Sharon Tanner was named Saint Lucia’s “Aspiring Designer of the Year” at this year’s Caribbean Collections, which was held at the Royal Saint Lucian Hotel earlier this year. She was naturally elated and later told the STAR it was something she had been looking forward to since first participating in the annual event back in 2006. Receiving the nod from celebrity judges Dwight Eubanks of the Real Housewives of Atlanta fame was obviously a bonus.
Tanner has since given us a peak into her creativity and its origins, which she said was first nursed at school.
“While I was at secondary school my art teacher recognized my talent,” she said. “I may not have been that good at the academics, but he realized that I loved art and he really pushed me to do art for CXC which I did.”
After her CXC successes, the young student was encouraged to go even further and she then enrolled at the Burrow School of Arts in Guyana, where she studied textile designs.
“From there I naturally developed a love for fashion designing and this is where I am today,” she explained. “I love to do things with my hands whether it is designing clothing, styling, interior decorating, setting up for an event, this is all me I love doing it.”
When the opportunity came to participate in Caribbean Collections first in 2006 Sharon Tanner jumped at it, seeing that at the time it was the only platform for aspiring designers like her. The response then was very encouraging and soon after, she started developing her own brand which she says is inspired by the refreshingly cool Caribbean waters and scenic beaches. The line EC Harbour was created and launched in 2008 at the fashion event “Strut For a Cause.” Tanner describes her line as “elegantly chic casual wear, reflecting the warmth and beauty of the Caribbean.”
Sharon Tanner has also been a part of the Rituals Carnival Band mas camp crew and has carried their Queen of the Band costume for the past four years, placing first runner up each year of her participation.
For this year’s Caribbean Collection Tanner spent two weeks creating the piece “Angelic Bliss” again utilizing her signature aquatic theme and unique fabric to reflect the water shimmer. The judges and the audience were impressed as her design certainly stood out on the night and was highly regarded by fashion impresario Dwight Eubanks of Atlanta. As her prize, Sharon Tanner will be a guest at the 2012 edition of New York fashion week, an event she says she is really excited about and looking forward too.
“As a designer you hear about all of these grand fashion events, you see them on television and you dream of being there some day, so I am really happy for this opportunity,” she told the STAR.
Since winning the “Aspiring Designer of the Year” award Sharon has been quite busy, freelancing with Options Designs where she offers her services in décor for special events and weddings. She was also afforded the opportunity to design the “Digi-wear” for one of the contestants in this year’s Mr and Miss Digicel pageant. The winner of the Miss Digicel pageant Minelle Smith carried Tanner’s design.
Meanwhile, Tanner continues to work from home taking orders for custom made designs and personalizing cuts from her EC Harbour line for her clients. Her specialty she says at the moment is men’s shirts and female tees. However her flexibility comes in if a customer wants something within her
reach. She is also busy and hard at work on an evening dress and costume for one of the contestants in this year’s Miss Anse La Raye pageant, which takes place on July 2, 2011. She is looking forward to bringing home the title of Queen of the Bands for Rituals Carnival band this year.
Long term however the designer says she is trying to become more established
with the hope of opening an outlet for her creations soon, with the view of
making EC Harbour a recognized and accepted brand in the region and beyond. She intends to continue showcasing her creativity as an event planner and decorator, working
with the company Options Designs.
