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Christmas 2013

THE

ICON ISSUE

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Hair

Publisher

Adaeze – Ramon Omari

Vivian-Anne Gittens (246) 430-5425

Feature Location (page 12, 13)

Editorial

Fusion Restaurant & Lounge, Bayshore Complex, Bay Street

Publication Editor

Hermina Charlery

Advertising

Contributing Writers

Advertising Manager Paulette Jones (246) 430-5412

Hermina Charlery, Coretta Joe,Tyson Weekes, Amanda Haynes

Design

Sales Executives

Imageworx: Paul Bailey

Kelly Johnally (246) 430-5515 Rohnelle Primus (246) 430-5579

Photography Jaryd Niles-Morris, Himal Reece (page 10)

Circulation

Models

Circulation Executive Goldburn Weekes (246) 430-5501

Cover – Ramon of GADAL Model Management Clothing – All items excluding inside shirt from Rojoe Page 3 – Nakeem of GADAL Model Management Clothing – All items excluding inside shirt from Rojoe

Make-Up

Printers

Riseé Chaderton – Mandy Cummins Bonnie Hearty – Leann Edghill

Printweb Caribbean Ltd (246) 434-6719 / (246) 467-2895

CREDITS

ICON

THE

Marketing Marketing Manager Valerie Hope

I S S U E

THE ICONS:

Roland “Rojoe” Bascombe Rhaj Paul Riseé Chaderton

THE UP AND COMING: Kesia Estwick Ryan Wilfred Adaeze Kas Taylor Bonnie Hearty Stylewise is produced by The Nation Publishing Co. Limited; a subsidiary of The Nation Corporation, which is a member of the One Caribbean Media (OCM) group of companies. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained within this magazine is accurate. However, the Nation Publishing Co. Limited cannot be held responsible for any consequences that may arise from any errors or omissions. This publication cannot be copied in whole or in part without explicit permission from the publisher. ©2011 Nation Publishing Co. Limited

december 2013

fluent in

style

“Rojoe”Bascombe

Ronald

one of the most successful fashion designers on the island the icon issue

Dimitri in one of Rojoe’s designs.

n the fashion world, staying relevant is the salient, casual-deluxe market that it is today. a challenge that many designers have By establishing and personally wearing pieces that failed to surmount. The traits shared are as easy to understand as they are wearable, by those who have prospered are the Rojoe played a huge role in shifting men’s fashion abilities to carve a clearly defined style identity, from loose fitting casual clothes, to more fitted, selfexpressive designs. with layers of authenticity and a timeless quality. Fashion is a cycle replete with ebbs and flows Breaking the sequence of the whirring machines that fluctuate with the changing popularity of (and my best efforts to be a fly on the wall), whatever style is contemporary. Even though Rojoe, as if he could anticipate my next question, consumers and designers never admit to (and suddenly blurted: “There isn’t a limit to anything I sometimes staunchly deny) being trend followers, can do (pointing to one of his mahogany carvings) I didn’t go anywhere to learn this – God gave me only a few have actually dared to be different. Roland Bascombe, more familiarly known as my special training.” Rojoe, has for thirty years been one of the most “From baggies [surf shorts] I went into more successful fashion designers on the island, surfing fashionable clothes such as jeans, suits, dress the fashion wave by combining forward-thinking pants and even ties – I can make anything. The elegance with abstract patterns, vibrant colours quality of my clothes is so great that I made a pair of pants took them in a Hilfiger store and the and ready-to-wear designs. Almost as fascinating as his designs and tailored attendant asked me if I wanted them exchanged,” cuts was the sight of him floating between three he quipped. An inspiration to a plethora of Barbadian and sewing machines during the entire interview. It soon became apparent that here was a man regional designers, models and fashion junkies, who knew his trade and had risen to the top of his Rojoe’s stature and influence on men’s fashion for game and the competitive Barbadian menswear three decades earns him the titular distinction as a style icon. market through hard work, patience and passion. Intermittently pausing to chat before resuming his finishing touches to a custom suit for a client, Rojoe candidly (and in some cases the Season r fo s p inadvertently) revealed that he is a man ti ’s e jo Ro who inherently understands and speaks the tton jacket, ring a two-bu language of today’s fashion-centric man. • When wea button. en the bottom With the zeal of a young intern, he recalled do NOT fast always admiring designs for down-to-earth is at least half jacket sleeve e individuals with worldly tastes (much like th re su En • eeve. ove the shirtsl himself), and how this eye for quality inspired an inch ab him to shift from designing surf wear (his first of the re the bottom su en , tie a g foray into fashion) to more formal pieces. • If wearin belt buckle. ht above the rig Despite having a faithful clientele consisting lls fa tie of locals and returning tourists from Brazil, the waist ear pants on w , fit st be England and even further away in Germany, the e • For th buttocks. or below the former lead designer for the now defunct apparel and not on company Irie Blue evolved his personal style and ls (navy blue, itional neutra ad tr of resultantly transformed Barbados menswear into d s ea ur st • In nt colo own), use acce br & ey gr k, blac s. for the sock n for an outfit. the foundatio e ar s oe Sh • t with the ing a suit, star When select shoes. tail in clothing assess the de d an t ec d sp an In • r piping sing (e.g. inne ha rc pu re fo be it jackets). lining for su

