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New York, USA - Making it an historic night for Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, Pan and Carnival introduced The Fashion Life Tour runway event at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) on February 10, 2024. It was an unforgettable and energetic night! Produced by mother/daughter duo Laura and Jolanta Kissoon, under the brand name “Mum & Me Production,” the concept for the runway show was the brainchild of Jolanta, a Minnesota-based event and fashion photographer. The story behind the brand is to provide a space for Caribbean representation on a runway stage, featuring Caribbean models, fashion designers, and performers.

The colorful show opened with a backdrop featuring a photo montage of Trinidad Carnival costumes, along with a voiceover describing the origins of Pan and Carnival. This was followed by a segment featuring a live Steelpan player. With his mastery of the tenor pan, Earl Brooks, Jr., of Brooks Muzik and Brooks Arts Academy, was a smash hit as he had audience members dancing and clapping along to a tropical-flavored mashup of pop and Soca music. His performance, and this presentation of Pan and Carnival on D Runway, simultaneously occurred while the citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago was in the throes of the Panorama Finals on what was also Carnival Saturday night.

On the catwalk, some models were adorned in the splendor of Carnival costumes… Feathers…Bikinis…Beads…Wings! Other models wore hand-crafted crochet designs showcasing the Carnival fete look. As they strutted and danced on the runway to the scintillating sounds of Soca music, the models interacted with the audience hyping them up and engaging with them.

Photographers and other designers along with press representatives said that they could not wait to edit their images. Many observed that they felt as if they had just left a party, remarking that they did not expect the experience they just had. They also suggested it was just what NYFW needed…To shake up the place a bit! Others shared that it was not your “normal runway show,” exclaiming that the show highlighted the spirit of Carnival!

Carnival love…Loving yourself…Being your true self in the Carnival season: These were the underlying concepts for this event, and that of the brand, Mum & Me Production. The aim was to bring the joy and vibrancy of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival culture to the forefront of fashion, celebrating life and creativity to the max. We succeeded… “It in we DNA!”

Press Release from:
Jolanta Kissoon
Mum & Me Production
Images submitted by J. Kissoon