Absolute Power AW 2025
A play on Hindu Goddess Iconography and the Power Dressing trend of the late 90s, this work builds on the idea of a "power suit"—akin to a superhero costume—as a tool for embodiment through dress. This idea sprang forth during a period in my life when I needed to find power within myself to overcome insurmountable personal obstacles and stand fully in my truth. Having experienced childhood sexual abuse and rape, I found myself at this crossroads where I had no choice but to stop denying or silencing my past in the hopes that it would go away.
Look 1- In Maha's arms. Paying homage to the great goddess, Mahadevi- a hand made 3 sleeved blazer dress with exaggerated lapel and shoulder pads. Draped, constructed and sewn in home studio. Photographed by Simon Soong
Finding courage to battle generational demons of guilt and shame led me to the story of the goddess Durga. In certain aspects of Hinduism, God is a feminine energy named Mahadevi, or “Great Goddess.” Durga is the primary avatar of Mahadevi. She is worshipped as a Warrior Queen with the power to vanquish evil forces. Durga is often depicted with multiple arms, each wielding a weapon, riding a lion or tiger as she battles demons. This vision of God as a fierce female energy shifted me deeply and opened a new portal in my mind—one where I could see myself as God. This was the first time I was really able to connect with the idea of God as a force within me, instead of an external unknown.
Having been raised Christian by my converted parents, I had been taught, in no uncertain terms, that God was a white man outside of me. Reading the storied epic of Durga battling demons that no other god could destroy in the Devi Mahatmaya, was the first time I saw that God could be a beautiful, fierce woman with bold red lips, long flowing hair, and stacks of bangles on each arm—riding a lion while she slayed demons.
Christianity in the way that it was taught to me, posed this idea of righteousness not only as a white man but also as a form of negation of world beauty and ephemeral treasures of the “flesh.” I had never been able to reconcile my love for visual stimuli and fashion with this aspect of the faith. When I found Durga, everything in me said “yes.” Yes, this is me—yes, I am that. Yes, I can overcome whatever demons lie dormant in my bloodline- yes I can be a beautiful, powerful woman and still be a version of God- God was never outside me- God is a force flowing from deep within me.
And so, this idea of a power suit was born. If Durga were alive now, in me, what would she wear? Ever influenced by high fashion, I looked to vintage power suits of the early 90s with broad looming shoulders for inspiration.
Devi Worship AW2024
Contemporary Womenswear Pieces inspired by Hindu Goddess Kali. Created all first samples and patterns, and worked in tandem with sample room to create final samples
Photographer: 22Portraits
As an Indo Caribbean raised in the US I find myself at the cross roads of many overlapping identities- and so my personal clothing design work is an attempt to reconcile all those places that my body has called home. I left Trinidad and Tobago when I was 6 and for a long time I held onto this idea of being Trinidadian as a foundational part of my self concept. It was only recently I accepted the fact that while Trinidad will always be a part of me- it no longer defines me.
At this point in my life, while there is no static metrics for when and where my identity slides on the scale of Indo -Trinidadian-American, I can say that I feel more American than Trinidadian; and more Trinidadian than Indian.
This collection attempted to document this volumetric iteration of my identity. I took very American silhouettes and fabrics: Western chaps, Biker jackets, suede leather, and denim - and cross pollinated them with a figurative exploration of Hindu Goddess Iconography. For Deity inspiration I referenced the personalities of Kali Ma the Hindu Goddess of Death and Rebirth and Manasa Ma, the Hindu Goddess of Snakes.
In his book, Hindu Goddesses, Professor of Religious Studies, David Kinsley writes about Kali:
“Kali is a goddess who threatens stability and order” he further elaborates “Kali’s shocking appearance and unconventional behavior confront one with an alternative to normal society”
Kinsley describes Kali as a goddess that sits outside of moral order and in doing so allows society to confront things they would normally repress.
The disheveled, unruly personality of Kali was something I sought to explore in this work. I created a pair of denim shorts meant to stay open at the belly - something Kali might do- as she rejects certain societal constrains of femininity and poise. I created a bubbled leather skirt whose shape and form was contorted and distorted through various puckers.
