Soca Smallies Kiddies Carnival Band

The beautiful thing about Trinidad Carnival is that everyone gets to experience part of it. This year I highlight a Kiddies Carnival Band named, “Soca Smallies”. This year their presentation is called “Rainforest Romp.” This band participates in the Junior Parade of the Bands. This is also an all inclusive band as the children are provided with snacks and drinks on the road. The Soca Smallies band invites parents to enjoy this “one day fun day” with their children. Masqueraders meet with the band on Carnival Saturday morning.

rainforest-romp

Photo Credit: Rachel De Nobriga

This small band is unique because the band leader actually provides a concept and a design for a costume. A detailed list of design instructions and materials will be provided to guests. This means the parent and the child can make the costume together. This gives the parent/child relationship a further boost as they get to create  and learn together whilst improving their team building skills and scoring some major relationship goals. Of course if parents are super busy they can always consult the band leader who will refer them to someone who can get the job done!

Registration for “Soca Smallies” takes place at Caboodle on Long Circular Road.

soca-smalliesPhoto Credit: Rachel De Nobriga

You can find more about them on their Facebook Page at

https://www.facebook.com/Soca-Smallies-Kiddies-Carnival-Band-431704253706779/

You can also call them at 1.868.477.3091

cANYAval returns for Trinidad Carnival 2016

 Carnival Monday Wear continues to dominate the Carnival fashion scene and carve out a niche of its own in Trinidad and the wider Caribbean. We wanted to know more about one particular brand that has been setting the pace for Carnival Fashion since the inception of Monday Wear that is cANYAval. We found out from the store manager of Exhibit A, Charissa Mohammed  what she has to say about the brand.

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Q: What is cANYAval?

A: cANYAval is a carnival inspired brand that offers an online retail platform (www.thecANYAvalshop.com) featuring apparel and accessories designed for the on the road, fete-ing and liming, with a host of contributing designers, whose lines are curated by founder, Anya Ayoung-Chee.

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Q: Is that the only role of cANYAval?

A: cANYAval is also an events production company specializing in Carnival inspired experiences, held in Trinidad and in major cities such as New York and Los Angeles. cANYAval travels the world with carnivals collaborating with the bands throughout the world, including Toronto, Los Angeles, Jamaica, Barbados, and more.

canyaval

Q: How can persons access cANYAval for purchase?

A: During the Trinidad Carnival season, Exhibit A hosts the cANYAval Pop Up Shop where all items available online are also available in store, the featured designers are hosted and carnival related activities are on constant rotation.

canyaval shop

Q: Who are the designers for this year?

A: Keisha Als makes a return as well as lots of new collaborations from Rhion Romany to Summer Jade and so many more.

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Q: Where can persons find more information on cANYAval?

A:

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/thecanyavalshop/?fref=ts

Instagram :https://www.instagram.com/canyaval/

P.S.

There is a sale on last year’s Carnival Monday Wear

so hurry to the cANYAval website while stocks last!!!

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Photo credits for article:

http://www.thecanyavalshop.com/

https://www.instagram.com/canyaval/

Trinidad Fashion Run – The Carnival Fashion Tour

Let’s Go Trinidad and Tobago will be having their third fashion tour on the 30th January 2016. This year the event is called Trinidad Fashion Run. The event coincides with Trinidad’s Carnival season. Hence it is the intention of the company to feature Carnival costuming and its huge impact on fashion in Trinidad and vice versa. Fashion and Carnival affect and effect each other as they make up an exclusive part of Trinidad’s fashion history and fashion landscape to date.

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There will be four fashion stops on this tour all inclusive of light refreshments, gifts, giveaways and games. Again the mission is to diversify the local tourism product by promoting creative tourism via development and execution of these local fashion tours for domestic and international tourists. Subsequently, this “buy local” campaign is hoped to create diversity and sustainability of the economy.

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Caribbean fashion lifestyle department store and a former fashion tour show stopper; Blue Basin will be making a return to the itinerary. The appeal of the true Caribbean can be felt at this  stopover. In the majority, the owner and the exclusive addition of ethical and quality designed clothing and accessories can account for this. Menswear is also popular here with brands like Urban Militia, RGG, Red Gold and Green.

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The second stop is dedicated to the evolution of Carnival costuming so there will be a stop at Passion Carnival Mas Camp. The squad of designers behind the “Amazon” presentation aimed at strength and dominance of the woman for next year’s Carnival presentation. These designers include Sonia Mack, Rajin Gopie, Rene Williams, international photographer Calvin French, internationally recognized hair stylist Ashvin Bally, fashion designer Noor, Fazad Mohammed and Alejandro Gomez. The face of Passion Carnival 2016 is Heidi Andrews, Miss Global International Queen 2015.

