Independent couture

By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

Two of the Bahamas’ leading fashion designers, Navado Dawkins and Cedric Bernard, were among group of creatives who were chosen to display their Bahamian pride in the form of high-end couture at the recent “Golden Jubilee: Evening of Culture and Couture” held at the Baha Mar Convention Centre.

After garnering attention with his design that he called “The Walking Flag”, Navado decided to take it up a notch this year for the ‘Road to 50’ and make “The Walking Flag II” dress.

“Each design is intended to embody all three colours of the flag, sewn to a couture aesthetic while covering the face of the model focusing solely on the wearable art,” he said of his unusual piece.

And he placed the colours of the flag with a distinct purpose in mind.

“The black being of our people starts from the root of our nation, so I always begin with black at the train of the gown, going into the gold for our gleaming sun and soft sand, which always ends up in the bodice area leading to the head. The separate lines of blue represent our beautiful bodies of wate,r which are depicted in the arms of each ‘Walking Flag’ gown,” he said.

“The beautiful thing about our flag colours is that they complement each other so well. It’s easy to create stylish looks without doing too much.”

When it comes to how Bahamians in general decide to mix and match the gold, aquamarine and black is all down to self-expression, he said.

“For example, a gold shirt with an aqua trouser and a black shoe will stand out just as much as an aqua, black and gold top with an aqua trouser and black shoe, depending on the person wearing it. So, my advice is, style our Bahamian flag colours to the mood and aesthetic of your style. There is never a wrong way when it comes to self-expression.”

Designer Cedric Bernard, meanwhile, stepped out of his comfort zone to create an Independence suit which can be worn for formal events during the Independence celebrations and afterwards.

Cedric’s design was also featured at the country’s National Jubilee Fashion Show and received great feedback as it speaks to the modern man.

“We were asked to create a high-fashion evening gown so I did something high fashion and business attire. I kept that strong in black,” he said.

Cedric said his inspiration was not only the colours of the flag, but what they represent as well.

He was also inspired to create something for the modern Bahamian man, who is currently “stepping out of his comfort zone” and being loud with his style choices.

“Men are dressing up more nowadays. The days of them playing safe are gone. So, I wanted to create something that they can appreciate wearing,” he said.

Since the fashion show, Cedric has had several requests for the suit.

Another design by Cedric that also made its way down the runway was a black cocktail dress accessorised by a black hat featuring the flag colours that can also be worn for any occasion.

“You could wear it to church, you could wear it to a cocktail function. It’s ready to wear and can be tailored for any formal occasion,” he told Tribune Weekend.