A fashion Destination

He won TriniScene’s and Pulse Entertainment’s Up and Coming Designer in 2006 during Fashion Week. His gown was runner up at Miss World 2013. In 2014 he received fashion innovation designer award from US-based Karib Nation at its 2014 annual Caribbean Style and Culture Awards and fashion showcase held under the auspices of then American president, Barack Obama.

He became a mentor at the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s Caribbean Academy of Fashion and Design BFA programme.

While he has done numerous shows among them 2015 Cuttin’ Style Caribbean Gala Fashion show in Toronto, Canada; Antigua’s Independence Fashion Weekend, 2015; 2014 Tobago Fashion Coda among others, the road has not always been a smooth one. Dialogue with him tells that he takes failure as lessons learnt and finds ways to improve, taking success stride by stride.

For as long as he has been aware of himself, the Arouca resident, Griffith-Perez loved fashion. He spent seven years, 1985 to 1991, at Grace’s School of Fashion Design in Arouca perfecting something he loved into an art. Grace Duncan “taught me all there is to know about garment construction,” he said.

His new collection is titled “Destination”.

The collection features designs for both male and female but is geared more toward the male market. However, the road to that destination was not an easy one. In fact, he told Newsday, he was forced to close his business, Shaun Griffith- Perez Designs, after falling into debt due to a lack of business acumen.

He took loans and received financial assistance from friends and family for his visits to various fashion meets across the globe but that indebted him a lot. So much so that he was unable to keep up with the rent at his Maraval shop which led to its closure.

“I closed it and came back home [Arouca] and I developed the male clothing.

I was looking at a lot of imported things, looking at how the trends were going, at what people were buying, what all of the designers were doing and wanting something for men.” He has been doing garment construction for approximately 27 years.

Winning the competition gave birth to his SGP label but also was a turning point in his career.

Building his brand took him on travels to Jamaica, Bahamas among others.

“In the last three years I found out a designer can be very creative but you must have a tool inside of your design collection that would allow you to make money,” he said.

“You can do all of these couture things and it could stay on your hand…you find you’re investing money and you’re not seeing the returns,” he said.

In seeking to rebuild his brand, Griffith-Perez noticed that there was a drive toward male fashion and care within the industry. “I designed a new collection around men who are now taking care of their bodies and themselves,” he said.

He said the resort line for men began with tank tops and T-shirts.

He credited showcasing at Fashion Week 2008, 2009 and 2010 as one of the pillars in his development as a designer.

“What Fashion Week did for us was educate us, connect us to certain things,” he said.

Fashion Week led to former Essence Magazine’s editor-in-chief Susan Taylor purchasing a piece from Griffith-Perez’s 2011 collection.

“Things such as Fashion Week brings the world to us,” Griffith- Perez said.

But having gained knowledge about the business side of the fashion world, Griffith-Perez has re-branded and reopened his shop in his home town of Arouca with the help and love of friends and family.

He also utilised social media in rebuilding his brand, finding San Fernandian Joel Sherwood on FaceBook and giving him the chance to wear and promote his brand. He said Sherwood wore the T-shirt to a fete and it became an instant hit.

Internationally he gave Wendell Troy the chance to wear and promote his brand which also well-received.

One day he hopes his brand will grace the shoulders and bodies of celebrities around the world. But for now, Destination, “[offers] a cultural experience. Whether you’re Indian, Muslim, African, Chinese whatever there is something for you.” Destination, he added, “is where travels happen and where cultures meet.” Interwoven in his designs is the deep love he has found in his family and friends namely, his cousin Charmaine Hinds-Bartsch and her husband Dominic Bartsch as well as experiences gained from his many travels.