Fayola K J Fraser
“Everything is design.” Architect and Carnival designer Laura Naryansingh’s reputation precedes her. A keen eye for the exquisite and unique, and a firm understanding of the business of her craft set her apart, with her BLISS Carnival section and stunning Monday Wear coveted by many, often sold out as soon as it reaches her social media pages. Naryansingh believes that people may see the two worlds of architecture and Carnival as separate, but believes that her love and ability for designing sublime products has made the two worlds beautifully blended.
Born and raised in T&T, she grew up in a family steeped in a Carnival legacy–both her parents being mas lovers, and her grandfather even leading his own kiddies Carnival band. At six years old, she won a design competition staged by the National Library and Information System Authority (Nalis) where she had to dress a doll. Her $600 winnings went to her school, but the iridescent flame of Carnival design was ignited in her from that point.
Uncovering her love for art, drawing and design from the age of four, Naryansingh pursued subjects in secondary school that were aligned with her desire to be an architect. She not only excelled in school but was able to take extra subjects for CXC and CAPE examinations, all while being a school captain. “Life in SJC prepared me for how I operate now,” she laughs, “always juggling so many things.” Reminiscing on this cherished time at St Joseph’s Convent, PoS, she laughs that “nobody ever wanted me in their group,” because she would always design projects with feathers and sequins which her classmates found gaudy.
The ruthlessness of architecture school is a testament to the rigour of the field, and Naryansingh recalled that during her tenure at the University of Miami, her architecture class started with 50 students, but only half of that 50 ultimately graduated. After a six-month study in Italy, she uncovered her love for classical architecture and eventually returned home, armed with the technical expertise, to employ in the field. “I always knew I wanted to come home,” she says, even in the face of many of her friends remaining in the US to work or continue their education. “People always asked me if I regretted coming home, but I don’t.”
Her passion for driving the field forward in T&T is apparent, and she benefits from a relatively small number of architects in T&T, as she can work on so many diverse projects–from banks to restaurants to homes–which she would not have been able to do at a firm in the US. Naryansingh’s work in architecture mirrors her love for home, and she seeks to translate our culture, even the unorthodox aspects of it, into unique beauty in our built environment, instead of simply copying international trends.
Upon returning home from university, Naryansingh secured her dream job at ACLA Architecture, Trinidad’s oldest indigenous architecture firm, which has done pioneering work in the country, such as the construction of the Hall of Justice and the Twin Towers. Deeply proud to be a part of this company, Naryansingh was elated to be accepted into the firm, and after years of excellent work, is proudly now one of the firm’s directors. Carnival design also began shortly after she returned home, as she started designing Monday Wear and her first costume for the band Fantasy. “Balancing mas and architecture has been me ever since,” she says, as over the years she has not only taken on the responsibility of being one of ACLA’s directors, but has also moved to designing for band BLISS, and has elevated her brand and Monday Wear offerings.
Aside from the administration of the business, which is done professionally by a friend, Naryansingh has her “hand, foot and back” in every pot. She does the designs, logos, branding, website, packaging, creative direction and marketing of her brand, while also doing the strategic business planning and projections. “People think I just design, get fabric and get clothes sewed,” she ruminates, “but it’s far more complicated.” As a director of CreativeTT and FashionTT, she is also entrenched in how the backend of the industry operates and uses her years of knowledge and experiences to continue to raise the bar and elevate her standards.
However, although she is the chief cook and bottle washer of her business, Naryansingh says that “nothing I do is possible without the support of other women.” Her friends and sister rally around her to help pack, distribute, email, and help her in all ways. She also attributed her professional success to the “extreme support” of her husband. Having been together since secondary school, Naryansingh considers the dynamic of her marriage to be “a true partnership,” and said that she could not do it all without him. She is similarly devoted to her two young children and ensures that her time with them is precious, spent focusing on them, and dedicates her “hustle” to providing comfort and cushion for them. Although she has support from both her parents and her husband’s parents, she often wakes up in the early hours before her children are awake to do any work related to Carnival design.
Challenges are not daunting to Naryansingh, and she faces them with grit and vulnerability. As a young woman in a leadership position in the architectural field, she is often greeted with some level of scepticism from people, especially when tasked with a large project. This being a common problem faced by many young women, her advice is to “be honest, ask questions … faking it ‘till you make it only takes you so far.” She has found success in being upfront when taking on a new challenge and working closely with clients, who ultimately appreciate her candour and are pleased with the outcome.
After being contacted by Dezeen, a global platform for architecture and design news, whose editors helped compile a book entitled “100 Women: Architects in Practice”, carefully curated and published by Royal Institute of British Architects, the editors discovered Naryansingh through one of her most personal projects, the design of her own home, fondly referred to as “the Bush House”. Unable to fathom that she, from little T&T, would be chosen for a feature on such an incredible global platform, she ignored the editor’s initial messages on Instagram, thinking it to be a bot or a troll. When Dezeen contacted her through ACLA, she remained in disbelief and was only able to share the high honour when she had the book in hand. Expressing the honour as not only a professional win but an opportunity to showcase T&T on a global scale, Naryansingh holds this as one of her most treasured moments, motivating her to continue to “hustle” and ascend the ladders of architecture and design.
Laura Naryansingh has paved her own path, merged two of her passions and forged an incredible career out of her impeccable talent. It has been a journey of hard work and conscious effort, and her advice to women seeking to further their careers in any field is to “really understand whether you want it and why you want it, which gives confidence and clarity to your operations.” She also considers that as part of the millennial and Gen Z generations, we are so “inundated by images of glory and beauty,” that we scramble to achieve everything we see online. However, Naryansingh believes in the beauty of the process, which is apparent in the evolution of her Carnival designs, and believes that there is no joy in rushing to the “destination”.
Making art through Carnival and our built environment is Naryansingh’s gift to T&T. “My architecture is for my country,” in hopes of elevating our national brand on a global scale. Similarly, her contribution to the mas culture, including her part in the evolution of Monday Wear continues to be pivotal and allows for the expansion of the industry, which benefits a wider cross-section of people. Buried in the pages of the 100 Women: Architects in Practice, is a photo not only of her architecture but of one of her Carnival costumes. Ignited by the fire of creating beauty and pushing the culture forward, she has seamlessly blended two seemingly disparate industries and made an indelible mark on the world of art and design in T&T.