Jody Akal- Gonzalez: A Step in a Different Direction

“Inspired by the La Diablesse, I wanted to bring her into modern times, to find out what kind of woman she would be,” Jody said of her creative process. She revealed that her fixation on folklore was influenced by her time spent with her grandparents during her childhood. “My grandparents lived in Tamana; I would have heard a lot of those stories and they would have shaped me.” As she grew into a designer, Jody was drawn to an elegant, classic feminine aesthetic. “It was easy to draw inspiration from the La Diablesse – she is a femme fatale, a seductress, and since I do enjoy that feminine look it sort of fell into one,” she explained.

“‘She walks in white under the moonlight’,” the designer quoted, explaining her use of the dark hues of blue and black to mirror the nighttime feel. “The collection goes more along the sensual, seductive side, yet still very feminine,” Jody continued, telling WMN of her affinity for clean lines and simplicity.

Her research took her back to the fashions of the day, modernised versions of which are reflected in her work. “In the 1900s there were lots of ties, lots of ruffles and you will find these things in my collection. For instance, with the black dress, you would find reference to a jabot – a collar or bib – along with other influences from that time very tastefully placed into the collection.”

Like many success stories, Jody’s consists of some major risk-taking, usually brought on by a major shift into something new. “I come from a background in investment and insurance, so this was a big change for me.” But for all her previous immersion in graphs and figures, the prizewinner has actually been designing for some time, just not for the runway. Jody is a professional belly dancer and acrobat with her sister, Nalini Akal’s N9 Dance Company, where she also makes some of the troupe’s costumes. She practises acrobalance – which she does with her husband, Mike, who is trained in Chinese pole – and traditional pole dancing, along with her belly-dancing for the company’s high-end clientele.

Sewing came naturally to the designer, as she learnt from her mother at home. “Whenever I got a chance on the machine, I would jump in,” she chuckled. Jody also took sewing classes at the Hillary School of Fashion and lessons in crochet at Chris Cross for Craft, two institutions she wholeheartedly credited for her present success.

Referring to her foray into fashion as a “step in a different direction”, Jody has no intention of abandoning her career as a dancer and acrobat. “I still want to be close to my dance career, but I would definitely like to explore what opportunities there are in this growing industry.”

She excitedly looks toward her partnership with Simply Runway, expressing her eagerness to learn more about the market. “Consumers are becoming wiser and as designers, we need to make educated guesses in the right direction.”

Jody and her husband often enjoy travelling and she told WMN that she wishes to use that in order to broaden her horizons where her exposure to cultures and styles are concerned. “I want to travel and look at other fabrics, and to tie in my own Caribbean flair with those influences.” The designer also sometimes enjoys exploring the use of unconventional fabrics in her pieces. “One of the key points [with the collection] is that I used bamboo fabric and rayon.”

Hungry for richer experiences, Jody admitted, “I’m not done learning after University and I don’t mind learning more of this craft. I’m not in a hurry to open up my own boutique just yet; there’s a lot more I want to experience--I would like to delve into more collaborations with other boutiques.”

“With regard to my future, I see many avenues, and I want to take it one step at a time,” she explained. “Not everyone follows their dream right away,” Jody said of her shift into fashion. “I believe in timing and this was perfect for me, I couldn’t have done it sooner.”