I can make anything. The quality of my clothes is so great that I made a pair of pants took them in a Hilfiger store and the attendant asked me if I wanted them exchanged,” 6

december 2013

“I didn’t go anywhere to learn this – God gave me my special training.”

the icon issue

Beard Thing The

ust before the beard trend dies with the New Year, designer Rhaj Paul reflects on the allure of his silver strands, street styleâ€™s big facial hair, and how it all symbolizes the power of influence.

Rhaj Paul 8

december 2013

Today, Rhaj Paul prefers to have hair flowing from his chin. His beard is really big, really boss and grew with his latest business,

the streetwise brand EVOLVE. It’s managed by the designer and his wife/business partner, Keshia Avonda Paul. I tell him the story is almost too perfect; sitting across from me in a snapback and a slim fit EVOLVE “Wow” tee, it’s very tempting to imagine Rhaj Paul is an urban, sartorial Ghandi. As we talk about young men’s obsession with full, noticeably groomed facial hair, I learn that Rhaj Paul’s ‘beard thing’ is a heart thing- and it runs much deeper than style.

Q: Has the beard trend picked up in Barbados? A:

It seems a little bit to me like it’s falling off. But it’s been popular with a lot of street guys, a lot of street culture.The way the younger guys are wearing it – that is what is different to me, that’s how you know it’s a trend. Older guys . . . like over 30, 35 or older. Those are the guys that would hold onto their beard just because maybe, it just feels right to them. But when you see younger guys aspiring to a bushy face, that’s a shift from what was common. Around the early stage, about the first year or so, I just started seeing them everywhere! There’s a word for that . . . [“The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon”, says Google a while later].

Trezay has been wearing a full beard for 10 years now.

Why do you think for lack of a better word mature beard is popular with younger guys right now? There’s something else that I think affected this trend that I don’t think anyone here is talking about – Muslims. I feel that the anti-Muslim vibe that was there coming off of the Bush era gave rise to the movement on a larger level. The reason why I say so is that there is a principal in metaphysics that says what you resist, persists . . . that which gets attention will grow.

Social psychologists are saying the trend may be a response to less defined gender roles, as a way to assert masculinity. What do you think?

I agree to an extent. A lot of the time they’re varied influences. I know for sure, especially in England and in rap music, those black Muslims had a strong influence. One of the strongest influences I would have to say from rap culture today is Rick Ross. That beard was so iconic.

So style is about influence.

Yes, the thing that brings about the influence is the confidence. I feel that while what we see is influential, what we feel is what nails it down . . . it’s what gives it that authenticity, strength and power.

How long have you been growing your beard?

Two years ago. I really started to grow it when I got back from St. Lucia. When I got here, just as I was going into what I’m supposed to do and so on, I had this overwhelming feeling to clean myself or something. So . . . I decided to just clean it/shave it all off and let it come again. When parts get discoloured I would just trim them off, and just watch it as it goes.

Red Star Lion, “ I have been letting my beard grow not growing my beard, since 2005.

There’s a difference.”

