Sunburn burns a niche through Carnival

Carnival can mean big business for some small businesses. For Sunburn Clothing Company, the season alone represents  some 20% of annual sales income, says  Managing Director, Kenny Young. Sunburn has been around for some 18 years and currently supplies swimwear to most of the major Carnival bands including, Harts, Poison, Legacy, Genesis and Trini Revellers, among others. They supply large, medium and small bands across Trinidad and Tobago. Located at the Fernandes Industrial Complex, Sunburn is one of the major manufacturers of local swimwear, sun dresses, gents shorts and gym wear.

It is involved in the designing, cutting, stitching, marketing and distribution of their products locally, regionally and internationally. “Carnival is very difficult to prepare for. Production is really a waiting game,” said Young. “You simply have to wait until the bandleaders come to you. “It means a lot of extra work for us,” he said, adding, “You can’t project what colours or styles to stock.” He said around September the band leaders come to the company with their designs and negotiations are started. He said after that “we sort of go back and forth with them until they, the customers, are happy with the end product.” Band leaders, he said, want a particular look and fit. “We pride ourselves on giving our customers exactly what they want,” he said adding that customers expect a level of service and efficiency.

The company currently employs 25 permanent employees and additional contract workers as the need arises. During the Carnival season,  the company has to extend working hours from the normal 7.30 am to 4 pm until 10 pm. Although there are other significant sales periods including Easter and the August vacation,  Carnival and related activities, Young said, contributes a fair percentage of annual total sales. According to Young, it is this focus on the customer and giving the customer what they want that has helped Sunburn establish a niche market. It is such strategic thinking that has sustained his company in a very challenging industry, which has seen many major players close up shop in the last few years.

The company has expanded and Sunburn now supplies swimwear for Carnivals throughout the world :  Miami, Labour Day celebrations in New York, Notting Hill Carnival, Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Marteen, St Croix, Anguilla, Caribana in Toronto and Washington. Young says that the main challenge for small manufacturers like Sunburn is keeping the high standard and quality of service that customers have become accustomed to. In the case of Sunburn, Young praises the efforts of his staff who he describes as versatile, highly skilled, hardworking and committed. He says, “The real joy for us as a team is to see the colour and splendor that is the end result. We feel happy to be able to contribute towards our culture in this way. And by this I am referring to our contribution not only locally but also abroad.

My staff and I feel a tremendous amount of satisfaction and joy when we see the bands parade. It is good to know that we are contributing to the enjoyment of so many people.” Young says that he fell into this business by accident. Being a boat owner he started making swimsuits for friends and it took off. Having observed the growth and development of Carnival over the years, he says he’s seen much growth over the last few years. He laments though the disappearance of many of the small and medium sized bands.

“In the past companies like mine supplied a foundation garment, now, a lot of people  feel that the bath suit has become the costume,” he said. As a result, he also notes that masquerading has become more of a “young people thing” with older people shying away from it. Sunburn’s success has to be measured against a comatose local garment industry, one that is not for the faint hearted. Many have simply opted out in light of the pressure to stay competitive in an industry in which the market is flooded by cheap imported goods and further threatened by free trade. When asked about the general environment for small business, Young admits that it is difficult but adds that there is help out there, if you know where to look.