DESIGNING SPACE & EXPERIENCE

February 23, 2018 Have you noticed the little changes in the architecture in St. James? A few new gems here and there. Some subtle beautifications in Woodbrook. And the constant, albeit quiet, plea to stop tearing down our monuments. It’s against this backdrop that we first encountered a rising, young architect with a passion for […]

FROM BLUE TO BLACK BOX

January 25, 2018 3canal, they are the kings of the j’ouvert and while they don’t mean to sound haughty, they are damn right. Oh you didn’t know? Well now you know. I don’t regret a lot in my life but if I do regret one thing, it would be the year that I played j’ouvert […]

A DESIGN SCHOOLING IN THE CARIBBEAN

September 23, 2017 Not long ago I attended a design colloquium at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, that gave me an extra shot of hope for the future of Caribbean design. The Colloquium featured presenters from across the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and beyond. We were all sharing research, ideas, theories and […]

A LUXURIOUS SKINCARE LINE

July 29, 2017 There are many skincare brands, department stores, and drug stores a drive or a click away. But in-between the immense forest of well-known names, grow some much smaller independent labels. —New buds of skincare brands that spring perhaps surprisingly from the Caribbean. Beauty entrepreneur Nydia Norville is the owner and maker of […]

WE NEED A CARIBBEAN FOOD REVOLUTION

May 27, 2017 There’s a new trend in T&T and, hopefully, across the Caribbean: green markets! Not the cliché tourist-inspired space, but burgeoning, blossoming gardens of Caribbean creativity. They’re the home of picture perfect, home grown fruits and veggies, steaming cups of old fashioned cocoa tea and breakfast delights, all made from local produce. Which […]

THE FRESH MONGER, JAMAICA

March 20, 2017 “I believe that food is powerful – spiritually, culturally, economically and physically.” Caribbean cuisine is unique. The way that all the cultural influences of the region come together to create food that is similar in so man ways yet so unique is something on which we thrive. Our coasts share the waters […]

DESIGNING FOR MOKO

February 04, 2017 “This is how you know the culture isn’t dead.” That was the comment I overheard as I listened to Bishop’s Girls’ perform Parang songs at a Christmas event back in November (mental note taken and tucked into a pocket of my mind). Fast-forward to January 2017, the beginning of Carnival Season in […]

A CARIBBEAN FASHION LEGACY

January 14, 2017 “My competition, or your competition, is not a designer who stands next to you in Trinidad. My competition is not Claudia, or Heather, or Robert or an emerging designer. My competition is the world, the whole world.” I first met Meiling in 2009, while creating her folkloric wonderland of a website. It […]

THE BIRTH OF BENI TONKA

October 21, 2016 Five years ago, I met my family in Trinidad and Tobago for the first time. Rounding the final curve of my 20’s, I arrived on one of the most festive days of the year, Carnival Monday. On display was the grandest and wildest show in the country, perhaps the entire Caribbean. After […]

FROM FETE SIGNS TO SIGNBOOKS

October 01, 2016 “Hand-painted signs are such a unique and beautiful aspect of our culture. A culture I would like to see continue and thrive. But I also understand some of the challenges that the regional corporations face that may lead them to remove signs before their date has passed, as fallen, outdated signs lead […]