It’s definitely more than a fashion statement. then. What makes a well groomed ‘boss’ beard:

Well groomed hair, first of all, means clean. It also implies some degree of shaping outside of Rastafari, for example, or anyone who doesn’t care about being “fashionable”. Check if it’s marked and which styles suit your facial type.

the icon issue

Natural

Belle r

Be who you are; don’t try to be someone else.

isée Chaderton sauntered into the coffee shop wearing vintage black sunglasses and an ankle-length pale peach jumper. Looking at her, you would find it rather hard to believe that she was a tomboy during her youth. The Bahamian-born, Barbadian-raised mother of one is a fierce advocate of Caribbean women charting their own path in fashion and beauty. Currently rocking a short, kinky textured hairstyle, this naturalista has

had an assortment of hairstyles starting with her first relaxer at the age of seven, a jheri curl during secondary school and relaxed hair once again during college. Then one day she decided to cut all of her chemically processed hair off. When the barber refused, Risée took matters into her own hands and started the process herself, leaving the reluctant barber with no choice but to finish the job. 10

The 39-year-old staunchly rejects European standards of beauty and the very narrow brackets that people create such as the hair-typing chart, a method designed for wearers of natural hair to determine the curl pattern of their hair ranging from 3a to 4c. “I made that decision that I wasn’t going to try to look like somebody else. I had natural hair for a while then I decided I wanted to grow locks. I enjoyed my natural hair. I think that flexibility that it allows you is unsurpassed, really.” december 2013

“But I think that many women are pressured to have hair that mimics European hair. The beauty standard is that hair should be long and it should be able to blow in the wind and your man should be able to put his hands through your hair,” she continued. Never one to settle or allow her creativity to be stifled, after 13 years of rocking locks in many diverse styles and cuts, Risée cut them off and grew out an afro, even wearing it platinum blonde for a while. Aware that the only recovery from bleaching it blonde was to cut it very short, she went ahead anyway. “I’m not gonna sit down and have my whole life be determined by whether my hair is long or not,” she said matter-of-factly. Owner of Eye One Visuals, a full service photography business, Risée is also known for her work with the Saturday Sun’s Girl Next Door, which she explained was started because of her love for Caribbean women and the understanding that the fashion industry is not particularly kind to them. “Many women that I spoke to would say to me that they didn’t feel beautiful. I wanted to show regular Bajan girls that they had no reason to feel like they’re not beautiful.”

Asserting that she does not follow trends, Risée wears what she feels like and most importantly, what everyone else is not wearing. Her secret for standing out is purchasing her pieces from a local boutique that only carries a few items of the same style. “For me right now I stay away from body conscious clothing. It’s not that I have a problem with my body, but I wanna move comfortably. I like my stuff to be free flowing,” she said, adding that she has developed a love for jump suits. When Stylewise asked about her personal style and beauty mantra, she quipped: “Is it pressed and can I get out of the house and get this child to school before the bell rings? I think one quirky thing I do is that my cupboard is colourcoordinated,” she said laughing. Living in a society predominantly governed by what is popular overseas, Risée urges women to be comfortable with who they are: “I found that women, when they like who they are, they look so much better. They just look prettier; it shows. When people are struggling to look like someone else or struggle to fit into other people’s beauty standards, they look uncomfortable. Be who you are; don’t try to be someone else.”

Tips for the Season For those naturals attending swanky Christmas and Old Year’s night soirees, work with your hair texture: “Try not to make your hair do things that it’s not meant to. If your hair does not do an Afro, don’t try to spritz it to make it stay. Maybe pull it back and do an Afro puff. If it’s not long, don’t try to pretend it’s long by slicking it back and try to make it go into one. Having a great cut on short hair and having a stylist who knows how to cut your hair is worth his or her weight in gold,” she advised. For a fashionably festive season, ditch the mundane black and silver and embrace vivid colours such as cobalt blue and rock hot red lips and fabulous, properly applied lashes.

l protein treatment. “I don’t actually comb butter mixed with palm oil and the occasiona on itself. If I’m going somewhere fancy l and I roll it and that helps the hair to curl up towe a get lly usua I it, wash I When now. my hair right when you have short hair I find that gel and I’ll go. Of course big earrings because curly kinky of bit little a e mayb and part smancy, I put a little those are great.”

shea Risée’s hair regimen is simple: pure African

the icon issue

up and

Coming

Ryan Wilfred Age 23

“ I’m right on the edge. I don’t know what comes next. “

THE STUDENT

Kesia Estwick Age 23

“Forget the rules, I wear my soul.”

THE STYLIST

december 2013

up and

Adaeze Age 23

“My style is it’s own kind of poetry. I re-iterate what’s said in my music, in the way that I dress.”

Coming THE ARTISTS

Bonnie Hearty Age 22

“Art is my life. I don’t have a particular style, I dress based on how I feel internally.”

Kas Taylor Age 27

“I’m at the junction where urban meets preppy & classic. I never chase cool.”

THE STUDENT

december 2013