I created a pair of leather pants with chaps to invoke a sense of Kali as a renegade woman from the wild wild west. What if Kali existed in American folklore? How would she present herself?
In subtle spaces through out the work I interject snake motifs to pay homage to Manasa Ma. Manasa is revered as the Hindu Goddess of snakes and worshipped for her ability to cure infertility and bestow prosperity to her devotees.
Manasa is an important part of my attempt to recontextualize woman’s relationship to snakes in my inner narrative - a space in my psyche that was once dominated by Judaeo-Christian storylines. In the Bible’s Genesis story Eve is in cahoots with a snake to trick Adam in to sin. For me the snake represents feminine sexuality and this notion that a woman is responsible for any “sin” a man commits because her sexuality manipulated him, is as pervasive in Western thought as it is destructive.
Having survived sexual abuse trauma- I’ve experienced firsthand, how debilitating this root story can be- I blamed myself for many years for what happened to me. Once I was able to unplug from this Biblical construct - and reposition my sexuality as a power to be harnessed, not a punishment to be abhorred -my inner and outer worlds experienced a shift. In Hinduism we see the snake as a source of power and the woman who wields it as a Divine healer.
Born Again 2024
Reinterpretation of school girl uniform worn by my mother in the 1960's made from an old tablecloth from her linen closet and left over leather remnants from my studio space. Handmade in home studio
Photographer: 22portraits
In my past work I had done a lot of “upcycling”- or reworking old garments to give them new life. I enjoy this process as it lends conceptually to the spirit of ingenuity native to most, if not all island people. In the islands, you have to make do with what you have, and you don’t have much - so a brother’s old shirt might become your favorite dress. My mom recollects the story of my aji (Maharati term for grandmother) cutting up old pair of my uncles' pants to use as pot holders. Every time I take something old and make it new again I feel as if I am paying homage to this tradition buried in my bloodlines.
For this piece I took an old tablecloth from my mom’s linen closed and mixed it with some lambskin leather, and cowhide suede remnants from my studio. I reworked a vintage pattern I found on Etsy, and embroidered snakes on the collar to pay homage to Manasa ma- the Hindu Goddess of snakes.
The final result was something that spoke to the way I feel about myself in relation to my mother. I’ve always had a rebellious streak- that I think I got from her. This look is edgy and sartorial when compared to her traditional school girl uniform. If mom is the angel, obedient and selfless then I am the devil, selfish and defiant. In many ways the way I express my femininity is a direct interrogation of the way I perceived her own expression.
Siren's Edge 2022
Handmade Razor blade Chainmail Dress and headpiece. Handmade in home studio
Photographer: Sabrina Fazai
I’m always inspired by materials in my environment. There was a time in my life where I was ripping up and reconstructing a lot of garments using double edge blades. One day I walked passed a pile of blades on my work bench and a vision of a dress of razorblades fashioned like chainmail came to me. I am always pursing work that challenges my capabilities, having never constructed a garment out of anything other than fabric I knew this project would stretch me in a good way.
As I reflect on the images I created with my good friend and photographer Sabrina Fazai- I am able to unpack the seeming innocuous choice in materials when contextualized with the nature of the images we co-produced- it seems now that even then my subconscious was communicating with me through my work- alerting me to truths to heavy to bear on a conscious level.
I have long been trying to reconcile my feminine sexuality - perhaps because I was raised in a household where I was taught that sexuality was inherently evil, and perhaps as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I had grown to vilify and blame by sexuality for what happened to me. As a young woman growing into her sexual urges I was never sure how to feel about them; in lieu of childhood trauma and the destructive relationships that followed, guilt and shame came natural to me.
And so we see the female character in this story - somewhat like a siren, oozing overt sexuality, tempting the onlooker to come closer but her sultry dress made of razorblades - wards off anyone from getting to close- in such a way her protective armor becomes her prison. The conspicuous sexuality is just a ruse because true intimacy which comes from vulnerability is cut off by her own razorblades.
Market Queen June 2020
Upcycled Market Bag shot outside Laundromat in Overtown, FL
Photographer: Jonathan Ibero
This Market Bag outfit was one of the first pieces I created after I closed down my activewear business. At this time upcycling- taking discarded materials to create something new, had become all the rage online. I had dabbled in the practice because my limited sewing skills, at the time, precluded me from sewing things from scratch. I lived right next to a Goodwill, so upcycling became a resourceful way to get my creative fix.
