Haitian Heritage Month (May)
Haitian Heritage Month is not only a celebration of Haitian culture, it also has great historical significance based on the inherited traditions that have been passed on from generation to generation since Haiti's independence in 1804.Over the past few years, Haitians in New York, Florida, Boston, Philadelphia, and New Jersey have celebrated Haitian Heritage Month proudly with parades, conferences, festivals, exhibits, book fairs and the like. It’s a pride-filled month that carries out exciting events within the Haitian community and brings memorable souvenirs, including patriotic songs and the recollection of the history behind the creation of the Haitian Flag.In Florida, Haitian Heritage Month is recognized and celebrated by the School Board of Miami Dade County and supported by the School Board of Broward County. The celebration in Miami includes the largest Haitian festival - Haitian Compas Festival, also known as KompaFest.In Boston, the Annual Haitian American Unity Parade is held annually around May 18th, which is recognized by all Haitians as Haitian Flag Day. This parade features Haitian leaders, state and city officials, marching bands, delegations from schools, colleges and universities. Many youth groups, cultural, professional, and religious associations as well as, community, political and regional organizations and Haitian and American businesses also take part in the festivities.In New York, there is a Haitian Day Parade that usually takes place on the last Sunday of May. Other patriotic and cultural activities are held in Chicago, Georgia, Texas, Philadelphia to acknowledge Haitian Heritage Month with pride and dignity in order to promote and share the Haitian culture.While Haitians never need a reason to "stand-up" and "rep our flag", this year, Haitian Heritage Month definitely comes at a time where perhaps people, including us Haitians, need to be reminded of WHO Haitians are and of our significant contributions to the world, both historically and in present times.
Notable dates in May for Haitian History and Culture
May 1st - Labor and Agricultural Day celebrated in Haiti as a public holiday.May 2nd - Flowers’ Day During the Duvalier era, May 2nd was celebrated as Flowers’ Day. Many cultural activities were held in the capital’s bicentennial plaza, decorated with flowers and the blue and red colors of the Haitian flag. Well known artists and musical groups also took part in the annual celebration.May 18th - Haitian Flag Day - In a pact signed by the Black and Mulatto officers at the May 1803 congress, the officers created the Haitian Flag on the last day of the congress, May 18, 1803. Bearing this newly created Haitian flag with pride, they fought and expelled the French army and thus Haiti became the first Black independent country in the world on January 1st, 1804.May 20th - Toussaint L'Ouverture 's Birthday General Toussaint L'Ouverture, who was born on May 20, 1743, was the mastermind behind the Haitian Slave Revolution. He organized and led the slaves to victory against Spain, Great Britain and France.Last Sunday of May - Haitian Mother's Day In Haiti, Mothers’ Day is celebrated on the Last Sunday of May. On that day, Haitians honor their mothers by wearing a red flower for mothers that are living and a white or purple flower in remembrance of the mothers who have passed away.
Luka Sabbat Partners With Related Garments for Collection to Benefit 'Help Haiti'
Sabbat x Related in Haiti-Building Connections That Go Beyond Bloodlineshttps://youtu.be/tw1gfEPhMBoVideo via https://youtu.be/tw1gfEPhMBoAmerican fashion designer Luka Sabbat has teamed up with the Los Angeles–based luxury men's undergarment brand Related Garments for a collection to benefit the charitable organization Help Haiti.Luka's father, Clark Sabbat, is a first generation American, born in Haiti, and the father-son duo decided to use this 12-piece collection as an ode to their heritage. The collaboration was inspired by a seven-day trip to Haiti, where they met and interacted with local people. The culture and warm nature of Haiti's residents prompted the collective to seek out Help Haiti as the beneficiary for the project's revenue.The collection contains both men's and women's undergarment pieces, as well as men's socks. On the retail site where the collection is available for purchase, the "Sabbat x Related" line is described as "more than marketing, or the casual exchange of design ideas. For Clark, it means nostalgia and the unbreakable bonds of family. For Luka, it means paying homage. For Mike and David, it means extending the brotherhood of their brand beyond bloodlines."Mike and David, the brother duo behind Related Garments, have looked to create a line of stylish basics for men, and now women as well. The team sought out a charity that would give opportunities to local Haitians, and allow them to find success, and keep that positive momentum going. They eventually decided to partner with Help Haiti, whose mission is to "create, through merit and needs based scholarships, a community of young professionals and leaders who will promote a more just society in Haiti."The collection is available for pre-sale now on Related Garment's website, and 12 percent of the net proceeds will go to Help Haiti.By: Nora-Grayce Orosz for Complex.com | April 23, 2018
Haiti: Massive rallies call for Jovenel Moise to step down
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Haiti calling for President Jovenel Moise to step down.It's the latest of ongoing protests against Moise that began two months ago.It comes on the day Moise officially reintroduced the national army, some 22 years after it was disbanded, and a week after an investigation revealed millions of dollars in earthquake relief had been stolen.By Teresa Bo for Aljazeera.com |November 19, 2017
SPRING 2018 READY-TO-WEAR : STELLA JEAN
Stella Jean’s backstory this season is a goody. The Haitian designer discovered La Paz, Bolivia’s Cholitas luchadores community—and was instantly inspired. The Cholitas are “petticoat wrestlers” or “fighting goddesses” who wear their colorful native dress in the ring and out of it, and have faced discrimination for doing so. As Jean tells it, they’re forbidden to travel by public bus and taxi because they haven’t adopted modern Western dress. Through their visibility in the wrestling ring, they’re bringing awareness to their mistreatment and have become symbols of indigenous pride. “To me,” Jean said backstage, “it’s a message of how fashion can be a powerful tool of independence.”
