Over 400 creative industry professionals and enthusiasts flocked to the Hyatt Regency Trinidad on Monday evening for a riveting discussion on “Developing the Creative Economy.” The dynamic dialogue, co-hosted by Caribbean Fashion Evangelist Richard Young and Nicole Dyer-Griffith, was a part of the O2N Style 2: Style Me Caribbean experience, which has expanded in its second incarnation to a one-week event tourism festival that celebrates the region’s inherent traditions.
Certainly, the format of the O2N Style panel was one that pushed the envelope beyond the norm. With 14 of the country’s top creative contributors in areas such as music, animation, tourism, technology, fashion, Carnival, finance, event management and entertainment, organisers treated attendees to a dynamized dialogue that explored the professional experiences of notable professionals such as entertainment savant Elizabeth “Liz” Montano, Former NCC Chairman Lorraine Pouchet, animation pioneer Camille Selvon Abrahams, Culture Specialist Nadya Shah, Copyright Educator Fabien Alfonso and Senior Consultant, Dr Ralph Henry, just to name a few. The panelists dared to reconnoiter some of the well-known nuances in the Caribbean Creative space—with researcher and lecturer Dr Suzanne Burke openly explaining on the panel that “the core of the challenge of the development of the creative economy locally is a lack of creative confidence.” The enthusiastic interchange was rounded up by Fashion Designer Dianne Hunte, Senior Tourism Analyst Kevon Wilson, creative strategist Rachael Collymore, SISU Global Wellness Founder Dr Safeeya Mohammed, Event Management connoisseur Lisa Ghany, Petrochemical expert Michele Arjune, FashionTT General Manager Lisa-Marie Daniel.
To the delight of the packed audience, the two-part panel was punctuated by a teaser presentation from various designers who are slated to showcase at the O2N Style 2 Fashion showcase on Sunday 26th May 2019 at O2 Park. These Caribbean fashion powerhouses included Heather Jones, the Cloth, Charu Lochan Dass (CLD), Shaun Griffith Perez, Saleem Samuel, Sheldon Warner, Harvey Robertson, Hannah Charles, DAWW Creations, Afrodesiak, Dominique La Roche and a magnificent costume design from the award-winning K2K Alliance and Partners.
O2N Style 2 at O2 Park is a one-week festival that has evolved to become an all-inclusive, mushrooming event tourism experience whose values on multidimensionality and sustainability welcomes creatives—fashion designers, beauticians, graphic artists, visual artists, performing artistes, animators, wellness enthusiasts, culinary artists, film and music creators to come and share in the wealth of our Caribbean Aesthetic.
With the intent to create, connect and cohere, the O2N Foundation, chaired by Nicole Dyer-Griffith and creatively directed by Richard Young, moves swiftly ahead with two days of Trunk Show activities at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23rd May 2019 respectively. The grand affair will culminate with a free entry creative exhibition space on Saturday 25th May 2019 at O2 Park, and will return to the same venue for a sensational Caribbean Fashion showcase like no other on Sunday 26th May 2019. Tickets for Sunday’s soiree are available on www.suntixx.com or by calling 321-8064.
O2N Style 2 at O2 Park....
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