Charles Kemp does not believe in limiting himself. In fact, he thrives on this philosophy. And, it was in this vein that he decided to pursue his life long passion of being a designer.
"I've never placed limits on myself and so I passionately pursue my dreams," said Kemp.
Kemp opened his store 'Carlos Valentino' in January of this year, with his first collection featuring eight bags. He plans to launch his second collection in August and his third collection for Christmas. Carlos Valentino is actually Kemp himself. He decided to combine the Spanish version of his name 'Carlos' and his middle name "Valentino" for the name of his store.
His journey as a designer started three years ago but he has been preparing himself for this art form for years. "I started out designing clothes for my friends on a small scale, then I followed this up by studying fashion design with Jeffrey Taylor. From there, I started sketching my own designs." Armed with new skills and an eye for detail, Kemp decided to open up his own store. So in January of this year, with the help of The Bahamas Development Bank and The Chamber of Commerce, he was able to open up his store at The British Colonial Hotel.
"All the products are my original designs. In order to keep the cost of my products low, everything is made abroad. However, for the bags, I purchase the straw, which complements the leather locally." He created eight bags for the first collection. The second collection is scheduled for August, 2006 and the third collection will be available during Christmas. In addition to bags and clothing for women, he designs and sells shoes, men's suits and accessories, including ties, shirts and belts. "My future projection is to open two more stores, one in the vicinity of Cable Beach and one in Atlanta, Georgia, my wife's hometown."
Kemp is 36-years-old and is married to American Sheletia Kemp of Atlanta, Georgia. They own a video production company called 'Down Home Productions.' He said that his real passion is film making which he studied in Orlando, Florida. "Film making is really my passion, so I spend a lot of time shooting films and videos." In his spare time, he enjoys racquetball, reading and travelling.
By: Betty Vedrine, The Nassau Guardian