This kind of cultural appropriation can be a tricky business for a designer. Jean has wrestled with it in the past, but here, she handled it well, presenting a short video before the start of the show in which a young Bolivian woman discussed her country’s cholas and thanked Jean for shining a light on them. A celebration of their culture an ocean away won’t affect the cholas one way or the other, but it’s a positive development when a designer acknowledges the debt she owes to her source of inspiration.
The clothes were engaging, too, obviously influenced by the chola culture but not too costumey, despite the surfeit of embroidered ruffles, peasant tops and skirts, and traditional hats. A vivid green tie-dye shirtdress worn unbuttoned over matching shorts was a highlight, along with the patchwork print of ikat weaving used for a trim shirt and cropped pants. Some of the sport-couture combos were a little silly—who’s really going to wear an embroidered duchesse ball skirt with her exercise tank and leggings?—but the Stella Jean Wrestling Team logo shirts nailed the current fashion moment on the head.By: Nicole Phelps | September 24, 2017
Fade to Flower: I Am Kreyol - London
In Buddhist symbolism the lotus is symbolic of purity of the body, speech, and mind while rooted in the mud. Its flowers blossom on long stalks as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. The lotus flower is elegant in beauty and peaceful in nature making it such a unique embellishment this world possesses. Similar to the lotus flower, I Am Kreyol is a brand stitched with with ultimate opulence with a rich personality. The use of beautifully textured dresses with patterns that mimic the beauties of mother earth stun all who dare glance. Reminding all to stay humble and focus on developing inner peace.
Designer Joelle Jean-Fontaine is a master in her craft, using rich colors and loud patterns to help distinct her work from the rest. Joelle is from Boston, and uses some of her surrounding landscapes to inspire her work. Her brand I Am Kreyol is a company that encompases all things fashion; with a ready-to-wear clothing line that provides styling services for magazines, music artists, & of course all of her loyal clientele. As a young woman, she aspired to be an architect. While in her second year of college, she soon became pregnant and decided to place her passions aside to take care of her growing family. She was a stay at home mom for three years, during which she started to experiment through a variety of creative outlets to maintain her sense of self. As a hobby, she began taking clothing apart and putting them back together, teaching her how to sew and design items that she says she had only previously seen within her inner subconscious. She has placed years of hard work into her craft, with help from her mother and family she has taken her dreams to the next level. Her company is a hit, her designs are superb and she has been cordially invited to debut her newest collection in Oxford Fashion Studios London Fashion Week.
I Am Kréyol’s Spring 2018 line, The Lotus Collection, is a well curated ensemble of looks that incorporates over exaggerated structural design elements such as bouffant sleeves and bustled tails with full length sheer skirts. The collection philosophy represents the lotus flower and its audacity to grow in unfavorable environments, how its beauty conquers all obstacles seen throughout. It illustrates a woman’s tenacity to be strong, resilient and powerful in the midst of adversity.By Taylor Hannon | September 2017
Timberland Will Get Cotton from a Nifty New Supply Chain – Haiti – if Experiment Soars
In a move that the company hopes will create a new cotton supply chain, outdoor clothing company Timberland is working with the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA) on an effort to reintroduce cotton as a crop in Haiti, the company announced Tuesday. The company, along with SFA and Haiti’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, ceremoniously planted the first cotton seed to mark the start of the experiment. If the five-year initiative is successful, Timberland has committed to purchasing up to a third of the Haitian farmers’ annual global cotton supply (subject to price, quality and volume), the company says. Cotton, once the country’s fourth largest agricultural export, collapsed as a Haitian industry nearly 30 years ago due to a combination of politics and policies, Timberland says.