The notion of creating something out of discarded items always appealed to me on a figurative and conceptual level. I think about transfiguration- in the spiritual sense, ones ability to transform discarded parts of the self into a beautifully reflection of the Divinity within through intentional character building techniques. It’s something I have been practicing personally for many years, and upcycling was a way to convey that unseen process in material form.
I also reflect on the resourcefulness of my Caribbean upbringing when I create upcycled pieces - my mother lived in hand me downs and was reluctant to discard any or all plastic containers. It was not uncommon to find leftover curried mango in a “I can’t believe its not butter” container- or yesterday’s rice in a cottage cheese tub; nothing in her fridge was as it seemed. When I mentioned to her my work in upcycling and how it reminds me of our Caribbean heritage- she laughingly recalls a story of my grandmother cutting up my grandfathers and uncles old work pants to use as pot holders and dish rags. When you grow up around material scarcity, as both my parents did, "making do" with what you have- getting multiple use out of things, becomes a way of life. While I am presently averse to limiting mindsets - I will forever champion utility, as I think nature favors it.
As a child, in Trinidad and Tobago, I have a distinct memory of going to my best friend Kesi-Anne’s house and standing in front of her auntie who was hand washing clothes while I was chewing bubble gum, “Yuh finished with that?” she asked. I paused for a second to consider what she might be asking me about - when I realized it was my gum she was referring to, I said “yes” and she put out her hand for it. I handed the chewed wad of gum to her, and she used it to mend a hole in the wash basin she was using. Resourcefulness that stems from limitation is a part of Caribbean genius.
This market bag- in and of itself, is something innately, nostalgically Caribbean. On the weekends my aunties and mom would “go make market”- getting all the fresh produce they needed for the week. I upcycled it into this two piece set without much forethought. Typically with upcycling I like to the let the piece I am reworking telling me what it wants to be next, and so when I pull it apart and lay the materials on my work bench- my hands fold it in ways and shapes freely, until something takes form. I really enjoy creating in this extemporaneous way- it feels like I am co-creating with great spirit- the eternal muse that lives within me. This sort of creation always endues me with a sort of looseness and self assuredness that I can carry over into my more formal, structured practices.
2019 CHIXSIE GOLDTEETH
Velvet Burnout Lycra bellbottoms, bra top and kimono with fringe adornments- A play on blacksploitation characters of the 1970's. Designed first patterns and worked with sample maker to produce garment
Shot on location in Trinidad and Tobago
Photographer: Jonathan Ibero
I’ve long had a love affair with 70's fashion - something about the era just calls to my spirit. Perhaps it's because my parents came of age in that epoch and so my childhood home was filled with photos of them dressed to the nines in decidedly 70's attire. In all of their photos-everyone was dressed up- their are no casual photos taken in ones "home clothes" (a colloquial Trinidadian term meaning relaxed clothing one might wear at home) These images makes me nostalgic for a time I never knew, but through my parents stories, a time that felt familiar to my spirit.
I created this look on a whim- I had a vision of this woman standing in a sunflower field and she was wearing this gold velvet outfit. During this time in my career I was very impulsive- I didn't give much thought to why I was making something - as I do now. While I enjoy the utility of intention- a part of me misses the capriciousness that defined my earlier work.
My cousin Jay had a best friend’s whose family home was very eclectic; when I told him I was looking for a place to shoot this look on a family trip to T&T, he suggested it. The place was equal parts garishly absurd as it was amazing. There were two fully furnished living rooms in the residence- one upstairs and one downstairs and a coy fish pond with neon lights in the foyer. The outside of the house was painted bright yellow, green and red- colors of the Indian flag. My Cousin’s best friend’s dad was our host. He was drinking scotch on the rocks at 10 in the morning and introduced himself as ‘Chicksie’- In Trinidad it was common practice among the Indo- community to have a traditional Indian name and then a home name. And so the character for this shoot “Chixsie Goldteeth” was born.
