Antoinette dares a different style

Antoinette Maund is a fashion diva. Owner of 20-year-old Ate Logo Ltd, Antoinette has earned a reputable name as supplier of trendy and durable Brazilian leather shoes in the region. But her true fashion sense, that bold and daring spirit she has nurtured for years, is finally being revealed in clothing she now supplies to big clients like Sanell Dempster, Denise Belfon and Fay-Ann Lyons to name a few. She gets to play dress up from a wardrobe of dazzling styles all sourced in Brazil, a place she now calls her second home.

Throw your minds back to Divas of Soca, Jean Pierre Complex. The sexy sky blue jumper worn by Sanell Dempster with laced sleeves, laced blouse and more lace gripping the length of her thighs was an Antoinette creation. Antoinette’s work was on show again at the NLCB Caribbean Brass Festival when Sanell appeared in a sizzling red leather jumper with peep holes running along the length of her body. I got a sneak peek of more dashing outfits lined up for the soca diva at Antoinette’s Ate Logo headquarters, Victoria Square, and they are “hot!” Antoinette’s trips to Brazil over the years have allowed her the opportunity to explore her creativity in fashion. For many years she has been outfitting Brazilian dancers in vogue apparel for the fall, winter and summer months. As a result, she decided to sell her idea to local artistes, who gladly embraced it.

She picks up unique outfits from boutiques in the capital city, and oftentimes goes to the fabric stores, sorts her material and takes her sketch and material to the stitchers. “The challenges are the same with both our local artistes and the (female) dancers. The Brazilians are very fashionable and seasonal, so that for winter we use dark colours and for the summer months everything is bright, but not flourescent. They want beaded stuff too. Our artistes are asking for lots of colours. They either want their backs out or abs out but our culture doesn’t like shorts.” Antoinette’s theme this year is “everything with holes.” It would be no surprise to find on perusal of her showroom, several outfits — skirts, denim jeans, and jumpers — carrying the “hole” theme. She pointed to a pair of denim jeans sourced for the late Onika Bostic.

“Onika told me she wanted denim this year and I picked something I knew she would like. A few weeks before her passing she came in and tried out this jumper (tiger-printed lycra) and it was too big so I told her I would make the same pattern in all yellow to match a pair of boots she took.” Onika was among Antoinette’s first customers last year. Each item in the showroom is one of a kind. Antoinette likes a leather and pieces that are different. Her one-size fits all items seem to work. Whole suits average between $500 and $680. She said the work that she does is “a love.” “It’s not really about making money. You realise there’s a need and you’re providing a service. I give my customers personal attention. They have to feel comfortable in it (outfit)... To wear my clothes you need attitude. I am very daring and I love anything that’s different.”

Though she has few items that reflect “daring” in her personal wardrobe, she believed that every woman needed to have at least one unique item of clothing in their wardrobe. Antoinette said she chose to shop in Brazil because “Brazilians are very fashion conscious.” However, she is keeping abreast of trends in China, Europe and USA. When she takes time for relaxation, she tunes in to the cable programme “Fashion Police” to find out “what’s hot and what’s not.”