Creating an Artiste Image: with Troy Oraine | Kadeem Rodgers

 (@thekadsmeow)

We often make clothing choices based on our mood, whether it is to lift the mood or express the mood.

This could mean adding a paisley scarf or charms to handbags; or injecting a pop of colour by way of shoes because the all-black ensemble needed some pizzazz.

Many times, the pieces we choose affect said mood, whether good, bad, or indifferent. However, with creating an image, the selection process is often swathed in a brainy, technical approach.

Tribe Nine Creative Director Troy Oraine is versed in and has adapted to the complexities of image-making and visual storytelling.

This uber-talented Jamaican-born designer, who was raised in the UK — started his journey as a stylist in New York City, but has moved back home and carved a niche in the Jamaican styling and designer industry.

This season, Oraine steadily breezed through a collection drop, and a Black Friday pop-up at Ahmeraki Café, yet he is currently planning a series of Christmas pop-ups and delving into expanding the business after five years in operation.

It’s 2 pm on a Wednesday afternoon. He’s in the Tribe Nine Studios, editing a garment on the production line. He pauses every so often to greet a customer or provide feedback on the outfit. He is, simultaneously, fully cognizant of each response.

The man wears many hats – even trucker ones branded ‘Tribe Nine’, but he’s hyper-focused on brand development because ‘I love us, and I want to help us see ourselves’.

To illustrate this Tribe Nine POV, words like ‘afro-futurism’, ‘journey’, ‘travelling’, and ‘traversing’, rolls easily off his tongue. Ergo, through his lens, Troy creates a present-day representation of ‘past ancestral dreams… the way our ancestors saw themselves in the future’.

‘We design for the extended diaspora; the people that want to see who we [Jamaicans] are… evolved,’ he said before describing his ‘tribe’ as expressive folk, who know and own ‘who they are’, and celebrate that.

He places himself square amongst up-and-coming British designers – no surprises here – like Labrum’s Foday Dumbuya, Ahluwahlia’s Priya Ahluwahlia, and Nicholas Daley with his eponymous label.

But, when it boils down to creating a persona and image-making, Troy believes, we’ve a long way to go.

His approach involves researching the talent and challenging them to choose items that they connect with.

Then, he creates a personalized mood board and lookbook, collaborating with the people around the artiste in many instances so that everyone’s in on the game plan.

It’s a movement and a psychological process indeed, and the results are often so rewarding.

Changing a client’s mind and thrusting them into unchartered territories is at the core of creating these curated worlds.

Rapper A$AP Rocky (RiRi’s beau, ICYMI) is front of mind in the way his personality, style, and even fashion label, AWGE, precedes his music. ‘He can walk into any room and own it… we need [artistes] in Jamaica on that same wave’.

Troy implies that where fashion is concerned, cultural nuances are only visible through the lens of consistent style and the expression of true personality. ‘There isn’t any context of fashion in Jamaica that [foreigners] have seen on a consistent level’.

But there’s hope. ‘Koffee… D’Yani… Teejay, and… Alkaline are musicians that can push the new evolution of Jamaican style’, he stated after a series of significant pauses.

While he believes that Koffee has a strong sense of self, Oraine is adamant that her image has not been consistent over the years, ‘it changes depending on who’s styling her…she’s done some cool things… she knows who she is, understands what suits her in terms of fabrics, but she goes along with a stylist’, instead of, he suggests, reinforcing her own narrative.

D’Yani’s inclusion on the list was a no-brainer. The reggae crooner wears Tribe Nine religiously. He was described as a flexible client who is clear about his goals and willing to take fashion risks when necessary.

Alkaline and Teejay had their hurrah in fashion on a global scale. In January 2023 it was announced that dancehall artiste Alkaline not only inspired Givenchy Creative Director Matthew M Williams’ Spring/Summer 2023 collection but was named the face of the subsequent campaign. ‘Alkaline knows exactly who he is and what works for him’. Teejay caused Troy to pause last March when he spotted the Drift deejay in a Wonderland mag feature. ‘I was a bit surprised,’ he said, recounting the moment he saw images from the feature. ‘It felt exactly like what I’d imagine him wearing. I think he has a clear understanding of who he is as an artiste.’

There’s also Tarrus Riley because he ‘also understands his style’; Yaksta, who ‘gets excited to get fitted in Tribe Nine, every time’; Romain Virgo, who is ‘obsessed with a specific suit from the St Albans collection and now has it in several colours’.

The legacy and unexpected alignment of an entertainer, their past, and future goals are major contributors to successfully creating their lasting image. While Troy is focused on foreshadowing a visual representation of each client, he prioritizes merging their past style with their current ideas of image.