For Georginna Smith, becoming a fashion designer and beauty guru was a childhood dream that she earnestly desired to pursue as she brushed the cusp of adulthood.
But a semester into her studies at the University of Technology, Jamaica, where she was reading for a Bachelor's of Arts degree in apparel design and production, she was forced to drop out of the programme due to financial constraints.
"It was hard because I waited very long to enrol. It was really hard," Smith shared. But she took a leap of faith and launched her own business earlier this year, hoping that her profits will actualise her childhood dream. Her brainchild, Goddess Cosmetics, is expected to focus on holistic beauty and fashion to enhance a person's self-esteem.
"When I think about fashion, I think about people being able to express themselves. Some women struggle with beauty and societal standards. But for me, it's not about changing beauty, it's about allowing people to embrace it," the 23-year-old reasoned.
Smith told THE STAR that the drive behind her beauty line is herself, having grown feeling insecure about her beauty.
"As I got older, I was able to accept myself," she expressed. She credits her mother and late grandmother, Rachel Lewis, for encouraging her to push the boundaries of the beauty world.
"My grandma taught me how to sew at an early age, so at about six or seven years old, I used to make my own doll clothes. My mother loved to cut her own clothes, so I used to take those pieces for myself and made my first swimsuit from scrap cloth. I have loved fashion from an early age," Smith said.
Smith, who is from May Pen, Clarendon, but now resides in Trench Town, Kingston, is a beneficiary of recently completed five-week entrepreneurial training with the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) as part of the Inter-American Foundation capacity building project. This was implemented by non-governmental organisation Fight for Peace.
More than 20 residents of Denham Town and Trench Town will each receive a grant of US$300-500 to boost their personal businesses. For Smith, this is a blessing.
"The programme was very good. It opened my eyes to a lot of things that will be very useful for me in the future," she said.
Karen Shirley-Green, senior sales assistant at JBDC, said that programmes like these provide an avenue for project beneficiaries to connect with experts and counsellors for future business development support beyond the life of the project.
"JBDC's experiences with community groups and youths include the provision of experienced facilitators who have the ability to provide practical delivery of information through lectures, case studies, discussion of real-life scenarios, as well as practical activities," she said.
