not an easy decision but doing what she loves has paid off, hence she will continue to encourage young people to chase their dreams.