APOCALYPSE

Using interchangeable pieces in largely monochromatic hues of grey to black grey, Adrian explained that much of his visual inspiration for the winning collection came from the world of horror and sci-fi . Listing the zombie slaughter-fest Resident Evil FIlm series, movies within the steampunk genre and some of the darker anime among his inspiration for the pieces, he told WMN that he really wanted to put out something “unconventional.” He told WMN that some of the pieces’ silhouettes possessed certain elements pulled from each of the movies by which he was inspired. “I twisted them to insert them into my version of things.” Like the narratives from which Adrian borrowed aspects of his aesthetic, his collection had tales of their own to tell. “I wanted to tell a story in terms of the way the clothes were presented on the runway,” he explained. “Certain pieces represented battle and the two finale pieces [represented] what was destroyed by the world coming to an end.” “I’ve always been drawn to those kinds of movies,” Adrian admitted. “A lot of people do [Caribbean-themed] pieces; I wanted to come out of my comfort zone,” he explained his choices.

And out of his comfort zone he came, taking a risk that landed him the top prize of his year group. With the clean lines in his silhouettes and the precision in his sewing, one wouldn’t think that Adrian had arrived at UTT four years ago without sewing skills or even knowledge of fashion.

Adrian’s artistic flair actually began on the page before it made its way to the runway. “I love art and drawing; it was one of my subjects for CXC.” The young designer told WMN that his favourite art subjects were plants and scenery as well as anime, and that he had a preference for charcoal, pencils, coloured pencils and oil pastels as his media.

With art as only a hobby, Adrian began the Sports Studies programme at the UTT San Fernando Campus but switched after a short time, feeling a certain pull towards fashion design. “I always found it an interesting _ eld.” How did Adrian overcome his deficiencies, in not knowing how to sew in such a short space of time? No special secret there but hard work. “I practiced a lot on my own. I just practiced and used YouTube.” When it came to tackling hefty assignments, Adrian admitted, “I have good time management.” He explained that whenever projects were assigned, he would begin almost immediately, researching and doing the other background work. “I used to be ahead of everyone, and people kind of looked up to me for that.” While a number of his classmates’ pieces used lighter fabrics, and seemed appropriate to wear in the region’s climate, Adrian’s “Apocalypse” was actually designed with the intention of it being a fall collection. “There was lots of layering, knit fabric, woven fabric, drill and denim.” He let on, “I wasn’t necessarily designing for the Caribbean.” When asked if his having showcased a fall collection in the heat of June’s rainy season was indicative of a desire to go abroad, he laughed in agreement.

“I want to leave Trinidad to get more experience overseas.

I don’t want to stop; I’d love to further [my knowledge],” Adrian told WMN, explaining that he would like to specialise in a particular subfield within the fashion world. “There are lots of avenues – shoes, handbags… the list goes on. Even the programme only catered to womenswear but I chose to add some menswear pieces,” he said, revealing that he would like to have done an allmale collection but it wasn’t allowed given the leaning of the course offerings.

But for all his desire to depart from here, Adrian has much love for the local fashion industry, citing Meiling as a personal favourite. “I met [her] about three weeks ago; she brought Anya [Ayoung Chee] to see me.” Adrian also told WMN that he would be interested in doing an internship with a local designer. “I need to get some experience; I’d work under another designer for a while – someone like Meiling, Shaun Griffith Perez or Anya Ayoung Chee.” Apart from the mystery and mayhem of the apocalypse and his favourite sci fi flicks, Adrian’s work has myriad other inspirations, some of which he shared with us.

So far, he finds the aesthetic of the African continent fascinating. “I’ve been doing a lot of research on Africa recently, not necessarily the fashion but the tribes.” The hectic European club scene – Adrian mentioned the Netherlands in particular – is also a source of inspiration for the young designer.

When asked if he had any advice for persons who are hesitant about starting out in a new and unfamiliar field, Adrian encouraged, “Go ahead and try it because you never know how you’ll do. I didn’t know that I was going to do this programme.” Adrian admitted, “I’m still learning.”