KAVELLE ANGLIN-CHRISTIE, Staff Reporter
Fashion designer Chris Pablo. - ANDREW SMITH
CHRIS PABLO IS seen as one of the fresh fashion designing talents to watch, though he has been in the business for more than 15 years.
"Some of the time me shame fi say it because people always ah ask 'ah which part yuh did deh?'" he says.
Paul Christopher Robinson, 'Chris Pablo' says he maintained a low profile throughout the years because he wanted to perfect his art, "Then after a while I decided to put some out and show a different side of Chris Pablo."
Though Chris was not very visible, he still landed jobs for high profile clients. Over the years he has designed for Tiger, Ken Boothe, and Toots Hibbert among others.
TIGER GETS FIRST INTERNATIONAL PIECE
"The first international piece I did was for deejay Tiger in 1990. He approached me and I did it. He was doing a tour in Japan and I did a jump-suit for him to perform in and you also had people like Toots Hibbert, Angie Angel and them people deh who I used to design for. I also did something for Alaine the other day. I haven't worked with anyone else yet, but I would love to design for Shaggy and Beenie Man," he said.
While growing up in Trelawny, Chris says he always wanted to become a designer and was influenced by his mother who was a dressmaker. "Is from I was eight years old that I used to fool round machine. My bredrin dem always used to laugh at me and thing but that's what I wanted to do and I like to see the ladies looking good," he says.
As Chris and his style matured, he also admired the work of his predecessors. "Yuh have people like Earl 'Biggy' Turner, Les Campbell, Carlton Brown who brought me to Saint, and I can't leave out Miss Yola Grey, she is the one who gives me most encouragement these days," he said.
Fourteen years after he made his first suit for Tiger, he did his first show, Saint International's Faces of Summer, in 2004.
"I am grateful that I got that opportunity, because what I notice these days that people hardly want to deal with young designers. Even the media sometimes does it ... The playing field needs to be level," he said.
Since then, Chris's designs have been featured on several other shows. "I've done Style Week Jamaica; I did the Pablo's fashion show in December and them really big me up. I did an African line ... I just did the Saint's Avante Garde piece and that was also good."
Chris says his clothes are for men and women who love edgy wear. "I am a very edgy designer. People like to be above the rest, knowing that what they are wearing, a next person won't be in there, so that is who I cater for. I am an all-rounder," he said.
Chris is pleased with his growth throughout the years, but says he is unable to cater to the number of clients he wants to.
"I am a small scale designer so I can't do too much right now, I need to focus on my designs ... but anyone who need me would have to contact me via phone. In the near future I am planning to open a boutique in Kingston," he said.
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