Fashion designer laid to rest

Award-winning TT fashion designer Gregory Mills was eulogised yesterday as a man who set the bar very high by mastering his craft of tailoring.

Delivering the eulogy at her husband’s funeral, Coline Baptiste-Mills said he had worked to establish his brand, the Millhouse Collection.

On January 24, Mills died of cancer. He was 52.

The funeral was held at the First Church of the Open Bible, Ruth Avenue, San Fernando.

“He was very ambitious and very passionate about sewing,” she said, adding that her husband was kind, humble and slow to anger.

“He was also a father among fathers and loved his children dearly. I will miss him,” a tearful Baptiste-Mills said.

Mills was the father of two.

His close friend attorney Dexter Bailey said many people did not know Mills faced many challenges before his success.

“He struggled a lot. People who know him would know the struggle he endured before he reached to where he had to reach. I admired that about him,” Bailey said.

He told mourners despite challenges, Mills would always keep a smile on his face.

The designer, who died in Trinidad, was based in London and was the winner of the 2009 Caribbean Fashion Award in the category Caribbean Fashion Designer, Male. Millhouse Collections was recognised for its bold, simple designs coupled with clean lines, classic fit and European flair.

In 2002, Millhouse won Best Showing of the Day at the Caribbean Fashion Week in Jamaica and was selected to debut its 2009 Holiday Collection, Southern Comfort, at the prestigious BHP Building for the wives of the 34 dignitaries at the Fifth Summit of the Americas held in TT. Officiating at the funeral, pastor Luke Quamina told the congregation to choose a life that matters.

He said some people don’t want to be reminded of death.

“You have to accept death. It is all about perspective. Death is like going to sleep. This is not our home,” Quamina said.

Several top fashion designers, including Claudia Pegus and Meiling, model agency owner Christopher Nathan and more attended the funeral. Mills was laid to rest at the Roodal Public Cemetery in San Fernando.