We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kimberly Duffus a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kimberly , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
Some lessons and experiences I learnt from my last job was patience, compassion and treating people fairly (all relative I know). I flew for a 5 star airline in the Middle East for a couple of years and meeting hundreds of new people was a daily occurrence. We had every single type of customer / guest profiles / backgrounds you could think of… from people leaving their villages for the very first time – to the royal family… Of course with varying degrees of profiles, also varied were different styles of communications – someway somehow we had to find the middle ground for clear communication as best as possible.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve been sketching outfits since I was around 7 or so – after I left school I was trying to figure out what to do and not long after my inner circle told me this is what you’re supposed to be doing, Kimberly.
I started with outfits for myself and others appreciated the styles and would support me. Also eventually started producing men’s shirts and suits.
The styles that are parallel for the brand tend to be timeless, classic and mostly elegant – pieces that will be relevant, decades from now…
The production of our pieces are bespoke (made to fit) and locally made here In Jamaica. We always use your specific body measurements to construct your piece.
Thankfully, we have managed to have supporters from all over the globe. They too, have their pieces done to their body measurements for that excellent fit,
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Word of mouth – people spotting the styles in person and in motion and fall in love.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I would say my mission and passion for designing comes from the adage “leading by example” – in my case it would be dressing by example lol
For today’s culture, it has become mostly casual. What I hope to achieve by “dressing by example” is to foster that care and pride we all have inside to present our best selves in whatever way that means for each of us. For sure when we look good (however that looks individually) it helps to maintain positive levels of feeling good – I value that almost daily.
I believe when women (and men) find refinement in whichever areas that suit them, they open endless opportunities for their lives. And then the beneficial ripple effects will naturally occur.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kimandamisses.com/
- Instagram: kimandamisses
Image Credits
@storyandmyth @royannedesilva @manastrid These are for the photos showcasing the pieces, not sure you’ll be able to label them correctly but glad to label which is who when you’re ready.