Under the brand @flowerchild1999, Kaysian Bourke has been in the game of fashion for the past 21 years. While the mom of two had been happily designing, an opportunity opened up in 2006 for her to work with a magazine that didn’t have a budget for fashion. Of course, being friends with Dexter Pottinger led her to ask him to use his styling expertise, but at the last minute, he couldn’t show. That experience unlocked a new level of creativity for her, and thus she started her career as a stylist, Dexter being one of her muses. Over the years, she has worked with artistes such as Sizzla Kalonji, Capleton, Chronixx, Koffee, and even Beyoncé, which she deems one of her most memorable experiences yet.
Bourke describes her personal style as European edge with bohemian influences. “I love the nice, clean cuts and formal nature of European essence, and since moving back to Jamaica, I’ve incorporated the flowy bits,” she explains.
Just this year, with all the knowledge and experience gained along the way, she joined forces with two other celebrity stylists, Tamo Ennis and Troy Oraine, and they started Jamaica’s first style atelier, @the3rdco. This collective will serve as a styling studio and fashion hub for rentals, catering to anything that requires wardrobe: commercials, films, magazines, etc.
Bourke believes that everyone has a personal style and that style is art. However, knowing that everyone is at a different level, she leaves a bit of advice:
- Be confident! Ignore people, and have fun.
- Your closet should have basics that can be added to any outfit, such as T-shirts, a clean straw hat, a nicely tailored jacket, a bunch of rings, and other accessories.
- Learn how to mix prints. As long as you’re not mixing vertical and horizontal lines, you should be fine.
Check out these looks styled by Kaysian from The 3rd Collective. Visit us over at @flairja, and let us know your favourite.
Story by Jessica Harrison
jessica.harrison@gleanerjm.com
Photos by Kenyon Hemans
kenyon.hemans@gleanerjm.com
