I Love JA in the Streets Of New York

I Love JA

in the Streets of New Yorkby Ano Okera

They say great minds think alike and this could not be more appropriate than when long time friends Kimberley Lue Lim and Nikeisha Boothe conceived the ‘I Love JA’ brand. I was intro

duced to the shirts when I was performing at the Bitter End in New York earlier this year and it was love at first sight. I totally abandoned what was styled for my performance so I could wear it. And though I upset my stylist, he had to understand that it exemplified the simplicity of my sentiment for Jamaica. After the show, I knew then and there that I was going to eventually creative direct and style a campaign for the line.

According to Kimberley, the inspiration for the line came after being thrust in a cultural melting pot and realizing just how addicted she is to her culture while studying in New York. She was at NYU doing her graduate degree in International Businessand Economic Developme

nt with the hope of going back hometo continue to build Jamaica. While home in 2006, she m

et up with Nikeisha to chat about life and about her new ‘SAI Collection’. Nikeisha has always been known for her unique sense of fashion. She decided to venture in fashion merchandising and has been designing handbags for the “Bag n’ Pan” line under her ‘SAI Collection’, where she has allowed her Jamaican influences to inspire her work. What started out as a casual conversation between the two metamorphed into this amazing brand that speaks to the hearts of all proud

Jamaicans.In fact, the initial responses to the shirtswere phenomenal an

d in January 2007 they both decided to do a test run. With ‘I Love JA’ as a part of the ‘Blouse n’ Skirt’ line of the SAI Collectionthey decided to commence promotions on Facebook. This proved to be a move in the right direction and as the numbers and requests grew, it was clear that this was a viable brand that appeals

to people from all walks of life.

It is a great privilege to introduce Kimberley and Nikeisha as my first Caribbean innovators. They have given me an opportunity to collaborate with Peter Dean to capture their vision. Please allow me to introduce the new brand that is taking over the Streets of New York……'I Love JA’.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7707793262&ref=ts

One Love,
Ano Okera
anookera.com
anookera.com/services/
anookera.blogspot.com

Ano Okera the unofficial ambassador for Caribbean Culture in New York

Ano Okera
the Unofficial Ambassador for Caribbean Culture in New York

As a singer/songwriter/image and brand consultant on the New York scene, there are so many things that have influenced my concept of art, music and style. The interesting thing about the man I am today is that being rooted in my Jamaican culture has in so many ways informed the way I create with the inspiration that surrounds me daily. It is so humbling to get up and be thrust in the many different cultures in this New York dynamic. The music, fashion, art scene, theatre, food and faces from so many different perspectives are all breathtaking. It makes me feel very proud that I get to represent the land I love, in the land I now call home.

As an unofficial ambassador for Jamaica, it is the most amazing thing to walk down the street in Manhattan and hear my native tongue or my reggae/dancehall music blazing from a car passing by. It is even more tremendous to see my Caribbean brothers and sisters etch their names and legacies while paving their way in New York and the rest of the world.

Caribbean Cultures are without a doubt a strong part of the pulse of New York. Caribbean minds, music, fashion, art and style have influenced and in many instances have given birth to a lot of what we now hold as pop culture.

This blog is a glimpse of New York through my journal. It is a dedication to the new Caribbean evolution in the arts. It is also an invitation for you to come experience and listen to the emergence of Caribbean fashion, music, literature and art, to the new voices and faces that will change your world forever.

One Love,
Ano Okera
anookera.com
anookera.com/services/
anookera.blogspot.com