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The third stop is at Exhibit A, the designer space curated by former Project Runway winner Anya Ayoung Chee. It offers emerging and established designers a home for retail of their designs. However, in the spirit of Carnival the store will be transformed in Canyaval which is the Carnival Monday Wear brand and collection under the purview of Anya Ayoung Chee. Carnival Monday Wear is the latest addition to Trinidad’s fashion scene.

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The final fashion stop takes the patron down memory lane with a trip to Mas’ Rebellion. They are making their first debut next year on the streets for Carnival. The Mas’ Rebellion team has inculcated creative director Keir Roopnarine as well as the industrial designer, illustrator and writer Ayodhya Ouditt into their talent base for their design aesthetic and narrative on Heroes or Villains in the United States of Trinidad.

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The tour is hosted by Ashanna Arthur, Miss World Trinidad and Tobago 2009. It is carded to start at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. Tickets are only TTD$200.00 per person

(Photo Credit: Gary Jordan Photography)

ashanna model

If you wish to find out more information then feel free to email us for more details at letsgotrinidadandtobago@gmail.com

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Mas’ Rebellion: The Rebirth of the Carnival Costume

Carnival costuming has largely been a part of the fashion landscape in Trinidad’s fashion history. In the 1950’s creativity, new skills, new ideas, a more involved public, tactical and strategic wire bending, movement of costumes, architecture and engineering were recognized as key tenets in the construction of these costumes. It is in that same decade that Harold Saldenha won band of the year with his choreography and design for his presentation Imperial Rome 44 B.C. to 96 A.D. Another artist, Peter Minshall was incredibly instrumental in using architecture in his designs so costumes were lighter and their movement on masqueraders could be more balanced. He also introduced the theatrical side of Carnival with story boards for each presentation. These were relative to whatever the current situation in Trinidad was whether that was controversial, social or political.

Carnival is a rough two months away but it still falls in the year of 2016. It seems to be the year of change, rebirth and innovation in the spheres of design and fashion which are not exempted here in Trinidad. Here we see the reinvention of Carnival costumes for a new band to the mas foray. The name of that band is Mas’ Rebellion. They make their debut next year. At the heart of these rebels is their refusal of mas as just a parade through the streets. Whilst Carnival costuming has evolved and many genres of old and new and many more variations currently exist this band is affirming their rebellion against the current trends. They believe in giving life to the artform that once depicted art, beauty, politricks, commentary on state, society and humanity.

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Heroes or Villains is the theme for next year’s presentation. Their storyboard for Carnival 2016 talks about the United States of Trinidad and it puts an interesting twist on the current political state of affairs in Trinidad. The characters in the band are all found in the story and they are either heroes or villains. You can read more about the story here http://masrebellion.com/index.php/storytime

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Their creative director Keir Roopnarine collaborates with local designer Ayodhya Ouditt for 2016.

His biography is as follows;

Ayodhya is a designer, illustrator, and writer with a passion for science and the environment. He earned a BFA in industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design, focusing on design for social change. His earliest memories involve scrawling dinosaurs on walls, bending wire for blue devils, and acting with Lilliput Children’s Theatre. Despite filling scores of sketchbooks with creatures and characters over the years, he eventually pursued design for social change, because of a desire to solve world problems. He has co-designed prospective medical products, illustrated for NPR’s science blogs, won ADDY awards for Collier Morrison Belgrave, hosted STEAM workshops with teachers at the Korean Gifted Summer Institute (St. John’s University, NYU), designed carnival and stage costumes for Lilliput, and produced the concept art for 2015 Carnival King, “Ahtwajé”. By day he is a design consultant with his mother and uncle (also experienced designers and artists), at Studiouditt. By night, he brings the Rebellion to life, through comics and costume. Like the others, he believes that Carnival need not compromise story and spectacle for the sake of sexiness. We can have all.

ayodhya illustrated

Biography & Photograph courtesy Mas’ Rebellion

(http://masrebellion.com/index.php/about-the-rebellion?id=114)

 

The rebellion’s design candidates who are either ‘Heroes or Villains’ include the Jacka Lantern, Red Queen, Pierrot Grenade, Soucouyant, Lagahoo, Midknight and Ibis in the story. However the Carnival costumes available for registration include Angelic Ibis, Lagahoo, Bookman, Soucouyant, Midknight, Vengeful Ibis, Blue Devil Clans and Red Devil Clans. More information on registration for the costumes is available here http://masrebellion.com/index.php/hov-costumes

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Their mission and philosophy statements are as follows:

We believe in story and spectacle. You will embody a character, an idea or a concept. Your costume will be one piece of a greater whole: an epic story: told through bodies and motion; through colour, light and sound.

