There was an inspiring start to the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange’s 2025 Capital Markets Conference, as local fashion designer and entrepreneur Ecliff Elie shared his powerful story of perseverance.
Speaking at Thursday night’s opening ceremony, the owner of the premier Caribbean menswear brand reminded the audience that success often begins with struggle – and is sustained by purpose.
Ecliff Elie’s keynote address came ahead of Friday’s full-day conference hosted by the T&T Stock Exchange, under the theme “Future-Proofing Capital Markets in an Era of Transformation.” He told the audience he was surprised to be invited to speak at a financial event, saying his own education came from life experiences and resilience.
“Why would someone want someone who is a tailor who went to the junior and senior secondary school system, who don’t even know anything about stock exchange, besides the stock in my warehouse, to be a keynote speaker?”
Overcome by his emotions, Mr Elie recalled how his late mother’s sacrifice inspired him to keep going even when life was uncertain.
“My mom, she had to raise all of us, and when my father passed, I was just going to first year, and I could remember that it was very challenging. Simple things like a meal, we didn’t have. Simple things like 50 cents to reach to school, we didn’t have. Being the last and six girls before me, I had to dye my sister’s older sneakers black to wear hand-downs.”
Growing up as the youngest of fifteen children, he said it was his mother’s support that fuelled his dream and shaped the man he became.
“So my mom did something that, again, made me get really serious about my tailoring. You know what she did? After taking care of 15 of us, my mom took, please forgive me, I don’t want to talk about my mom. My mom took a geriatric nursing job and that job was $500 a month to see me through school. $500 a month to see me do tailoring in school. She would give me $400 and give the others $100 to share up. I don’t mean to laugh, but it’s the truth because she saw something in me.”
From sewing in a small corner to running an international brand, Mr. Elie said the journey was long, but every setback became part of his design for success.
“My hope and for everybody that could take away something today is, you know, I hope that I inspired someone because, you know, no matter how successful you are, many times you feel like giving up. You feel like giving up. But I know once I think about my mom, that’s it. So you have to find that centre, and you have to always remember why you’re doing this, the why.”
Mr. Elie’s story of perseverance, passion, and gratitude set the tone for the conference, which continued on Friday, with discussions centred on innovation, resilience, and the role of capital markets in national growth.