Carnival of colours

Masquerade - courtesy Bacchanal Jamaica

Spring is in the air, the foliage of the tropics blooming spreading innumerable colours of Mother Nature, from trees to flowers to mango trees laden with succulent, juicy fruits sweetening in the crisp Caribbean sunshine.

As the monochrome rays of the sun refract into spectral colours at the Mas Camp in Kingston, in a quiet corner, Earl 'Fuzzy' Franklin sits surrounded by glue, stapler guns, pliers and scissors - unlikely tools one may think that transform mundane, raw material into sensuous, colourful carnival costumes.

"I am not a designer," Fuzzy says, "I know how to put the costumes together." Fuzzy, who has been with Bacchanal Jamaica since its inception, says that initially the costumes were bought from Trinidad.

"While we were out there (in Trinidad), I would watch them (the designers) at work, and I picked up the traits," he said.

"After three years, we started making our own costumes."

Earl 'Fuzzy' Franklin

Designing carnival costumes - like the free-spiritedness of the event itself, replete with the adrenaline-pumping music, and the accompanying gyrations - is a meticulous, intensive and laborious process.

"The work begins two weeks after the road march," said Fuzzy. "I take a trip to New York and check out trim shops for costume jewellery and other items and then go to Trinidad."

The base material is pre-fabricated, he said, so it cuts the production time considerably. "We try and use as much recycled material as possible; from thin aluminium sheets to pieces of rubber."

Headgear base made of PVC pipe 

PVC pipes, recycled aluminium sheets, steel wires and rubber might not sound the sexiest materials, but they are the backbones of the costumes - and Fuzzy ensures that the resultant creations are not only riotous and intricate, but sturdy enough to wine with the dancers' energy and not slip off in an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction.

A fabricator by profession, Fuzzy manages to put his innovativeness and 'street-smartness' into the costumes, using as much locally sourced material as possible. "I found use for PVC pipes, to cut and mould them into base for the head piece," he said. "This considerably reduced the cost and time."

The process
Explaining the costume design process, Fuzzy said the major components in the female costume are the head piece, neck piece, arm bands, bra, belt and leg piece. "We use a lot of costume jewellery, because everyone wants blings these days," Fuzzy says.

"It is cheap, and I buy it by the yard, and individual rhinestones are attached to make appliqués, belts and other adornments," he said.

The Bacchanal veteran says, he prefers the warrior themes. "I have always, personally, loved the warrior theme, but in Jamaica, it is not the carnival culture and there are not a lot of males participating," Fuzzy said. Integrating the tones of the theme, he says he tries to keep them as masculine as possible.

To make the back piece, wires are used, which are bent into the desired shape. "They (the back pieces) are adorned by actual feathers - ranging from cocktails, roosters, peacock and plumes to make the shoulder pieces."

These feathers, he said, are bleached and coloured according to the specifications of the costume being designed. A typical costume takes about a week to complete. "We do samples of the designs and put them up on display," Fuzzy informed. "The costumes are made to order and selectively produced."

Every year, like fresh blossoms sprouting from the trees, there is a new theme and costumes are centred around that. "We do not recycle costumes. Every year, new costumes are made in accordance with the theme," he said.

Flight of fancy
Carnival is all about colour. Hues take a flight of fancy with no boundaries. "I try not to overlap the colours of the costumes, sometimes it becomes difficult because the sponsors prefer their corporate colours to be incorporated in the costumes.

"But then, I can't be making monotonous costumes," Fuzzy said.

Mardi Gras - courtesy Bacchanal Jamaica

The designs though, he says, are inspired by those from Trinidad. "When I go there, I sit down and brainstorm with my friends and get assistance. I have my own ideas, but then two heads are better than one."

Revelry and high energies aside, Fuzzy says that he is trying his best to keep the costs down, but because the things are not the same as they used to be, with the downswing of the Jamaican dollar, the going is tough.

"We have to depend on foreign exchange, there are some goods that we have to buy from abroad that we have to pay in foreign currency, when we are earning in Jamaican dollars," he said.

The people are also spending less, he says, "The place is full, the people come, but the revenues are low. we are trying to create cheaper costumes, which might work, but (we are) not seeing immediate results."

As the revellers prepare to take on the road with this year's theme, of Le Masquerade, the music will never fade, enthusiasm never dies down and in true Jamaican style, the party is going to continue.

Published March 24, 2013 - The Sunday Gleaner