Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

'Armed and Dangerous' in a Sprawl design. - Contributed photo

'Kingstonians do it better'. 'I'm with wifey'.

They may sound quirky, but conversation fashion is the trademark of up and coming designer Kesi Gardner.

A graphic designer, illustrator and artist, Kesi is putting her designing flair to innovative use with her limited edition clothing line 'Sprawl', which is primarily a T-shirt line that capitalises on the craze for the laid-back shirts that has struck Jamaica and abroad.

A lifestyle brand, Sprawl is making the most of current slangs and mischief.

Gardner wanted a brand that was absolutely Jamaican without being cliché, yet understandable internationally.

With clothing made from soft, durable material, with colours that last, Sprawl is all about creating a vibe. It also lends itself, as the name suggests, to lounging in comfort while hinting at the more raunchy vibe of spreading out in a wanton manner. And among the young trendsetting generation of 18-24 years old, Sprawl has already began to create a stir.

Internationally known

Gardner says "The designs are not just for Jamaica. People from Turkey, New York, Japan have contacted me. I'm thinking of going to Japan soon. They love reggae and dancehall."

While not having formal training, Gardner has has managed to find unique approaches to fashion and the promotion of her line. The line will be done in limited editions, so of each set of designs only 250 are made. After those are finished another line with new tag phrases and designs is created.

"The reason why it's limited is people have been doing the same thing, so I don't want it to get old. Plus, some people don't want to see everyone in the same shirt. So 250 are made with the same designs and then another 250 are made. So you'll be in the 250 persons who possess that particular shirt," Gardner said.

Kesi Gardner started the line after seeing her co-worker selling T-shirts from the office. "A couple of months ago I was watching my co-worker design his own line of shirts and thought if he could do it I could do it too. So I used my own savings and started it," she said. Inspired by Jamaica's huge music scene, the cross culture of rock, reggae and dancehall provides her with a lot of energy.

Log on and vote

The public gets to say which designs they enjoy the most by logging on to the website, www.sprawltees.blogspot.com, where they can see the latest designs and place their votes for the next edition. Gardner says persons have been voting from across the globe. Still, it has not always been smooth sailing as store owners are not always willing to take a chance on the designs.

The present line is mostly for men and the next six may be a children's line and a women's line. The women's line would include more tank tops and fitted tops, but still with the casual look.

"People have come up to me saying there's a need for women's fashion. Girls come to me and say there's nothing for them, just foreign products," Gardner said.

Sprawl will soon be available at the Stanley and Empress store in Cross Roads, and orders can be made on the website.

Is he really with 'wifey', as the Sprawl design suggests?