January 6, 2022
This Black Woman Delivers Glamour, Empowerment With ‘Flying Dress Experience’ In Jamaica
If the soul requires a Caribbean vacation, sunlit days, and reggae-infused nights, the island country of Jamaica undoubtedly delivers.
Now, just imagine the aesthetic pleasure of wearing a silk dress that ripples in the wind against the backdrop of verdant mountainsides, crystalline rivers, or white beaches edging a turquoise sea. This flying dress experience, famed in Santorini, Greece and other European countries, inspired Chrisan Hunter to not only introduce the ‘”original flying dress” to her native country, but to provide more opportunities for women far and wide.
Hunter, a native of Montego Bay, was working as a wedding planner at a local resort before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the loss of many jobs, including hers. Since then, weddings dramatically downsized, and the pandemic illuminated many business ideas for the young woman. Despite the risky odds, Hunter’s idea to create flying dresses was born out of her decision to start her own photoshoot dress rental business.
“At the time we really didn’t have anything like that in Jamaica and I thought it was genius to bring that experience here,” Hunter said in an interview with Essence. “I knew women would love it as it was an opportunity to be captured in a glamorous dress along with the picturesque landscape of our island. It also helped so many women as it is so much easier to rent a dress for a photoshoot rather than purchase a dress only to never wear it again,” she added.
HerDress Jamaica offers a wide selection of custom-made and designer dress rentals for any occasion— engagements, maternity, anniversaries, birthdays, or even vacations shots. The dresses span a vibrant range of colors and sizes, all the way up to 3X. The team is devoted to helping women look fabulous at an affordable price, starting from $250 and are based on the photographer’s rates.
As a small business, HerDress Jamaica strives to set its own lane apart from similar European competitors, including Greece.
“From the very first moment of contact, the HerDress Jamaica experience begins. We eliminate the stress of our clients trying to figure everything out themselves. We help our clients find the perfect dress depending on the type of shoot. They have a number of talented photographers to choose from. We provide transportation, locations, makeup artists, and an assistant to get our clients dressed as well as provide direction right throughout the shoot,” Hunter explained in the interview.
The reception of the experience, thus far, has surged, allowing the Black-owned business to reach higher goals than expected. In just over a year of operation, 300 clients in Jamaica and in the United States have participated in the empowering experience.
“The HerDress experience is more than posing for the camera in a fancy dress,” Hunter said. “We ensure they all feel beautiful and have a memory that will last a lifetime.”