Despite the flooding, traffic, and chikungunya, it’s always been good to be Trinidadian. Presently, however, it’s even better to be a Trinidadian involved in fashion.
Designers trained overseas are trying their hands at retail. Established design houses are acting as incubators for young talent, providing them with mentorship and opportunities to sell their stuff. Returning fashion graduates are exploiting the benefits of the collective. Local stores are opening themselves up to local talent more than ever before. Designers unable to find opportunities to showcase their wares are making spaces for themselves. Even our government—as slow as it has been to shape what the industry can be—has had a hand in showcasing local designs overseas.
But you know what? As a Trini fashion enthusiast, what excites me most is that—for the most part—this new wave of local designers gets it. They’re keeping up with design trends. They’re trying out technologies new to Trinidad. They’re merging these with aesthetics and brands that are original and meaningful. They might just be changing the game.
Enter Charu Lochan Dass, Delia Alleyne, Kyle Matas, and Adrian Foster. They all showed at an event called Fashion Gallery New York Fashion Week to, as Kyle described it, “thundering applause.”
Fashion Gallery New York Fashion Week (or FGNYFW, the clumsiest acronym of all time), seems to be a platform for emerging designers across the world to show in NYC. This year, for example, our talent shared a runway with Korto Momolu and Leanne Marshall—the former a Project Runway first runner up, the latter a winner. So what, you naysayers might be thinking. Loads of designers who’ve shown at some small show overseas still struggling. And you’d be damn right.
But I could tell you a few things to help you believe. I could tell you about one designer’s exceptional academic achievements and awards. I could tell you that another made such an impact in last year’s NYFW that they were specially selected to show again. I could tell you that another mentioned (quite casually) that he was on his way to show in London.
Or, I could show you some snapshots from their S/S 2015 collections, and let you decide on where you think these designers—and our industry—are headed from the most telling piece of evidence: the clothes.
CHARU LOCHAN DASS | Collection name / Bohemian Glam
Bohemian Glam / Charu Lochan Dass
Inspiration / According to Charu, it’s inspired by Swedish indie-pop it girl Lykke Li. “Very bohemian with a twist of rock!” With sparkling gold shifts edged in stark black applique and flowing, deep-V caftans in studded, swirling silk, this is definitely rockstar on a sun-drenched holiday.
ADRIAN FOSTER | Collection name / Shadows
Shadows / Adrian Foster
Inspiration / This collection draws inspiration from the shadows cast by light on louvred windows. It’s also influenced by “white primed walls and raw concrete plastering.” We like that they’re sleek, modern versions of clothes produced by Trinidad’s greats—like Meiling or Claudia Pegus.
DELIA ALLEYNE | Collection name / Save the Buccoo Reef
Save the Buccoo Reef / Delia Alleyne
Inspiration / Why, the Buccoo Reef, of course. More specifically, according to Delia: “the fascinating and colourful underwater life which can be experienced through a tour on a glass-bottomed boat.” While her silhouettes and fabric choices aren’t exactly accessible, they’re certainly daring. We like that.
KYLE MATAS | Collection name / Aya
Aya / Kyle Matas New York
Inspiration / According to Kyle, Aya means beautiful and colourful. Deliberately minimalist, his designs reference the Bauhaus movement and the uniforms of Japanese samurai. We love that they coalesce into a very clear, cohesive collection—and an aesthetic that challenges the typical (and ridiculous) notions of Caribbean design.
Photos by Kevin Mock.