First, Is It Feasible?
Timberland and SFA’s cotton program was developed following a successful agroforestry model in Haiti that the two organizations had been working on in recent years. The program had Haitian farmers voluntarily tending a network of nurseries that produced up to a million trees each year. In return, farmers received training, crop seeds, seedlings and tools to help increase their own crop yields.With the success of that program, Timberland and the SFA engaged in a feasibility study to gage the potential of cotton’s return to Haiti. The groups studied ideal growing conditions, farmer interest and the availability of agricultural best practices gleaned from smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia. The study recommended that cotton be reintroduced – along with a comprehensive support system and a range of services that were not in place when cotton previously failed. By positioning cotton as a rotational crop in mixed farms that include vegetables, grain and livestock, the resulting agricultural benefits will extend far beyond a single crop, the study suggested.Next summer, the SFA will introduce cotton varieties that adapt best to local conditions and organic cultivation, and result in the highest quality cotton for cultivation in volume by smallholder farmers.With the reintroduction of cotton as an “anchor crop” in Haiti, Timberland says it also hopes to boost the economy and contribute to environmental restoration.
Wrangler Wants Sustainable Cotton, Too
In a related move – one which is also expected to help increase the supply of sustainable cotton – clothing manufacturer Wrangler recently joined a group called Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. Working with industry and academic partners, Wrangler is focusing on cotton-growing practices that will improve profitability for growers while reducing environmental impacts. Wrangler is also engaged in a pilot project for sustainable US cotton. The project involves a family of seventh-generation farmers from Alabama who will work with Wrangler and others to improve cotton yield, irrigation, energy inputs, greenhouse gas emissions and soil conservation. Forty thousand pounds of the family’s cotton will be used to make a special collection of Wrangler denim jeans that will be sold in 2018.
Dsquared2 Dresses Andrea Bocelli’s ‘Voice of Haiti’ Chorus
The Haitian kids will perform in Bocelli's Tuscan hometown on Thursday.
MILAN — Dsquared2 founders and creative directors Dean and Dan Caten are supporting Haitian kids.In particular, the twins designed customized dresses and tuxedos for the children’s chorus of Andrea Bocelli’s “Voice of Haiti,” which will perform at the 12th edition of the “Theater of Silence” event taking place at the Italian tenor’s native town close to Pisa on Thursday.Bocelli and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, focused on finding opportunities for talented young Haitians in need, launched the “Voice of Haiti” project last September in New York with an event hosted at the Lincoln Center.“We met these talented and passionate children for the first time last year in New York. It is such a blessing and a great pleasure to be part of this special journey again,” said Dean Caten. “We created something that could emphasize the strength and the beauty of the Haitian singers. Through their amazing singing, the young choristers spread pure love and joy.”By Alessandra Turra | August 1, 2017
U.S. Embassy Hosts Pop-up Shop for Haitian-American Entrepreneurs
Embassies are all about helping the homeland, but the U.S. Embassy of Haiti went above and beyond presenting the Bien Abyé “Les Jardins de la Mode” pop-up shop.More than 400 people turned up for the event, the finale to D.C.’s first “Haiti Week,” hosted by Ambassador Paul Altidor, and it featured an assortment of products from Haitian-American entrepreneurs. All of the apparel, accessories, home goods and gourmet products that were featured are sourced or inspired by Haiti. Bien Abyé’s founder and designer Dayanne Danier orchestrated the event, which included “Artisan du Monde” by Nathalie Tancrede, “Deux Noirs” by Eddy Albertini, “Vetiver Les Cayes” by Reginald Boisrond Canal and “Zesa Raw” by Michelle Jean. Art fans, diplomats and tastemakers checked out the collection and shopped in the embassy’s newly renovated courtyard. They also listened in when former White House liaison Karen Andre quizzed participants about their careers.“The recent event was the first in a series and “is in line with the mission of the Embassy to be a platform for Haitian-owned businesses to showcase their products,” Altidor said.Bien Abyé is currently offered in five U.S. boutiques and via e-commerce. “Doing pop-up allows me to give a unique experience to clients that they might not find in a retailer. It also gives me the opportunity to have direct interaction to clients and hear about their needs.In New York earlier this month, the Consul General of Sweden Leif Pagrotsky also provided a forum for one of its own. Swedish designer Gudrun Sjödén returned to the U.S. for a fashion show at the official Swedish Residence. Guests like Liliana Cavendish, Nancy Donahue, Katie Ford, Christine Mack, Kelly Rutherford and Audrey Smaltz previewed Sjödén’s fall and spring collections. Former Miss Africa and water activist Georgie Badiel helped model the eco-friendly label, as did Angel Pai. But anyone who wanted to actually buy one of the colorful designs had to go downtown to the SoHo store or shop online.By Rosemary Feitelberg | May 26, 2017
