It’s pretty impossible to resist the splendour of Reshma B Designs, which have already ‘gone viral’ and are loved by everybody. In fact, Madonna, ASAP Rocky, Lauryn Hill, Gyptian, and Popcaan have all been spotted in her designs. 

Who is Reshma B? She is the British darling who’s living a double life. Primarily, Reshma B is a music journalist who travels around the world covering underground music, dancehall, reggae and related sounds for media outlets like Clash Music, Revolt, Boomshots, and BBC Radio. On the side, however, she is the jewelry designer making slangs like ‘waah gwan’, ‘tun up’, ‘thugged out’, ‘tr8’, ‘trill’ and ‘whateves’ fashionable, wearable trend worldwide.

After seeing her collection at Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) 2015, we sat with Reshma B and got the ‘designer flex’ on her distinct designer style, just for you….TA: How did you make the transition from journalism to designing? And how has journalism helped you? I’m a music journalist who travels around the world as a correspondent, interviewing artists and covering concerts and festivals, but I must say that journalism has helped and inspired me to tap into the world of designing. When I am doing interviews, I am constantly picking up slangs from people and those goes into my chain designs.

RB:

The other day I was interviewing ASAP Rocky, and during our one on one, he explained a lot of the slangs that he uses in his lyrics. One of the words that stood out for me from him was “lit,” and I am pretty sure that you will be seeing a design with the slang “lit” soon from Reshma B.

TA: Tell us about the creative inspiration for the CFW collection?  Before coming to CFW 2015, which is my first fashion show ever, I knew what I wanted and I knew the slangs that I wanted to present. Based on my prior experiences visiting Jamaica, creating creatively was a key factor for me. Furthermore, after my previous collections, Chronic and Reshma’s Neon Lucite, things started to get bigger and I wanted to make another statement with a more elegant touch with new slangs.

RB:

TA: What is it like seeing someone on the streets wearing your creations?

RB: It gives me life! (laugh). I see artists, entertainers, business people, upper and lower class wearing my designs all the time. Whether it’s at a party, concert, festival or while walking on the streets of Jamaica, New York and London – and I feel very elated. One of my main objectives when I started designing was that the designs were meaningful and accessible to everyone, and I am experiencing that.

TA: What was your last splurge purchase?Oh my God! (laughs), Michael Kors trainers and sneakers are my new loves. I love me some Coco too, but Michael Kors has been doing it for me lately.

RB:

TA: Who are your favourite designers? Well, Coco Chanel is definitely someone that I love. So much that my collection showed at CFW15 was inspired by her. I also like Roberto Cavalli and high street brands like H&M, Forever 21 and ZAHRA. 

RB:

TA: What do you enjoy most about Jamaica? Being able to experiencing the food, it always takes me to a happy place. I also love going to local beaches, and how can I forget the concert and street dances like Ghetto Splash, and Weddy Weddy. If you come to Jamaica and only do one thing, then you really haven’t done much.

RB:

TA: What advice would you give to someone interested in getting into the jewelry/designing business?  You just have to do it and believe that you can do it. Gain as much experience as you can and be the best. When I just started designing, the chains that I made looked like crap and the finishing was poor. Notwithstanding, I took the leap of faith, never gave up and I was persistent. Now I’m a lot better. 

RB: