Today we’d like to introduce you to Orinthia Carter.
Hi Orinthia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Clarendon, Jamaica. Fashion designing has been in my family for generations. My great-grandma was a designer, and she passed down her knowledge and skills to my grandfather. He ultimately opened the first tailor shop in May Pen, Clarendon, where he operated a family business, and taught all of his seven children the trade. My great-grandmother was a fashion designer for the neighborhood as well, I was fascinated as a child by how she would turn boring fabric into beautiful dresses, and how much joy it brought each client.
I fell in love with the concept of visualizing fabric into art. I would be amazed at every garment she made so I would try my best to replicate her work with the leftover fabric and create a piece for my doll. I wanted to be like my great-grandmother using her gift to bring joy to others. Upon arrival to the United States, I started to assist my mother in her studio and I later gained admission to study fashion design at AIU.
After mastering the craft, I started freelancing and designing new fashion garments as a part-time hobby while working in corporate American. In 2020 during the pandemic, I started designing custom masks for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, cooperated events, and everyday wear. I decided to take a leap of faith and started my business, it has been the best decision I have ever made.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I grew up not knowing my biological father even though my stepdad is an amazing man. At the age of three, I moved in with my grandmother because my mom was a teen mom and she was trying to figure out her life. After she met my step farther they fell in love, got marriage and relocated to the united stated. During this period, I lived and moved around with four different family members, where I was not loved, I was physically, mentally abused as a child. I struggled with the fact that my family could not love me, I came to the conclusion that the issue wasn’t me and it was because they didn’t know what love is. It hasn’t been a smooth road, it has been a struggle each step of the way.
Relocating to the United States when I was a pre-teen, with a strong Jamaican accent, not being able to make friends because I was a shy introvert with low self-esteem and no self-love. I had to learn a new culture and adjust to a new society. I have always had a problem with my self-image and not being able to love myself properly. My young adult life was a domino effect of who I was as a child until I found God and learned that all the love I needed was inside of me. All my struggles have made me better and shaped me into the woman I am today, I am proud to say it didn’t break me but it made me better and stronger. I turn my obstacles and challenges in a form of art when comes to my design, pain does’ create beauty, Each experience, good or bad it a part of life, it gets you to the next level.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Orinthia Design is a high fashion couture brand that specializes in, custom designs for a one-of-a-kind fit. Orinthia Design creates special occasion women, men, and children apparel, including but not limited to swimsuits, evening wear, maternity clothing, and intimate apparel. Wearing each garment is a representation of your well-defined standards. Orinthia Design is a high-end fashion that combines handwork and tech from start to finish. Each product is made from fabric that is sewn with extreme attention to detail. We use sophisticated and unique hand techniques to bring out the soul of each design. Orinthia Design translates to searching from within to creating a vision like no other.
Each design speaks to one’s higher self. I am most proud of the feeling, the joy, and the peace I leave a client with, how happy they are when they are wearing the idea that came from a vision to reality. What sets me apart from others is my ability to visualize an idea and with the help of my ancestors to bring it to life, it’s my ability to listen and understand what each client love and dislike about oneself and design a garment where one will fall in love with every inch of oneself.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I have always been a risk-taker, because of my teenage years. However, the greatest risk I took was walking away scared and confused from my corporate job of six years to pursue my lifetime dream in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. I had no idea what the journey would look like, all I had was a vision driven by my passion and love for creating one-of-a-kind garments. My perspective on risk is to take every challenge that comes your way even if you fail you are one step closer than where you started.
Pricing:
- Bridal dress start at $1800.00
- Prom start at$ 500.00
- Man wear start at $300.00
- Special occasion start at 280.00
- Children wear start at $ 80.00
Contact Info:
- Email: orinthiadesign@gmail.com
- Website: orinthiadesign.com
- Instagram: orinthiadesign
Image Credits
Nadia
Valarie
Sashoy
Orinthia
Samantha
James
Crystal
Lady T
Candance
Brandy
Tatyana
Janelle
Mrs. Johnson
