KESI CASE – A DESIGN DREAM COME TRUE By Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger
South Florida is home to one of the most innovative designers of the decade. The multi-talented Kesi Case balances a busy personal and professional life and with her unrelenting ambition and drive, she is on her way to creating a fashion empire.
At only 18, Kesi Case, born in Toronto and raised in Jamaica, was given $5,000 by her parents and told to start a business. Her heart was in fashion. She bought a rack of clothes in Florida, brought them back to Jamaica and started to sell them. This eventually led to her own store. She later decided that she not only wanted to carry designer clothing but she too wanted to design so with the love and support of her mother who had always been her true inspiration, Kesi closed the store and moved to Florida to go to design school. (Kesi’s dad was in the construction and engineering field and that may have prompted her present day continued success with her interior design skills).
Kesi graduated from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in 2001 and was ready to pursue her dream. While working for a private label in Boca Raton, Florida, Kesi had the good fortune and opportunity to create designs for Cache, Arden B., Nordstrom and Forever 21. With her fervor for fashion, she branched out on her own and started Azuri Fashions in 2002 which became known as Kesi Couture in 2004. For a period of time, she had two stores in Plantation, Florida from 2002 to 2005. Kesi is now based in a studio in Sunrise, Florida.
Kesi has a loyal fan base and they keep coming back for more. Kesi Case’s collections are inspired by life itself and her slogan is ‘Connecting Cultures’ which is evident in her various exquisite collections that represent every culture.
Her clothes are so unique with hand painted designs and sparkles and stones just to name a few of the items triggered by her individuality. Case focuses on ready-to-wear, bridal, swimwear and men’s fashions. Her favorite part of the job is designing anything with a great deal of detail. Fabrics used are silks, chiffons, cottons, wools and linen. The swimwear is done with spandex and a variety of her bridal gowns are of peau de soie, a smooth and silky fabric with a satiny, lustrous finish. There are a variety of styles to fit the client from elegant dresses to suits to casual attire. Her talent for personal styling and exclusive designs has drawn clients to her such as the original Chris Phasion, Duane Starks and his stunning wife Kimberly.
Some of Case’s famous accomplishments include Deco Records Fashion Show, Burger King Spotlight Designer Fashion Show and Fashion Styling for IA Live TV Launch Party Fashion Show. She has designed clothing for music videos and provided garments for Miss Jamaica World Pageant 2003 and many others.
Having lost both parents to cancer, Kesi became involved with and serves on the board of ‘Cleaning for Cancer’ founded by Nadege Desravines, a national non-profit organization that is near and dear to her heart. This organization assists cancer patients. In order to relieve some of the burden, they clean the cancer patients’ houses for free. Kesi is working to design a clothing line for department stores in which half of the proceeds from the sale of the clothes will go to support this wonderful foundation.
In the next few years, Kesi Case aspires to branch out and put her collections in major department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. She wants to venture into other avenues such as shoes, bags and bedding. Her creative energy never ceases and she dabbles in all aspects of the design world.
Kesi Case is definitely a motivating force in the fashion world. We can be sure that we will be seeing much more of her in the future. Make sure to check out her website at http://www.kesicase.com.
If you are in the Sunrise, Florida area, you may want to give her a call at (954) 393-3575 to setup an appointment.
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