STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE

From an Instagram star who leads photo tours of secret spots to a herbalist who shows visitors how to cook what they forage, enterprising Bermudians are giving travellers an insider’s perspective of the island’s dynamic culture.

- JANCEE DUNN

DURING A CATAMARAN cruise off the coast of Bermuda, I fell into easy conversation with Kim Deuss, a young designer with sun-streaked blonde hair and a lifelong passion for the sea. She grew up on the island, then, after high school, got her BFA from Parsons School of Design and worked for various fashion companies in New York. “I was like many Bermuda kids, who long to get off the island and explore the world,” she said.

But Deuss found the pull of home too strong, and last year returned to launch Daughters of Summer (daughters-of-summer.com), a chic swimwear brand that uses fabric made from plastics and other waste retrieved from landfills and the ocean. “Bermuda is small,” she said, “so we have this tight-knit group of creatives who are very supportive and collaborative, and that inspires me.” She gestures at the crystalline water around us, adding, “Of course, so does all of this wild beauty.”

Deuss is just one of the young Bermudians opening businesses in droves, and the influx is re-energising the once-staid country. “There really is more opportunity than ever for folks to turn their talents and hobbies into self-employment,” said Genelle John, owner of Salt Spray Soap Co. (salt spray soap.com). Everything from salt scrubs to body oils is handmade in the back of the brand’s St. George store, using natural ingredients such as seawater that John collects from nearby St. Catherine’s Beach.