Millennial Business and Life Mastery - Barbados 001 | Page 16

Top 30 Millennial Bajan Entrepreneurs Under 30
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KALENE DESIGNS
1.) Who is Khala in business (describe yourself)
I am a creative mind just following what makes me pas-
sionate. I love to work with my hands and create something
out of nothing.
2.) How did Kalene Designs come about?
It was definitely my love of textile design that drew me
to fashion. After making textile designs for various projects
at Queen’s College the natural progression was to transform
that fabric into something more. It always fascinated me, how
a pile of folded fabric could become an outstanding gown or
blouse or whatever you can dream up. I also love how fashion
is an outlet for self-expression. It can be incredibly empower-
ing and watching my clients feel that energy when they are
in the gown of their dreams or the power suit of the execu-
tive is amazingly rewarding. My business name captures this
thought as Kalene means flower and like the numerous types
of flora my clients are each uniquely beautiful.
3.) What are the most valuable lessons you have learned
about being a successful entrepreneur in Barbados?
Khala Hurdle
Bio
Khala has displayed prowess in art and design at an
educational and national level in Barbados, having received
the highest accreditation in Art and design at both C.X.C*
and C.A.P.E* level and accumulating awards for ingenuity in
art and numerous medals at NIFCA*. She also earned three
level 3 CVQs* in areas specific to the fashion and textile in-
dustry. In 2012 Khala successfully started the brand, Kalene
Designs. This brand has gained much public interest in Bar-
bados and has been featured on local television, radio and
print media.
Khala is driven to produce designs with strong emotional
influences. She dedicated her first line “Resillient Beauty” to
breast cancer survivors. Her subsequent line “Deeper than
Threads” is heavily inspired by West African Culture and
was featured at Plitz New York Fashion Week. She has since
shown her designs at Portland Fashion Week, in Portland Or-
egon and Barbados Fashion Week.
*Caribbean Examination Council
*Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination
*National Independence Festival of Creative Arts
*Caribbean Vocational Qualification
Barbados is very diverse market, especially when you
consider its comparatively small size to other regional and
international markets. As a result it’s very important to diver-
sify your products and services to be inclusive to capture a
sustainable share of the market.
Also I’ve learnt that building great relationships is abso-
lutely invaluable. I am a huge believer in moving as a team.
Often we are warned about protecting our ideas, which isn’t
in itself bad advice, but often we sit on those ideas or never
are able to fully realise the innovation or idea for fear of it
being stolen.
4.) What in your opinion are some of the main differences
between millennials and previous generations as it relates to
business?
At the core, all entrepreneurs have a few key character-
istics in common. A drive to depart from the status quo and
rule breaking creativity just to name a few. The element that
changes from generation to generation is the culture and
technology of the time. Millennials have grown from children
to adults almost parallel to the rise in global connectivity that
has been made possible through the internet. I believe this
has caused millennials to have a more multifaceted approach
to business networking beyond geographical borders which
would have restricted previous generations.
5.) Fun lightning round: Coke or Sprite, Hunter or gather-
er, favourite Caribbean sweet treat, Facebook or Instagram.
Sprite | Hunter | Mauby | Instagram
6.) What has running your business taught you about life?
Millennial Business and Life Mastery Magazine
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