SHARMARK LEON

Determined to be a cut above the rest

We got the opportunity to sit and converse with Shamark, owner of Sharmark Events & Designs and Koutwiyez, his fabric store. In our conversation we discussed the origins and details of his ventures as an entrepreneur. But before we got to the business of it, we started with a simple question…

Dazzle: How would you describe who Sharmark is?

I’d say Sharmark is an outgoing, God fearing person. I don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and I believe that when you live it should be to the fullest, the sky's the limit. For me, looking back on my life it was a journey from nothing to something because I just kept reaching for the stars.

As a designer, I’d say I’m a cut above the rest. I don’t like people to say I’m one of the best designers though. I know for sure that I’m a very creative person because anyone can go find inspiration online but I’m not a ‘copy and paste’ designer. I like to come up with things people haven’t seen, and I believe that that’s what keeps you in the loop so that people don’t get tired of what you produce.

Dazzle: When was your introduction to design?

Like I always tell my friends, I didn’t choose it, design chose me. I wasn’t even aware that there was something called event planning. I grew up less fortunate with 4 siblings but still, because of my personality I’d always change the furniture around and do different things.

At age 17 I started working at Valmont as a potter. My supervisor at the time, Mary Edwards who is now Mrs. Springer used to do merchandising for Valmont and I remember being fascinated when I saw the show windows. She made me do the show window and I used lots of different materials to make it look really good. Unfortunately they broke into the show window that same night because of how attractive it was. From then I started doing the show windows for no additional pay, until I got promoted to merchandiser and later to Marketing Manager. It was at that juncture I realised I wanted more career wise.. Eventually I fooled around and got fired but it was the best thing to happen to me. I ended up renting from my former employers for a couple years but now I have my own thing. At the time the space I rented was for the event planning company. I was actually paying the rent for the fabric store for 2 years before I even set it up, that’s how much I believed in the idea.

Dazzle: How did the fabric store get started? I was doing my own little survey and I noticed that there were only two major players in the industry. My store isn’t just for fabric, it’s called Koutwiyez (seamstress in St. Lucian French Creole) and it’s something that connects with the people, being from our own tongue. It also stands out in that what we offer is a little more high fashion and expensive for middle to upper class clientele I think it’s very important to engage customers when they come in, even if they’re not buying. The experience really makes the difference. We try to move with the times and the events so that we can bring in things to accommodate them.

Dazzle: Who is your primary target audience? For events we try to cater to everybody and not take any job for granted. I like to go the extra mile, and it pays off because people have become familiar with my style and my product. Even for something like Jounen Kwyol, I don’t just use madras material. I try to infuse our culture by using bamboo, fig leaves and so on. I just try to let my imagination run wild.

For 25 years I’ve been designing and I hear people say that the new younger designers will take over… but for me, I’m my own brand and I’m a diva. Brands like Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein have been around when we were growing up and people are still making a fuss about it because these companies are keeping up with the times and that’s what I plan to do..

Dazzle: What are your greatest achievements?

That my main clientele is always government based, I believe I’ve worked for every government entity in Saint Lucia… others include Sagicor, CDF, M&C Drugstore among others. I always introduce my personality when I’m going for a job. I also don’t take more than I can handle because I want to be present at every job I take. Sometimes you send someone on your behalf and the person who hired you doesn’t feel as comfortable with them, you know? Making friends with my clients is also a big deal for me as I also learn from them.

Dazzle: What are the challenges that you face and how do you overcome them?

For me the challenge was poverty. From growing up as a young man, not having a secondary school education. My mother would always say “education isn’t always brains”, some people have degrees but can’t understand the simplest things. So I always open myself to learn, and I wouldn’t say I’m street smart, but I surround myself with people that will have an impact on me… there is something to learn from everyone I meet. .

Growing up we never went to bed hungry, we might’ve had bread and sweet water or sweet rice. Guess what, if you’re growing up in the islands and that’s all you know, to you that’s a five course meal. It’s only when you get older you learn about other things that you don’t have. But at the end of the day you appreciate what you have. Now, if I don’t have, I understand how to deal with it. I haven’t forgotten where I came from, if I have to help out my siblings or my mom I do it. The level of respect I get now because of my business has been great.

As for other challenges I’d say none because I got my visa by myself, registered my businesses, I’ve been to Miami on business, I’ve done conferences and so much more and it’s so comforting that when my clients call me, everything is set and they know that I’ll deliver.

At this stage, it’s not just about getting one set of money, but doing a good enough job that it puts a smile on someone else’s face and it gets me another job, and then another.

Dazzle: What advice would you give to your younger self when you were starting off? At the end of the day, the challenges make you who you are, so I don’t know if I would want to hide or change my past. I appreciate the family I was raised in but maybe I wouldn’t mind having a golden spoon… but then if I had that I wouldn’t have been interested in design.

I think I’d say to believe in yourself a little more, don’t let anyone discourage you… even with my fabric store people asked why would I want to run competition with other well established businesses?. I know what I wanted so I was never a follow fashion person who got jealous. I want that when I’m gone people will still be talking about me.

With so much going for him already, we wish Sharmark all the success that he’s working towards in his various ventures!

Fun Facts

Go-to genre of music?

Dancehall

Favourite local festival?

Jazz festival because I make the most money lol

Favourite colour?

Black

Natural beat or glam?

Natural beat