By Tiffny Rhodius
This year’s Mashramani celebration was an explosion of colour and fanfare accredited in part to the impressive costumes created. And designer Trevor Rose of Facts and Roses, who has a lot to celebrate with several wins in this year’s competition, has a vision of Mash being a full-costume affair some day fully supported by all Guyanese.
The veteran designer was the creator behind the successful Banks DIH and Guyana Power and Light (GPL) full costume bands. Banks which was absent from the parade for some four years had the most wins this year. GPL came in second.
Trevor also created the costume for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) which was also successful in the semi-costume category.
Speaking with The Scene last week, Trevor shared his concept behind the creation of the costumes and his ideas on the development of Mashramani to rival Trinidad’s Carnival.
According to Trevor, he creates his costumes to “capture the carnival spirit”. His designs begin on the computer but he is always thinking of the finished product at every stage of production.
He said his concept for the Banks DIH costume was drawn from the history of the company in the country and the purpose of Mashramani which is celebration after hard work. He added that the designs of the costumes reflect the power of the company and its contribution to the country’s economy.
Research was done too he said on the colours. The colours used in this year’s Banks costume band were red and gold and the colours signified the beer and the quality of service and product offered by the company. Banks DIH Mash Day band was full costume and its theme was ‘Our country, Our life, Our beer’.
Besides some 500 strong revellers, the band had king and queen costumes. The king costume, Trevor said, measured some 24 feet in width and 17 feet in height. That costume, which highlighted Banks beer and the GPL’s king costume, Trevor said were “works of art” and opined that the two costumes could have competed on an international stage like the Trinidad Carnival or Barbados Crop Over.
And in celebration of the success of both Banks and Facts and Roses, a victory party is being held on the lawns of Facts and Roses today. According to Trevor, the event is a paid event without invitation and there will be a Banks promotion on beer.
Meanwhile, Trevor called the GPL costume that he created a “magical” piece. The costume highlighted energy conservation and the pre-paid meter, which GPL is currently running trials on in certain area. It is one of the pieces he enjoyed creating.
And while Trevor built the PPP costume, the concept was provided by the party he said. The costume was built to reflect the PPP’s 60th anniversary and bore the party colours.
Material
For Trevor, his designs and creations must have what he calls that “wow effect” and that is why he invests in his creations. “I like to be on top, I like to win,” he said, adding that to win the best materials must be used. Materials are sourced from Trinidad not because they are cheaper but because they allow Trevor to have free reign with his creative processes, and at the same time are not heavy for person wearing them to carry.
Materials used in each of the costumes he created include fibre and aluminium rods which, he pointed out cannot be found in Guyana. Also used in the creation of the costumes were special fabrics such as metallic spandex which is also not available in Guyana.
Mashramani 2010 and beyond
This year’s Mashramani saw improvements in costumes by designers and Trevor said he welcomes the competition which would only serve to take the national celebration to a higher standard; something which he has been advocating. “For the past five years, some designers are getting the idea of what it is to produce a carnival costume,” Trevor said.
He singled out the Digicel costume band which was created by Olympia Small-Sonaram saying it was “good” and noted that the competition “keeps me on the ball”.
And while Trevor thought that this year’s Mashramani “was an improvement from the last year” based on the creativity displayed by the bands in their costumes, he believes that “Guyanese need to embrace the Mash spirit” and “support our own”.
Trevor has a vision that sees the Mashramani celebration becoming a full-costume affair and believes that persons should support the move. His vision for Mashramani is one that is carnival-like and offers an inclusive package of costume and VIP passes to Mash day events.
He stated that persons should be patriotic and support our Mashramani the same way they would Carnival. He is confident that Guyana’s Mashramani will one day reach the stage where it is a big tourist attraction in the Caribbean.
However, before this can be achieved, Trevor said, more companies should support the event and government too. He explained that more discussions at the government level with private companies to grant some form of tax cut for companies who wish to participate in events such as Carifesta and Mashramani should be engaged in, as a means of encouraging companies to participate.
Further, Trevor believes that the preparation for Mashramani should begin as early as possible. This way, he said, participating companies can budget for the event. “Investing a few dollars in Mash shouldn’t hurt,” he added and this he feels will in turn encourage designers to produce their best. And Trevor said, “I love what I do” which means that he’ll always be doing his best.