A Bermudian businesswoman is bucking the retail trend and having a bumper year with her bright-coloured clothing range.

Claire Smith, who started the Bermuda Trader range 12 years ago, has seen her batik women's sun dresses and tops fly off the shelves and become one of Cup Match's best sellers.

The dresses are made in Bali for her label, with clothes and designs chosen by Ms Smith.

"This has been one of the better years," said Ms Smith. "The range has gone down very well this year." Ms Smith took her first set of designs to her childhood friend Tina Cooper 12 years ago, and they were placed as an experiment in Coopers.

"We were so surprised, they just flew out the door," said Ms Smith. "She gave me a bigger order for the next year, and that is the way it has been growing ever since." Ms Smith prides herself in having picked styles and colours that suit Bermudian women and the hot climate.

And the formula of light colourful clothing has proved a success.

"Almost everyone has an Island Trader dress," she said. "It is amazing, and I know instantly how well the business is doing. It is very rewarding." But she said she has had her disasters over the years with her suppliers in Bali. The difficult batik process is fraught with possible problems, a rain can dull a whole set of material which is left out in the sun to set colours.

"You get there, and it is not what you ordered, and you find out it rained on Tuesday. There is nothing you can do."

But Ms Smith said that she has kept on going and fine tunes designs to suit the fuller figure as well as for her smaller customers.

"It has been very successful particularly with the fuller figured women. The dresses look great and the women look great in them. I work hard to get colours that compliment skin tones, and the oranges and rusts and mustards are lovely.

"I think one of the best things about them is you can throw them in the washing machine and if you then hang them out to dry carefully, then you don't even need to iron them.

"I am very proud of the label and the way it has been a success. I am not sure that people know that there is a Bermudian behind this business."