Fayola K J Fraser
Artist. Entrepreneur. Painter. Mother. These are some of the various descriptors of the incredibly talented Lisa Sarjeant, owner of the boutique and brand–Lisa Faye Silks. Sarjeant has carefully carved and curated her niche in T&T’s fashion industry, which births beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces, made for women. The scope of her art is not limited however to T&T, as Sarjeant’s brand has loyal customers throughout the Caribbean, and as far as Switzerland and Dubai.
During her earlier years, Sarjeant moved between T&T and Canada, eventually settling in T&T permanently in time for secondary school. Being aware of her creative capacity from a very young age, she was supported in channelling it during her time at St Francois Girls’ College by her then art teacher, Ms Gill, better remembered by Sarjeant as “the best art teacher ever.” Setting her on a path of no return into the art sphere, she was introduced to Textiles, eventually pursued it for CXC examinations, and is still doing textiles over 30 years later. With her training and foundational understanding of art and textiles, Sarjeant began to explore and develop her technique in painting on silks, which has ultimately formed the basis of her career.
“I wanted a technique that I could flow,” she remembers, “it required a lot of trial and error, figuring out how to keep the colours vibrant, and which fabrics were best suited to this vibrancy.”
Before landing on silks, she experimented with painting on various types of cotton but found silks best as the colours do not fade, making the pieces timeless. Using silk as her canvas, each piece usually takes her at least a week to paint, and the intricacy, complexity and attention to detail that this process requires often has Sarjeant stooping in the sun for hours each day, painstakingly ensuring that each fabric matches the high standard that her customers have grown to expect.
Although she now has the technique down to a science, Sarjeant believes that in her artistic pursuit, she is always learning, changing and improving. For example, during the COVID-19 lockdown, she was compelled to think outside the box and channel her innate resourcefulness when certain ingredients she needed were in short supply. It is this commitment to not only the beauty of the outcome of her pieces but also the dexterity and extreme care she takes in the journey of creating that has allowed her to see success over the years.
This success, however, has not come easily. Sarjeant began selling her clothing in her twenties on foot, not in a boutique or the Normandie. Remembering the humble beginnings of “walking from store to store in town, with brown cotton pieces that I painted and sewed, trying to sell them,” she remains forever grateful to Brother Resistance and Karega Mandela, who were some of the first people to believe in her. Buying her items for their store downtown, she holds the memory dear in her heart, as they had confidence in the marketability of her clothing when many others refused to give her an opportunity. This, in turn, engendered her confidence, as they would call her every week for more pieces because people continued to buy them.
At now 54 years old, she reminisces on some of these earlier, more difficult times, all of which have charged her with a formidable spirit and non-exhaustive self-belief, helping her to believe in her art, “in a country that doesn’t believe in artists.”
After the painful experience of losing a child on her 45th birthday, Sarjeant decided to follow her dreams and open a boutique. “I decided to treat my boutique like my baby,” she says, “and I don’t want anyone messing with my baby.” This perspective explains her meticulousness and strict attention to detail in her work.
Electing to leave her steady job in the media was not an easy decision, and “people thought I was crazy to leave a full-time job,” but she acted on faith and opened her original boutique in St James. After initially making her textiles for other designers, she eventually decided that “Lisa Faye should only be for Lisa Faye” and honed in on exclusively using her fabrics for her brand.
“This chapter is about peace,” she says, indicating that she has no desire to mass produce or obsess over quantity, but rather keep the quality of her products high, all while enjoying her passions. Many people dream about the alignment of their profession and their passion, and Sarjeant is living in that dream, refusing to skew her products by chasing money.
Describing the difficulty of being a small business owner, she continues to strike out in faith as she did initially, constantly investing in herself and her brand. She remembers how nerve-racking the investment was initially, but she remains rooted in her faith, guided by positive energy and equipped with a healthy sense of humour. “What else am I going to do if not this?” she smiles, knowing that she is living in her destiny.
As a business owner in the fashion industry, she is forced to exercise both chambers of her brain. She is not only the lead creative but is also the business manager, social media manager, store manager and communications manager of her brand. “I come from a time when we didn’t even have a landline in our house,” she laughs, and now she is in charge of leveraging social media to the benefit of her business, which requires her constant learning and dedication.
Although she sometimes receives criticism for the cost of her items, she stresses that the production costs are the reason her silks are not cheap. The silks go through four ports before getting to T&T, her embellishments come from India and Afghanistan, she has to import dyes, spend her time and talent making textiles, and pay seamstresses fairly for their work and refuses to undermine anyone along the way.
Sarjeant understands that while not everyone can afford the pieces, she aims to provide the best price for the product that makes her time and effort worthwhile. Aside from those common criticisms, she also continues to face heavy import duty and various other challenges with which many entrepreneurs and small business owners in T&T remain familiar.
Sarjeant’s advice to women is borne out of a testament to her life thus far. “Everything is a process,” she ruminates, and the work of building her brand has required her to have a broad back, to get up when you fall, and to rise above unfair criticisms or pessimism. “Nobody sees the late nights,” she says, remembering not only her current late nights when she works on her fabrics from 5 am until midnight in the busy seasons but also in her younger years having a baby, teaching and all still trying to fulfil her passions as an artist.
“But staying the course, being patient, and believing in yourself above everything while blocking out the noise” have been her keys to success.
Lisa Faye Sarjeant has and continues to make a statement in the fashion industry. With a centered perspective that “there’s room for everyone,” she doesn’t seek to monopolise the fashion industry in T&T, nor force her designs on anyone, instead believing that all designers can not only exist harmoniously but thrive in their uniqueness.
Her clothing, through its elegance and sophistication, has been able to touch many women. She recalls some of her most poignant moments when she has had customers who have gone through chemotherapy or a mastectomy because of cancer, and her outfits empower them to feel brave and beautiful in their femininity once again. She feels honoured when a client tells her she has saved her money and taken a bus from Toco, just to have one of her pieces. It is in these special moments, that every challenging hurdle in her career feels wholly worthwhile.
What’s next for Lisa Faye Silks? What does the future look like? Laughing at her exhaustion at being asked those questions, she believes wholeheartedly that she is living in “her future”. Merging her love for art with a professional career with a product that has touched so many women is her joy, a joy that keeps her creating. Wearing Lisa Faye is an experience that she has afforded to many women, and a living testament to her dedication and diligence to elevating the fashion industry in T&T.