From Haiti to Philly, From Nurse to Bridal Designer
As a child in Haiti, Madelange Laroche dressed her dolls in fashions she’d made herself. As a teenager, she made school uniforms for herself and seven relatives. She dreamed of a career in fashion, designing formal wear and wedding dresses.Then life derailed her. Emigrating to the United States and learning a new language was challenging. To support herself and her brother, she took up nursing, working her way up from home health aide to certified nursing assistant to licensed practical nurse.“I thought, ‘Well, I can do fashion on the side and be a nurse full-time,’ ” Laroche said.That didn’t quite happen. Four years ago, she began studying for a bachelor’s degree at Moore College of Art and Design. She dazzled in the classroom while working more than 40 hours a week at two nursing jobs. Her work won designer Frank Agostino’s critic’s choice award at a student showcase. Last week, a dozen friends and family members — many of whom had traveled from Haiti and Florida — came out to support her at her senior fashion show at the Barnes Foundation.At 36, the new Moore graduate is finally finding her way into fashion. She’s not deterred by her age or her responsibilities. Those who know her say they have a difficult time imagining anything can hold her back now.“She’s absolutely driven, and I think she can make a go of it,” said award-winning fashion designer Danny Noble, who worked with Laroche at Moore. “I’m sure she makes a decent income as a nurse and it’s incredibly admirable that she has such courage and drive.” Agostino, who has been judging Moore student contests for about 12 years, said Laroche was definitely in his top 10, maybe even the top five. “I have great respect for her. If anyone could make a living at it, she’s the one.”Laroche’s unique background and life experiences infuse her design aesthetic. She paints or weaves fabrics as she learned to do as a child. Classic silhouettes are embellished with details and embroidery, and extremely complex designs are superbly constructed, Noble said.Her dream is to create formal wear, specifically wedding gowns. When her bridal wear first appeared on the runway last week, there was a collective gasp from the audience.“It’s just a matter of time,” said Le Tran, who teaches technical design to Moore seniors. “She can do anything.”Laroche was largely raised by her grandmother while her mother worked as a dry cleaner and seamstress in the U.S. She remembers picking up scrap fabric and making her first doll dress at 7. She showed it to her sister.“She said, ‘That’s very nice,’ but I didn’t know if she was telling the truth or not, but since that day, I started making doll dresses,” Laroche said. When Laroche was 12, her mother returned to Haiti after five years away. To reconnect with the family, Laroche’s mother asked whether any of the children would like to learn how to sew.“Nobody said anything,” Laroche recalled, “and I felt so bad for her, so I raised my hand and said OK.”Laroche and one of her brothers sat down and learned how to take measurements and cut fabric and made a pencil skirt. It was Laroche’s true start as a designer.“I never stopped. I never stopped looking for fabric,” Laroche said, describing how she’d hide in her grandmother’s closet and hand-sew the older woman’s garments into new shapes and styles that would fit her.Then, she said, she’d wait until the rest of the family had gone to church to emerge wearing her grandmother’s now-altered clothes.When she was 16, Laroche persuaded her grandmother to let her make the school uniforms — a white blouse and an olive green skirt or pants — for the family. She changed the design, adding olive green accents to the shirts. School officials protested and demanded the uniforms be, well, uniform. But within weeks, about half of the school’s students had altered their shirts accordingly. Administrators gave in. “They said, ‘Well, it’s a lost game’ and it became our school uniform and it made us stand out,” Laroche said. “I don’t know but I think they were proud that a 16-year-old could do that.”In 2001, with high school completed, Laroche moved to Florida to live with her mother. After two aborted attempts at attending a fashion school — cost and the language barrier held her back — Laroche took a friend’s advice and tried nursing.It was steady work, just what she needed after she settled in Philadelphia and took in her 33-year-old brother, who has mental handicaps that weren’t fully understood in Haiti. She decided to get her bachelor’s degree in nursing and began taking classes at Manor College. She still designed and made clothing — dressing the entire bridal party for a relative’s wedding, designing both a ceremony and a reception dress for a teacher — but fashion design became a hobby, not a destiny.And then, during a meeting with her college adviser, the truth burst out: She wanted to go to fashion school. She would love to open a made-to-order wedding dress business. The adviser was surprised. Another student who’d overheard the conversation told Laroche to look into Moore, where Project Runway Season 10 winner and Philly native Dom Streater had studied.Four years later, her senior show was about to begin and Laroche was nervous and excited. She wore an off-white lace appliqué formfitting dress that she had started making at 11 p.m. the evening before.It fit perfectly.by Natalie Pompilio | May 16, 2017
Eklà Beauté - More than a salon....it's an Experience!!!
