Somewhere Other than Here: Caribbean Fashion Week

The attitude of Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess for her fiery temper and Huna for the beautiful treasures from her sea and Island Goddesses everywhere inspired my black coral and smokey quartz necklaces shown on the runway for Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW).  The long spiny black corals remind me of black sea urchins, a delicacy in Japan and a nuisance on the North Coast of Jamaica, I stepped on one many a time when I was little and yes I did try my own pee/ urine to dissolve the spikes.  I cannot recall if it worked or not.  In the states my coral creations were my personal Island Goddess armour, representing intrigue, mystery and danger.  I just love using mysterious black pearls and beautiful corals unfortunately these materials are all imported.  The more time I am here in Jamaica the more stories I hear of interesting materials  I could source, -so I am excited as to what I will find.  The clothing shown is by Trinidadian Designer ZADD and EASTMAN.  I dubbed this Trinimaica when a Trinidadian and Jamaican collaborate in some kinda fashion. 

 



















Huna: Is the goddess of corals and spiny creatures of the sea.  She appears as a woman and a coral reef.  From her shells Maui made his famous hook for drawing the Hawaiian Islands together.

Pele: Is the goddess of the volcano. Pele has a staff -- a staff used to find out if ground is dry. Many books on the subject say that Pele is a myth, but many families of Hawaii today believe that Pele was an actual person from Kahiki (somewhere other than here).

Caribbean Fashion Week: Spinning & Weaving

Mother archetypes helped to inspire this silver pendant.  Stories of earth mothers and wise women who weave the world and create life,  inspired the drawing painting above which then translated into jewelry, metal.  I call this pendant Spider Woman: she weaves and creates her world shaping her own destiny. 
For more on Spinning and Weaving Myths click here. My Story and Myth inspired jewelry pieces will be at Caribbean Fashion Week.  In a country where they are in the Guinness World Book of Records for the most churches per SQ. mile, how are they going to react to the empowered goddess archetype and the story and myth behind it.  Quite well - I HOPE- Jamaica is a matriarchal society.   Regardless people of the diaspora have always hidden deeper meaning behind things...