Jerome Brammer is a history buff and a creative.
And Brammer has been combining those two elements to fulfil his company’s mantra to “educate and entertain.”
“I know a lot of people think history is boring so my job is to create designs dope enough that people get excited by the graphic to then purchase the clothes and then do their own research,” Brammer said.
Brammer is the owner of a clothing company called Third World Famous.
The clothing line’s number best seller is a t-shirt with the design The Original Maroon 5.
But the T-shirt has nothing to do with the American pop-rock band led by vocalist Adam Levine or any of its other lesser-known members.
Instead, the T-shirt highlights Queen Nanny, Zumbi, Dutty Boukman, François Mackandal, and Captain Cudjoe, who were all maroon leaders.
Maroons are described as slaves who escaped and formed independent settlements.
Brammer said from that one design three countries Jamaica, Haiti and Brazil were represented.
This Brammer said is the definition of Third World Famous.
Third World Famous originally started as a Trini rap group in 2004.
Its members were Kyle Perreira (Sef Gaines), Russell Clarke (Bless), Osei Sammy (Grande).
Brammer said Third World Famous started using designs in their music videos as a way of promoting the group.
The major designs were the T-shirts bearing “Third World Famous” and “Trinibad.”
Brammer has a trademark in the United States and T&T for the Trinibad name for clothing.
Perreira died in 2017 and the rap group is now no longer around.
However, now the clothing is an entity of its own.
“If you think about the lifestyle from Jamaica, Trinidad, Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia, and the Philippines we have a kind of lifestyle that is similar between those developing countries that is way closer to each other than the lifestyle of America, Canada and Europe,” Brammer said.
“Whether because of climate, geography or the kind of shared colonial history we all share we all are connected in a way that America, Canada Europe cannot really relate to, so Third World Famous is here to make that lifestyle famous,” he said.
Brammer said the brand’s motto is: Represent your world.
And he believes the brand has been fulfilling that mandate.
“Like Tupac Shakur said I might not be the man who changed the world but I will spark the brain to change the world,” he said.
Brammer said he is happy with the pace the brand has been growing so far.
“We have real customers, return customers and they are the best kind of customers to have,” he said.
Brammer was one of several business people who were in attendance at the dialogue on Trade and Investment which was held at the T&T Embassy in Washington earlier this month.
The event featured the US Ambassador to T&T Candace Bond and InvesTT president Sekou Alleyne.
“From that meeting I left with the feeling that T&T is open to business,” Brammer said.
Among the attendees was the Trinidadian mother of CNN journalist Abby Phillip.
Also present was the owner of the famous Washington-based Ben’s Chili Bowl.
Ben’s Chili Bowl was opened in 1956 by Trinidadian-born Ben and Virginia Ali and has become a pillar of the Washington, DC community.
Speaking to the Sunday Business Guardian InvesTT president lauded the meeting.
“Over the past couple of years particularly in the pandemic, we have had a very sound relationship with our foreign missions as a catalyst for reaching out to and networking and engaging foreign persons in their jurisdiction with a particular emphasis on the diaspora knowing the talent and the sound positioning that we have in our diaspora out there doing great things in many sectors,” Alleyne said.
Alleyne said one of the major initiatives that came out of that was the Diaspora Business Advocates group which consists of volunteers working with InvesTT to promote investment opportunities in the country.
“InvesTT’s Global Diaspora Business Advocates (DBAs) are a passionate team of T&T diaspora who have volunteered to be advisors and connectors located around the world. They are keen on giving back by opening up their ‘executive rolodexes’ to facilitate connections and link global investors/corporations within their networks to investment opportunities in their homeland. DBAs have considerable capacity and potential to attract foreign direct investment to T&T through the execution of a strategic advocacy strategy,” according to the InvesTT website.
“DBAs play a pivotal role in supporting Trinidad and Tobago’s economic growth agenda while anchored in their respective locations across North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
“Within their networks, DBAs will assist in expanding InvesTT’s footprint through publicity, events or webinars to enhance the global visibility of T&T’s investment offerings. DBAs will communicate directly with the InvesTT team in T&T and will be supported with relevant marketing communications to creatively promote investment opportunities within their networks,” it stated.
Alleyne said Washington DC is a key market for foreign investment for InvesTT. He delivered a presentation to the group highlighting the top reasons to invest in T&T including low business costs, world-class infrastructure and attractive incentives.
E Teck’s Phoenix Park Industrial Estate, Tamana’s Intech Park, and the Moruga Agro-processing and Light Manufacturing Park as well as the country’s Special Economic Zone were highlighted.