Eklà Beauté is a beauty salon like no other.
Owner, Christina Fils-Aimé, had a vision. She wanted to offer professional service, excellent hair care and a truly one on one experience; All of that while inviting you into the peaceful, serene and calm environment of her studio.Christina, left Haiti at the age of 18 and moved to New York. There, she became a hair colorist and makeup artist and worked in many hair salons. At 30 years old, she moved back to Haiti and left the hair and makeup business. However, her love for fashion and hair care pulled her back to the hair business. Its her passion; And it shows in the results.She works by appointment only to give each client the time and care they expect, need and deserve. Her goal is simple: "I want it to be 100% about my clients. I want them to walk out feeling good about themselves and with a smile on their faces. That’s what I enjoy most of my job, to be able to put a smile on my clients’ faces”, she says. Eklà also offers manicures, pedicures and makeup services for a one stop shop to pamper yourself.The décor has a zen feel and the relaxing ambiance with soothing music is sure to please.
If you're looking to escape the chaos of everyday, check them out for your beauty needs. Eklà is located at 46 Rue Rebecca, Petion-Ville, Haiti. You wont be disappointed!
Source: FashionAyiti, pagespro
Rihanna Partners With Donna Karan, The New School’s Parsons School of Design | The collaboration will benefit Haitian artisans and the singer's Clara Lionel Foundation.
Rihanna’s impact on the fashion world is indisputable. Now the singer has revealed that she will further strengthen her ties to the industry by collaborating with The New School’s Parsons School of Design, Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Foundation and Haitian artists to develop a line of merchandise.Sales of the product will help support the Grammy winner’s Clara Lionel Foundation, which was founded in 2012 to benefit impoverished communities worldwide in areas like health care and education.Select students of the art and design school will have the opportunity this summer to work with local Haitian artists at the Design, Organization, Training Center in Port-au-Prince. Karan, Parsons and designer Paula Coles founded the center as a creative meeting place offering vocational training and materials to the Haitian artist community.“We are ecstatic that our students will have the opportunity to work with and develop a merchandise line for Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, that, like Parsons, shares a strong commitment to creating positive social change,” explained Alison Mears, director of the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons who was instrumental in launching D.O.T.On May 22, Rihanna will be honored at the Parsons Benefit in New York City and will reveal the winners of the Design Fellowship program, which sends three Parsons students to Haiti for six to eight weeks beginning in early June.By Andrew Nodell | May 5, 2017
Why This Italian-Haitian Designer Loved by Beyonce, Rihanna and More Should be On Your Radar
This Rome-based fashion star opens up about her Haitian roots and how clothes can be a cultural connector.ESSENCE: What inspires your creations?STELLA JEAN: My own story—my roots and background have always inspired my work. I'm half-Haitian and half-Italian. Haiti influences my creativity. The sociocultural fusion I bring in my collections is perfectly represented by a country like Haiti and in line with my fundamental need to convey a new concept of multiculturalism. Fashion can be a cultural translator; we can reestablish the proportion among symbols, stories and different worlds through style.ESSENCE: How would you describe the Stella Jean woman?S.J.: Women who are confident, curious, audacious, not afraid to experiment and who cherish family memories, plus have a pinch of irony—all of which makes every look personal and unique.ESSENCE: Who are your favorite designers?S.J.: Dries Van Noten, who mixes different cultures in a tasteful and respectful way. And Etro, who sums up a blend of tradition and innovation.ESSENCE: What are your go-to beauty products?S.J.: Kreyòl Essence 100% natural Haitian black castor oil, pure organic moringa oil (from the southern coast of Haiti) by Ayiti Natives and MAC's In Extreme Dimension mascara.By Bridgette Bartlett Royall (for Essence.com) | Apr, 26, 2017