The Secret to ‘Mas Appeal’

Featuring Shenanigans Mas

By Leanne Tasher

hat started as an impulse to embrace a new carnival experience, has become an inspiring entrepreneurial venture and a testimony of faith for owners of Shenanigans Mas, a private section within the Kontact band. The whimsical nature of the undertaking had inspired the lighthearted name, Shenanigans, but when it comes to production, the team is uncompromising, and no quality control element is overlooked. According to Chief Shenanigans Officer, Shelly Dolabaille, who has a Trinidadian and Vincentian lineage, their dedicated team

Wand partnership with Kontact band evolved by happenstance.

“I spoke with a friend on carnival Monday in Trinidad about the idea and on carnival Tuesday, we booked the flight to Barbados without securing a band, accommodation or anything else, just faith that it would work out,” she recalled.

The team’s search for a band with compatible values ended after a meeting with managing director Anthony Layne, who welcomed them to the Kontact band family. This year, the Shenanigans Mas costumes, entitled Rhythm and Rhyme, were among other offerings from the band such as Bassa Bassa, Pompasetty, and Dooflicky – all designed under the theme Opulence.

Since their 2018 debut, Shenanigans Mas has always aimed to stand out, while aligning with the overall vision and standards outlined by Kontact. During their first year, they were even brave enough to put feathers onto their costumes, giving it a “couture look”. It is customary for costumes to have feathers on the shoulders, neck and arms, which is easier for mass production,

Shelly explained. This year, their chosen colour palette was teal and pink, but in true Shenanigans style, they added a unique twist.

“This year, that option is the nude illusion, which has been receiving a lot of attention and is the favourite among our Shenanigans masqueraders,” she said, noting that she wanted to expand the definition of nude, such that women of all skin tones can confidently flaunt the style, which is traditionally thought of as a paler, beige shade.

Shelly said that creative chemistry with designer Kadeem Hinds, who has been designing for the past eight years, made the execution of the vision seamless, and called him “a genius”.

“I give him my thoughts and then let him get to work with his creative process. This year, I asked him to make the costume for the Premium Elite option wickedly tantalising. Kadeem delivered like the mailman,” she said. She added that “all of our production is sourced in Barbados. The designer, the seamstress and the mass production team are all Bajans, deliberately so.”

This year, Kadeem said his inspiration for Rhythm and Rhyme was “blingy and sexy, but I also wanted to design options that complement each body type.” It’s no wonder that revellers have been irresistibly drawn to their unique designs, but Shelly revealed that their customer-centric service is also a pull factor.

“The first year I was on the road, I had a sewing kit in my hand in the event that my masqueraders needed anything. Once you are a seasoned masquerader, you know what the issues can be on the road. So, I had my sewing kit, with my safety pins and so on to really give that personal experience,” she explained.

Since age six, Shelly has been playing Mas. Additionally, her mother worked as a seamstress for Trinidad and Tobago Carnival (such as Legends Carnival Band), Miami Carnival and Caribana (now the Toronto Caribbean Carnival) bands. She knows that it takes courage and self-love to express oneself as a woman, especially in the face of sexism and societal pressures around body image. That’s why she described herself as the “biggest hype woman” for revellers of the all-female section.

“We want women who put on our costumes to feel sexy, and love and embrace the body that the costume is on. We have options for the risqué woman or those who want to opt for a more conservative option. We want everybody to feel that self-love no matter where they are in their journey. Either way, all the costumes are sexy,” she said.

So whether revellers were jumping in their Premium Elite or Curvy costumes, which were both offered from sizes small to 3XL, Shelly and her team encouraged every woman to feel beautiful and to “be up to shenanigans”.