At 20-years-old, University of the West Indies nursing student Vanessa Alexander left everything she knew to pursue a burning passion for fashion and graphic designing. Her passion led her miles away to North Coast College in Cleveland, Ohio.

Born and raised in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Vanessa Alexander is an ‘island gyal’. Her time in Ohio saw her frequently being compared to Rihanna and only reinforced her Caribbean roots.

Upon the completion of her degree, she didn’t hesitate in starting her very own business, Veechic Designs. The young designer’s company would see her making customized swimsuits for a diverse clientele. Alexander excitedly explains the satisfaction it brings her in knowing her customers can feel beautiful in the quality pieces she delivers to them.

Veechic Designs, now comfortably operating from a physical location, began as an online store. The millennial entrepreneur had big dreams and while sales did drop for her in the initial stages of the pandemic, it didn’t stop her from opening the doors of her out shop in Kingston, Jamaica in November of 2020. The pandemic she says was “a blessing in disguise” for her and her business.

Unique, modern, and bold are some of the ways she described Veechic Designs. The go-getter had but a simple phrase for people who have a solid idea and want to start their own business:

“Go for it”