Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2017 | Page 48
Shem Daniel Henry is a young, passionate lead fashion designer and stylist at Henre’ Designz located in Antigua and Barbuda. This humble and talented young man enjoys the simplest of things like nature, sports and family. A former model, he is known for his artistic custom couture contribution to the world of fashion Mr. Henry aims to live by the motto “to succeed and inspire, while succeeding”. His fashion role models are his mother, Carolyn Joseph, his former model agent Calvin Southwell, Kimon Baptist from the island of St. Vincent and from the international fashion world, Alexander Macqueen. Stemming from his influences in the fashion industry, Shem’s first official outfit was designed in 2012. He challenged himself by producing a navy blue mermaid-cut gown with hand sewn pearls covering the left bust and the entire left arm. Being raised in a fashion-forward household made it very easy for Shem to transition from model to fashion designer. He had an early start in fashion as he was exposed to both garment construction and fashion runway at a tender age. When speaking about the inspiration for his designs, he said, “a person’s personality would be my main inspiration for creating a beautiful gown. Additionally, I also do a lot of research before creating or sketching my designs. I read a lot and by doing so it has allowed me to pull inspiration from places most persons or fashion designers wouldn’t dare to venture.” Shem and his team at Henré Designz have now produced their 2017 line entitled Evolution. “We looked at evolution from the biblical perspective where we created pieces from the story - In the Beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth - however, we specialize in custom couture pieces with a blend of art and fashion,” he explained. Although Henré Designs are known for stunning and creative gowns, they have now introduced custom couture into every day wear, designing for both male and females. Henré Designz have participated in fashion shows and fashion displays across the Caribbean and in New York City. They have also captured titles both locally and regionally. For three consecutive years, 2014-2016, they were the winners of Antigua & Barbuda’s National Independence Fashion Competition; they were the closing designer at the Flow Fashion Caribbean Fashion Show 2017 on the island of St. Vincent and they were the special guest designer at the Dominica’s Top Model Fashion Show. Shem shared his guiding principles, “staying true to one’s self and being humble are the best approaches to any and every situation life has to offer. Set goals and work hard to achieve them however, always aim for heights beyond your wildest dreams.” The future looks bright for Henré Designz as they continue to imprint fashion through creativity and art. Their aim is to reach the highest of heights, while inspiring others .