We believe in diversity. No one is too big or too small to be a Rebel. No one is too dark or too fair. No one is too gay or too straight. No one is too old or too young, and no one is too wassy or too stush! If you love our art and you love our costumes – you can be a Rebel! If you want to have a good time on the road – you can be a Rebel! If you want to get on bad bad bad – you can be a Rebel! If you want to stand up and take a small wine here and there – you can be a Rebel

They ask just three things from their masqueraders.

  1. Love your body and your costume on the road
  2. Respect each other and stay safe
  3. Have a great time

Mission and Philosophy courtesy Mas Rebellion

(http://masrebellion.com/index.php/about-the-rebellion)

So there you have it 2016 promises to be a really interesting year for Trinidad.

To be part of the Mas’ Rebellion experience you can also follow them here

https://www.facebook.com/masrebellion/?fref=ts

mr animae

 

 

 

Passion Carnival Unleashes the "Amazon" for 2016

Traditionally, women of Carnival wore round necked, short sleeved blouses with skirts gathered and draped around the waist. They adorned their head with headscarves. They even joined their male counterparts in wearing masks. In 1858 white masks worn with costumes to hide blacks and coloureds from being identified for involvement in violence; the aftermath of the then Carnival parade. Women were found wearing satin dresses too.

In the 1920’s Carnival fell into hands of coloured middle class and the gay colourful free people. Pretty mas was also popular in the 1920’s and the black middle class joined the streets and respectable women played on the trucks disguised in pretty mas. There were all types of women to be found in streets for Carnival. This included Jamettes who were ill repute on charges for lewd behaviour. Then there were the high society women who wore elaborate costumes, embroidery, beads, braids, attend parties at private homes and elite whites paraded in small bands at elaborate balls; Government House, Prince’s Building, Queen’s Park Oval.

Fast forward to 1955 and short skirts were brought to Carnival streets when it was considered indecorous to show legs. This was the start of the bikini era as we came to know it. In 2016 there will be many costumes influenced by fashion and fashion influenced by costume. There will be continued concern for the creative direction of mas and costume comparability. Whilst striving to give into the high demand for this type of mas in these modern times by the increasingly younger masquerader population there is a relatively new band that balances this demand with the supply of creativity and design in Trinidad. Take a look at our question and answer segment with the band, Passion Carnival who will introduce their presentation for 2016; “Amazon” .

What is Passion Carnival?
Passion Carnival is one of Trinidad’s premium all-inclusive carnival bands.

Where is the mas camp located?

At #12 O’ Connor Street Woodbrook Port of Spain.

 

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(Photo Courtesy Passion Carnival)

How long has it been in existence?
It was founded in 2014 by Dr. Anthony Harrysingh, Christian Nath and Mark Pagwandas and has since excelled in the industry.

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ZENOBIA

(Photo Courtesy Passion Carnival)

Why is Passion Carnival unique?
Passion takes pride in providing customers with excellent service, quality and an enjoyable carnival experience. We welcome old and new masqueraders to take part in the experience with us.

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NAMORA

(Photo Courtesy Passion Carnival)

Describe what amenities are available to persons playing with Passion Carnival?
As a premium all-inclusive band, we provide all amenities as follows:
• Premium bar and meals (snacks included)
• Washroom facilities on the road
• Full security detail
• Cool zone
• Passion branded Monday wear
• Passion souvenir bag
• Passion Rest and Refresh Zone- lunch service area and rest facility

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MINO

(Photo Courtesy Passion Carnival)

Explain the concept for “Amazon”  the 2016 presentation.
Our design team worked on creating a refreshing and modern line of costumes for masqueraders. The stunning pieces are all based on the concept of the amazon. We wanted to make the female costumes a bit more prominent and downplay the male costumes in comparison. This was done to emphasize the dominance and celebrate the strength of women.

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AUGUSTINA DE ARAGON

(Photo Courtesy Passion Carnival)

Tell me more about the design of the costumes.
We recognize that masqueraders may have the want to tweak certain things on the costumes such as wanting high-waisted pieces, monokinis or wanting more or less fabric. Our design team would work with most requests as we want our customers to feel beautiful, be fully comfortable and be able to enjoy the experience of Carnival.

Who are your designers for this year’s launch?
The designers for 2016 include: Sonia Mack, René Williams, Ashvin Bally, Fazad Mohammed, Rajin Gopie, Calvin French, Alejandro Gomez and Noor.

Where can we find more information and register for Passion Carnival’s Amazon?

For all section pieces, you can go to www.passioncarnival.com

We are also on facebook https://www.facebook.com/PassionCarnival/?fref=ts

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