Meet Karen Prescod of The Bowtie Gurl

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Prescod.

Karen, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My name is Karen Prescod, a.k.a. The Bowtie Gurl, and I am super excited to be talking to you.  My story with fashion started in my native country of Trinidad and Tobago. When I was 16 years old, I wanted to study to be an auto mechanic in school the total opposite of a title-winning, fashion runway model. What I didn’t know was that being forced into the “Dress Making & Design” program after being denied entrance into the “Auto Mechanic Program,  “because I was a girl”, would set me on a path that would take 33 years to travel to the destination of my dream.

In Dress Making & Design, I fell in love with fashion and the art of making clothes. I spent the next several years working in a variety of jobs in the fashion industry, ultimately landing work as a designer and seamstress for a well-known international designer. I eventually left Trinidad at 18 for the US and traded fashion and design, for the corporate ladder. My love for fashion didn’t change, just how I expressed my love and creativity. I developed my own style, based on who I was and how I wanted to express myself. I learned that fashion was an extension of my personal authenticity.

In March of 2017, I purchased and wore my first bowtie for an event. From that moment on, people instantly associated me with the bowtie. I then began to wear them all the time to encourage conversation and draw people to me, because by nature I am shy. In November 2017, I officially launched The Bowtie Gurl fashion brand. BE Courageous. BE Confident. BE You. In September 2018, I made a decision to close my insurance agency, and pursue my dream of owning my own fashion brand.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like any journey, there are always things that come up that you may not have planned for or are prepared or equipped to handle at first sight. Looking back as a serial entrepreneur, there are a few hurdles that were filled with lessons that I may not have learned, had I not taken this journey. One lesson I learned, was that smooth and struggle are states of mind.

I have always had the mindset that I get to “just do what I got to do”. There are challenges that come up, but we get to go with the flow because in the end none of that matters. What matters is your perspective. If you see something as a smooth, it will be smooth. If you see something as a struggle, it will be a struggle. Another lesson I learned was about choice. We get to choose. I make a point to make choices that are right for me. When you know and trust yourself, you choose the path and the road is just a bit smoother.

I recently became a published author in the #1 International Bestselling book Unstoppable. In my story “Betrayed and Back,” I share with readers my journey with chronic pain. That journey took me to some of the darkest places and lowest moments in my life, that had me attempt to end it all. Every step in that journey, even though I thought I wasn’t making choices, I was. Consciously or unconsciously I was choosing.

Why not choose consciously? When I finally remembered who I was, and chose my own truth, not that of the doctors, or specialists, I consciously made choices for me. I learned to walk again, and that journey that I chose, led me to a deeper relationship with my body and my health, planted the seed that grew into starting my own health and life insurance agency, and ultimately led me to my true purpose of founding my charitable organization Bowtie Kids – Courage and Confidence for Kids with Chronic Pain.

Obstacles and challenges will always come, having the perspective that they are there with lessons FOR YOU, allows you to make choices from a place of power, which makes the journey smoother.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Bowtie Gurl – what should we know?
The Bowtie Gurl is a fashion and lifestyle brand that is built on and centered around personal creative expression. Wearing a bowtie is about more than putting it on. It is about how it makes you feel, how you move in and through the world, and how you convey the message of you, through fashion. It makes a statement.

Our intention in every hand-crafted design is for the wearer to feel a sense of ownership in how they connect with their piece. Each piece inspires a sense of creative expression that can be worn with freedom, however, the wearer defines it. Our brand is action. Our brand is alive.

We specialize in empowerment. What we provide to our clients is a platform to BE who they want to be. We are known for creating pieces of art that tell a story. Not any story, the wearers story. We design and craft products for everyone, however, our primary market strategy is to connect with and engage women. The Bowtie Gurl woman has a sense of who she is. She is a leader, who is relentless, resilient, empowered, confident and courageous. She is a daughter, student, teacher, CEO, and philanthropist, who is brilliant, passionate and beautiful. She personifies strength and knows her value and worth. She has a stand in the world and positions herself to be an impact agent, trendsetter, and influencer.

What I am most proud of as a company is that The Bowtie Gurl is a representation of true creative expression. I started wearing bowtie to connect with people. I started designing bowties to connect my love of fashion and design. I started selling bowties to connect people to creatively share their stories and I started leveraging the bowtie to make an impact.

Everything starts with intention. What sets me apart from others is knowing who I am and standing in my truth.  What you see is what you get. Love it or not, I know that I have kept my commitment to myself and that my intention is pure. I’m Karen Prescod, and I get to BE!

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe that there is more than one quality or characteristic that contributes to my success. If I had to pinpoint one over the course of my lifetime it would be, being true to myself.

Pricing:

• Hand-Crafted Bowties starting at $125

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thebowtiegurl.com
• Phone: 954-372-7106
• Email: info@thebowtiegurl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebowtiegurl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebowtiegurl/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thebowtiegurl
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/karenThebowTieGurl/?autologin=true

Image Credit:
Paul McDermott Photography

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