04 ๐Ÿค R E N E W A L

04 ๐Ÿค R E N E W A L

๐‰๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐๐š๐ฒ - ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ.๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ•.๐Ÿ๐Ÿ - ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ:๐Ÿ๐Ÿ—๐ฉ๐ฆ

Where do I begin?โ€ฆ

Again. ย Itโ€™s time to begin again.

So much has happened since last Iโ€™ve written a blog post. ย Ups and downs. ย Great highs and great lows. ย I was a part of Jewelbox 2021, a coveted showcase at Y art gallery. ย I lived through a dream with that one. ย The new year began, which ushered in the launch of Shomaโ€™s new collection, featuring another capsule of 3 pairs of earrings from us. ย That was truly awesome, because it was the first โ€˜new designsโ€™ that I had done, post-demic. ย 

Then began the building of my SS22 collection. ย I decided that this brand would best suit a focus on the solstice markers for collection launches. ย I enjoyed the concept of going deeper into the aesthetics of the brand. ย I think it was the right time. ย I felt as though Sanianitos always set a tone for innovation. ย 

We very much thrive in doing things that move us, though some may say โ€˜own wayโ€™ haha. Secureย in how we honour our selves, our culture and our craft, I thought this conceptย equal parts fun and necessary, when looking at the future of the brand and itโ€™s perspective. ย 

Now, my acrylics production journey is quite unique, to say the least! ย But for a quick contextual point, I was the first of my โ€˜kindโ€™. ย That means a LOT of testing and measuring. ย When you see the elegance of ease by which the pieces speak, you wonโ€™t hear the months of configuration/sampling/correcting etc., that takes place prior to the final product. ย I work with Fab Lab Trinbago, a faction of Fab Foundations, which essentially is a small-scale workshop of digital fabrication. ย For the Trinbagonian team, this was a new experience for them as much as myself. ย But through the past 4 years, we have finally reached an elevated starting point in our process. ย 

My new collection (SOPDET) is a testament to that development. ย Inย between this collectionโ€™s progress, I had the opportunity to speak on a panel discussing fashion and carnival, as well as lead a workshop with Fab Lab, under my new mantle of sponsor/brand ambassador. The energy coming towards the end of May was promising and I was in a position to have my launch fall within the solstice season. ย I was determined to focus forward and see it through, despite varied delays, personal or technical.

And then it wasย June 2022.

By the 2nd week in June, a colleague (and old friend), ย my grandmother and one of my best friends had transitioned. ย By the next weekend, another beautiful human being, that I had the honour of knowing, had also transitioned. ย Every deadline and the launch of my collection was wiped off the table in an instant. Though shocking, my colleague was fighting a known battle, that had taken a turn. ย My grandmother, much like the boss she is, woke up, went about her routine and went to lie down, ready for her ascendance. ย She shifted my perspective of how one can choose to leave this realmโ€ฆBUT YUH SEE DEM LASTย TWO?!

Catalysts they were. ย 

Throughout that month I found myself at the lowest point. ย What I mean by that is that all the shadowy corners of my being were brought to light, as there I was in the midst of them. ย And with that light, I found myself asking more questions than having answersโ€ฆWhere was I really? Was I a wholistic participant in myself truly? Was I really giving anything my all? And what was I so afraid of, when it came to claiming my โ€˜nessโ€™. ย I realised that I hadย truly been dancing around the shallow end of all that I am. ย Though so open, was I really being completely open? ย Was I truly freely expressing my self? Or was I burying my talents this entire time?โ€ฆ

How long had I been playing so small?โ€ฆ

to be contโ€™dโ€ฆ

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