Atlanta, Marietta resident and fashion consultant Janice Lawrence-Clarke has just celebrated two milestones. Already a successful entrepreneur, a mother to college attendee Anastasia and mentor to her recently graduated college class mates, Janice just finished at the American Intercontinental University, Atlanta Campus, with two MBA degrees in Entertainment Management and Project Management. In addition to the knowledge gained with the new diplomas, her graduation day was particularly special since a large group of friends and family members from Africa and the Caribbean attended; the group included brothers Norman Joe and Michael Lawrence; great aunt Evelina Nelson; director of AIU's Business Department Dr Duane Scott; daughter Anastasia Clarke; and her mother Wilma Lawrence.
Lawrence-Clarke's third milestone involves an event she recently launched at the AmericasMart Atlanta to introduce Caribbean visitors to each other, in preparation for the Caribbean American Fashion Exchange™ (Cafe), a four-part programme consisting of a fashion trade mission, an exclusive promotional showing, a trade show introduction to fashion retailers, and a group fashion show with a fashion market for the general public.
This will all take place beginning with the Caribbean Fashion Trade Mission in May 2011 in Trinidad and Tobago and ending with the designers' participation in the Atlanta Apparel Market at the AmericasMart, and a finale fashion show in October 2011. Janice's goal is to bring Caribbean fashion to the forefront of the clothing industry, with the objective of a "Made in Trinidad and Tobago" or "Made in the Caribbean" label becoming commonplace in the US market. Lawrence-Clarke was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago.
She came to America in the 1970's and has since gone above and beyond the "American dream." Janice conceived Cafe more than 20 years ago and was patient enough to wait for the perfect timing, now.
Atlanta is the home base of both of Janice's companies, JLC PRoductions, an event production firm, and The Adina Foundation, a non-profit organisation that provides scholarships with Caribbean culture as the vehicle.