The final images of this shoot reminded me of blaxploitation films of the 1970's - where the heroine figures fought crime in swaggy bellbottoms and tight fitting pointy collared button downs. Inspired by my parents photo albums, and this wicked house we shot in- I thought about interpreting that within the context of the coolie experience in the 1970's.
Much of my parents experience during that time was influenced by Black American pop culture. My dad got married in a baby blue bellbottom tuxedo, and sported an afro with long sideburns for his wedding pictures. He wore a gold tooth cap on his front canine until the 80's when my older brother was born.
What if coolies-ploitation film genre had existed in the 70's? What would the heroine fight crime in? What would her name be?
Chixsie Goldteeth sounds about right.
Tropical Eve in her Garden Summer 2019
Custom printed Bolero and Lycra Sarong
Tropical camo fabric developed from images taken at Fairchild Tropical Garden
Designed print, worked with local dye sublimation printer and created pieces in home studio
Photographer: Loren Blandon
I never knew how much the narrative of Eve had affected me until this year, 2025. I was raped three years ago and it took me three years to report it. I was sexually abused as a child and I did not fully confront and hold my abusers accountable until this year as well.
I can quickly recognize why it took me so long to hold my attackers responsible in the case of the childhood sexual abuse- being that they were members of my family. Further, the memories from childhood were foggy and sparse-so it was very easy to discount them, especially when a culture of denial is the norm in my family.
But, the case of the rape, was quite different. I have vivd memories of the attack- and yet afterward I said nothing- not even to him. I quietly cut contact with him, cut all my hair off and thought I could just as easily moved on with my life. I isolated myself from all my friends- and fell into a deep painful depression- but yet the thought of reporting him for his crime never occurred to me. In fact, for the three years of my silence, I blamed myself. I should’ve known better, I thought - he was a married man, and I had reasoned that the rape was my punishment for such a salacious act.
In the last few months of this year, after finally reporting the attack- I began to reflect on why I was stuck in silence for so long. First, I understood that this was a learned behavior- a spill over from when I was abused as a little girl. I was taught to stay quiet- to act as if nothing happened- because it was so shameful to admit that I was abused. From a very early age I understood that any time a man wronged me- it was my fault and i should bare the guilt and shame of his crime as if it were my own.
I began to dig deeper to the root of the fallacious logic. And the story of Eve came to mind. From the story we understand that it was Eve who was held responsible for Adam's "original sin." If the serpent in the story represents feminine sexuality then Eve was the temptress luring Adam away from his pious nature.
This truth- that I had punished myself for heinous acts done against me- I realize it was taught to me. Being raised in a Christian household - the story of Eve came fresh in my mind, and I wondered if there is some deeper collective would that all survivors must address with the collective psyche. In the famous Biblical story of man’s fall from grace- it is Eve who is to blame for Adam’s sin. Eve is the temptress- she is the one colluding with the devil himself to trap Adam. Why? Why have we collectively and rather passively accepted this narrative into our consciousness without questioning its ramifications? What do we imply when we blame Eve for the “fall of man”? That Adam was not responsible for his own actions? This story has direct implications in my own journey of sexual abuse. Had I been taught at a very early age through this story that woman and her sexuality are responsible for man’s shortcomings? That he is a blameless victim and I am the evil assailant?
I find the absurdity infuriating- and am grateful that there are no longer any copies of the Bible in my home.
In 2018 I'd taken a day trip to Fairchild Tropical Garden in South Miami to take an iphone photography class. All the women in the class were twice my age- and i quickly realized this was a class for newbies. Midway through the class I snuck away into the garden and took pictures on my phone. When I got home that evening I superimposed all the images to create a seamless tropical inspired camo print. I tested the print on various fabrications and created this bolero and wrap sarong out of sample yardage.
My best friend at the time had a beautiful backyard with perfect lighting. This was an impromptu shoot but the images remind me of my later attempt to rewrite the narrative of Eve- not as a woman responsible for a man’s action but as a woman empowered by her own resolve to take ownership of her experience.
In Hinduism snakes are seen as a source of power and healing- the Goddess of Snakes, Manasa ma is worshipped as such. I did not know then that Manasa would become an important figure in my spiritual practice- but in hindsight this shoot was a perfect foreshadowing of things to come; the reappropriating of woman and her relationship to snakes - as a tool for healing - not for guilt and shame.