National pride is the blood that runs through the veins of the citizens of the 35 square mile paradise nestled in the crystalline waters of the Caribbean Sea –Anguilla! Anguillian pride was the reason for the 1967 revolution which broke the island away from the St. Kitts, Nevis & Anguilla federation! Since then the people of this gem have become even more resilient and have managed to putAnguillaon the map! A plethora of websites have named the island among the top tourist destinations in the world and the restaurants and hotels among the best in the world! As the island continues to receive more international acclamation, as with the first Anguillian athlete Shara Proctor competing in the 2012 Olympic long jump competition, the people of Anguilla continue to burst with pride!
However, as you travel the world and attend various festivals, you are to bump into nationals from all across theCaribbean, identifiable by their flags or island-branded clothing. Yet, despite the pride of the Anguillian people, it is currently near impossible to point out an Anguillian in the crowd. It is mainly for this reason that O’leary Richardson, a graphic artist at SoCreative Designs, decided to create Creative Clothing and it’s debut design the I Represent Anguilla ( iRepAnguilla) brand! O’learyRichardsonsays that his vision “was mainly to start something for Anguillians”!
O’leary is a young Anguillian who has proven himself very interested in the promotion and development of his island home through art, music, and now clothing! The project was underway since January 2011 but O’leary and his team wanted to ensure that what is created was a symbol truly representative of the pride of his people! His research led him to realize that the inverted, overlapping “deuces” had become a real identifying sign in Anguilla and, as such, the perfect emblem for iRepAnguillaparaphernalia! The graphic designers for the brand were O’leary himself and his little brother Jedani Hughes of SoCreative Designs – both very talented and computer savvy! He officially introduced the product to the public on August 3rd, 2012 during the annual Anguilla Summer Festival.
Since then, the brand has become extremely popular among locals of all ages who have fallen in love with the colour variety and comfort of the iRep Anguilla Tees and Baby-Tees. However, I am certain that it is the university students and other Anguillians living abroad who have fallen most deeply in love with this product! Especially with the recent proliferation of “iRep” slangs and slogans on social media, they seem to be ecstatic about being able to “Rep Anguilla” in their respective countries of residence!
This is just the beginning and O’leary definitely plans to expand the iRep Anguilla brand to other types of paraphernalia that will continue to complement the pride and resilience of the people ofAnguilla! O’leary says that he wants that when people see the “deuces” they know that’s an Anguillian thing”! iRep rainbow city, iRep tranquility wrapped in blue, iRepAnguilla!
For more information about Creative Clothing, please visit their website at www.creative-clothing.com or www.facebook.com/creativeclothing.axa and Tee Shirts are available for sale at Mills Baby World .
Article by Olufunmike Banks – Devonish .
Photography Courtesy Jerome Dupont
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
