Taxi driver ‘Dressy-Dressy’ shifts gear with corporate swagger

April 24, 2025
 Orlando Christie: ‘I dress this way because I want to be a boss one day.’
Orlando Christie: ‘I dress this way because I want to be a boss one day.’
Orlando Christie dresses with intention. His look is sharp, professional and borderline corporate.
Orlando Christie dresses with intention. His look is sharp, professional and borderline corporate.
Orlando Christie
Orlando Christie
Passengers often mistake Orlando Christie for something else entirely.
Passengers often mistake Orlando Christie for something else entirely.
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At first glance, you would think he was heading to a business meeting. Crisp white shirt tucked into navy blue plants, tie perfectly knotted, and not a wrinkle in sight.

But step a little closer, and you will find Orlando Christie, steady, composed, and calling out to passengers behind the wheel of his black Toyota Isis motor car that he operates as a taxi.

For the past seven years, Christie has plied the downtown Kingston to Papine route. However, Prior to 2021, Christie, like other taxi operators, wore T-shirt, jeans and sneakers to work. Christie dresses with intention. His look is sharp, professional and borderline corporate. However, all that changed when he realised that he risked dumping tons of formal wear that were locked up in his closet.

"I just decided one day to stop wasting the nice clothes I had at home," said Christie, who has earned him the nickname 'Dressy-Dressy' from passengers and fellow drivers alike.

"Mi realise if mi nuh wear them, mi a go grow outta them. So I said, why not bring a different look to the road?"

He told THE STAR that passengers often mistake him for something else entirely.

"People ask me if mi a go work after mi load the taxi," he said, chuckling. "Some even ask if mi sneak out from lunch break. When mi tell dem this is what mi do full-time, dem shock."

But Christie isn't playing dress-up. He's making a statement about how work should look--no matter the job.

"Mi nah just run taxi, it's a business and it's mine suh mi carry miself like a businessman," said Christie who has level two certification in Business Administration from the HEART Trust NSTA. He said the institution prepared him for the world of work, adding that he was even employed in the financial sector before switching to his current job.

His wardrobe, however, reflects more than just his work ethic--it mirrors his aspirations.

"I dress this way because I want to be a boss one day, that's my long-term goal, but until then, mi aguh dress like one,"

His style hasn't gone unnoticed. Passengers often comment on the refreshing professionalism he brings to the road.

"You woulda surprised. Even the police deal with me different. Is like dem see mi and mi look respectable, so the approach change," he said. "And mi see other drivers start try step up now too," he said.

Still, Christie's dream isn't just to look the part. He wants to build an actual fleet staffed by drivers who take pride in their appearance and bring a level of professionalism to the industry that often gets overlooked.

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