Brown Sugar Designs Inc. to showcase 10th Fashion Event dubbed ‘Sweet Legacy’

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE easy, bold and inviting designs of Brown Sugar Inc. will be showcased in all its sweetness to adorning supporters of the line on Sunday (Dec. 13) at the Marriott Ballroom. Sweet Legacy is the theme chosen to represent the dynamic fashion show while paying tribute to the now defunct sugar industry. 

The promoter’s name, Brown Sugar Inc., originated as a representation of the St. Kitts and Nevis’ former main product, sugar. “It’s a little sentimental for me because I have this love for sugar cane going on, hence the name Brown Sugar. And now I just wanted to find a way to pay tribute; and it is a legacy, and of course a sweet legacy,” said Judith Rawlins. 

This will be the 10th fashion show the design house has organised since the first showing in 1997 at Fort Thomas Hotel. The mastermind behind the fashion house is designer Rawlins, who is sometimes referred to as Brown Sugar. 

Rawlins grew with sewing being a part of her life, and being an artistic person from her formative years she pursued and successfully completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture. 

Although Rawlins operated as an architect on her returned home, she found herself designing more outfits than clothing which began the brand Brown Sugar. Rawlins said that for the fashion show she would be showcasing 150 garments in four segments. She said the opening is dubbed “Home Grown” in which it brings a lot of natural fabrics and natural colours into focus. 

“The colour beige which is normally looked at as a dull colour, we think about how we can make that exciting,” she told SKNVibes. The next line, according to the designer, is Brown Sugar Classics. 

“This is basically what people perceive in their minds Brown Sugar to be… flowing skirts, the linen, bias cuts, that kind of look, but we’re giving it a fresh look at the same time. It’s basic, you’ve seen it before, but it’s a new approach to it altogether.” An exciting line of formal wear will make up the third segment of the show. 

“We’re doing formals, something exciting, stuff that you would wear to the Ball along with satins and stretch satins and exciting elegant stuff. 

“The final line is Black and White and basically paying tribute to past meeting the presence. I think that is probably one of our most exciting lines. That’s the line I think is the ‘wow’ line,” she said. 

Rawlins said her designs have evolved since 1994 when the lines use to feature a number of vests and baby doll dresses. She said she started out with a young clientele that had grown and matured as her line has. 

“I think we do a lot more now. We have put a lot more elements into it. We’ve added the men’s stuff, which doesn’t always stay on the rack but we’ve invested in a men’s line. We’re doing a lot more resort type wear as well,” she said. Sunday’s show will be the most one has seen of a men’s line in recent times. The designer said that there has not been a demand for it as much. 

“The market for men hasn’t been that wonderful but there seems to be a renewed interest. I’m seeing that men really want us to have something for them, so we’re trying them again,” she said. 

The fact that her last event was held two years ago is more than an exciting tease to see what the designer has to showcase. She however said it is not an easy task. 

“People see a show and think it finishes quickly, but the show has on 150 pieces. It takes awhile to create 150 designs. You can go to a Calvin Klein show and see 20 pieces and that’s the show, and they might do a Spring Collection or each season and it’s a very short show. But we have to produce a two-hour show. 

“My show is unlike other fashion shows, where they would have borrowed stuff, not really new designs…and it’s just a show. So it takes us awhile to put a very good fashion event together,” she said. 

Rawlins added that her event would also help her better understand how her clients and customers feel about her clothing line by their response on the night of the show. 

“It’s like a bouncing board for me. You get to know where you are, how your customers or clients or potential clients feel about your work and where you’re going. 

“It’s like you’re naked when you put on a show and saying, ‘here I am, critique me’. So I really want to know what people are interested in and what lines really ‘wow’ them and what they like, then I can take away from it and what would be the best road for Brown Sugar,” she said. 

Guest designer for the night will be Robert Young of Trinidad, who is in the business for 23 years, with his signature line dubbed ‘The Cloth’. Rawlins said that she has admired the talents of the designer for some time now. 

“Well, I remember when I was back in college and sometime between 1992 and 1993 I had a BWIA magazine. And I remember taking out a design and putting it in my scrapbook and it turned out it was from him. So he’s been like a Caribbean icon for me since then,” she said. 

She said Young is known regionally and his designs are bold with a lot of colour and appliqués. “I think he truly captures our Caribbean-ness, and I always wanted him to be in St. Kitts for us to see his line,” she said. 

The Image Model Agency out of St. Vincent will be guest models along with local top St. Kitts and Nevis models from various agencies. 

“Image Model Agency from St. Vincent has been coming to the show for awhile now and Image is one of those agencies that have been around awhile. They develop young ladies and they’re very much into training than doing shows but building their image, and they been doing that for awhile,” she said. 

The show begins at 6:30 p.m. and features appearances by the National Carnival Queen Contestants and Vivace Dance Company while tickets are EC$60.