Entrepreneur by ‘Design’
Tobagonian Cherie Warner-Richards dreams big; crossing fashion borders to Canada
Published:Sunday | February 13, 2022 | 12:08 AMKrysta Anderson - Staff Reporter
When Cherie Warner-Richards was sewing bags in her mother’s kitchen in Tobago on a borrowed sewing machine, she never saw herself having her designs in one of the largest shopping malls in Toronto, the CF Eaton Centre. But she dreamed big, and all of her hard work paid off.
“It blows my mind! There is literally nothing God can’t do,” the designer reflected on her journey in a recent interview with The Sunday Gleaner. Never one to limit her imagination, Warner-Richards had a fanciful way of looking at things. She would often tap into her creative side, but she couldn’t picture herself becoming a designer.
Once she started making bags in 2011, people would be fascinated by her creations and want to add them to their collections. This positive response gave her all the motivation and courage she needed to be fearless in her pursuit of sharing her artistic pieces with the world. Many years of honing her craft later, her brainchild, Cee Wee Designs, was born. “At Cee Wee Designs, we create wearable art for women who aren’t afraid to stand out. We pride ourselves in creating modern accessories that exude luxury and confidence with a lot of pizzazz,” she added.
The crosswalk butterfly resort and triangle bags are two of her signature pieces. Her clients are appreciative of the unique shapes as well as the dynamic and vibrant prints employed in each design. “My customers keep me going. I love to see when a customer is contemplating a purchase and takes hold of one of my bags and struts down an imaginary runway. The confidence in her stride is everything!”
Speaking of the runway, the accessories designer has graced stages locally at Pulse’s Caribbean Fashionweek in 2014 and 2015 and regionally and internationally at Tobago Fashion Coda and Youth Day Toronto in 2016. She confessed that she is a lover of the runway because it brings her designs to life.
STYLED FROM HEAD TO TOE
“You not only see the bag or earring or whatever the specific creation is, but you see an entire look, styled from head to toe. Then you add the music and the lighting. You’re transported to a whole new realm. You enter the world the designer imagined when creating her designs. You live the experience.” Yes, while the central component of her accessories line is chic bags, she is by no means limited to purses et al. Warner-Richards also creates gorgeous handcrafted jewellery that embodies Caribbean flair.
Drawing inspiration from just about everything around her, artistic sparks fly from intriguing colour combinations placed in her ideas collection. “The design phase of running my business is my happy place. Moving from ideation to the creation of the physical product is the most fulfilling experience. I love interesting shapes,” she said, adding, “the architecture of the bag is important to me. I’m also not afraid to ‘up-size’ my creations. My bags need to be able to hold more than just lip gloss.” Not overly concerned by what’s trending, the fashion designer aims to create timeless pieces that transcend all the developed and fading phases.
Migrating and starting over was far from easy; this meant considering an entirely new market. Initially, she was unsure whether potential customers would connect to her bold and dynamic aesthetic. But she went at her own steady pace, studying the market as she went along, for the sake of growth and development.
Since crossing over to e-commerce, she has opened the window to amazing opportunities. Accustomed to making sales in person or by referral, that first order on her website still stands as her most memorable experience.
As an entrepreneur by ‘design’, she has learnt the value of small steps and the importance of building competency, creativity, and consistency in the business and design aspect of her brand. “I may not be where I want to be ultimately, but I am right where I need to be,” she added with the same confidence she unearths from her customers.
Noting that her eclectic style influences her designs, she is one to rock an all-black ensemble and loves bright colours and bold prints. “My personal style definitely affects my design aesthetic. Most of my creations are bold and colourful and use dynamic prints and colour combinations. I love the funk that Erika Badu brings, but I also adore a more preppy, subdued look, like Charlotte from Sex and the City,” she revealed.
The solopreneur’s goal is to make Cee Wee Designs a global brand for all things accessories, representative of opulence and confidence, “My philosophy is very simple: Do the best you can, with what you have, and never stop learning. At the end of the day, making my customers happy is paramount to me, so tenacity is my superpower. I’m always striving to improve. So, if you want to become a designer, start designing; sew, create and strive for growth and improvement.”
For more information on Cee Wee Designs, visit www.ceeweedesigns.com , email info@ceeweedesigns.com or follow @ceeweedesigns on Instagram.