‘Shizzle Sherlock enjoys the spotlight

The moment Shizzle Sherlock steps into any event, the atmosphere shifts. Heads turn, phones fly up, and within seconds, he becomes the centre of attention due to his fearless fashion sense.

"Mi is a trendsetter suh if a person have a mad event dem wah go, dem visit mi pages to look for dressing ideas," he said.

Shizzle Sherlock recently sent New York partygoers into a frenzy when he arrived wearing a pair of striking red Lego Brick Crocs--an outfit he casually brushed off as just another day in his world of fashion.

"Mi like the attention, mi nah go tell nuh lie about that. It takes confidence to do what I am doing. Mi take out whatever I am feeling into my dressing and the whole world just rate mi. Mi never walk inna a party and mi is not the centre of attention. Mi have that lock and mi can't help it either. If mi put on a T-shirt, I know how to walk to draw the attention," he said.

Shizzle Sherlock, whose given name is Omar Barker, spent his earlier years in Duhaney Park, St Andrew. He said he developed a passion for fashion at an early age and his level of flamboyancy has seen him making appearances in a number of music videos. He added that he is oftentimes paid by promoters just to make an appearance at their events.

"Mi and Gary Sherlock start go some party and we start create we own image. My eye talk to mi and mi will just look at sumpn and know say a that mi want to wear and put myself together. The things them that mi wear make artiste like Bounty Killer, Mavado and Kartel to link mi and say 'Mi want yuh inna mi video now'. Nuff time mi fly go all over the US just to stand up inna party; mi get pay fi dat," he said.

Among his most talked about looks is a Scottish-style kilt--a choice that sparked criticism from some Jamaicans. Still, Sherlock remains unfazed. For him, fashion is an expression of confidence and cultural respect, not conformity.

"As mi say, it takes confidence to stand up in front of a crowd of people with my style. It nuh take bwoy to do dat," the trendsetter said.

"Mi wear mi Scottish skirt about five or six times and mi wear it a Jamaica too, because nobody can't tell mi what to wear. Mi wear it go some a the maddest places too such as Seaview Gardens, Rema and just about everywhere. Mi nuh move or look like girl and when mi wear mi skirt, mi wear a skinny jeans under it. Mi nuh just wear it suh because mi rate and respect mi culture. Plus mi always wear a rugged shoes with it and make it look ugly, and dats why mi build di slang weh say ugly," Shizzle Sherlock said.

In addition to his eccentric fashion sense, Shizzle Sherlock is also known for a number of dancehall songs such as Dem Think a Chattingz, a collaboration with Iceberg, and Lawless Mission.