‘Warriors Walk Alone’ fashion launch

The fashion label Afrofunkk and home d?cor line The Sykadellic Shack will host a Spring/Summer 2017 collection entitled “Warriors Walk Alone.” TT -born Sheppard- Duncan who is based in the US, was trained at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York has over 20 years of experience as a fashion and jewelry designer.

The “Warriors Walk Alone” collection will carry over 70 pieces ranging from Christmas cocktail wear to Carnival pieces, which the designer has labelled “fresh and funky” to flirty, fun options for Easter and vacation time.

Items sold under The Sykadellic Shack brand are designed using elements of tribal cultures mixed together in the mind of this Trinbagonian world traveller.

Forty special invitations for “Warriors Walk Alone” are available to all fashion lovers interested in attending the event and view the new collection, which can be accessed on the Afrofunkk event page on facebook.com, said a media release.

The evening will be divided in two parts: an open house display of the new Sykadellic Shack line from 6.30 pm, followed by the “Warriors Walk Alone” fashion runway at 8.30 pm.

Entertainment will include tassa drumming by the NGC Sweet Tassa Girls band as well as music by DJ Rawkus.

Sheppard-Duncan says about the collection: “Warriors Walk Alone is me creating my own funk. Like a warrior. They stand tall. They go out and hunt and they have to come back with the goods. Me going to these tribes all over the world is like hunting season. When I travel, I feel alive and in sync with the tribal energy of the planet, and I bring that vibe back to the world in the global language of fashion. Sometimes people say, girl, why you going all the way to Africa? I’m not afraid. There are not many indigenous tribes left. They are my main inspiration.

They got a special kind of funk, and they don’t try to be funky. It’s just their way of life.” Always in search of unique fabrics, techniques and inspiration, Sheppard-Duncan continuously travels, often going alone into unknown places and spaces.

The designer’s journey has been one of solitude, with a few meaningful friends along the way.

“I know some Trinbagonians are afraid to take a chance on individual expression but I walk down the street in my necklaces and my beads, rings, feathers, funky jewelry and top hat feeling normal. Like we say, ‘normal normal’,” she said. Sheppard-Duncan strives to keep grounded to the earth and all its organic riches, by ensuring that the materials she uses are designed from scratch. For example, she has sat with village weavers, dyers and potters to perfect the unique fabrics and crafts from which her fashions are created, the release said.

The 2017 collection will be available in phases, but the designer promises that the pieces can be styled for any occasion all year through.