15/07/2023
This gown was designed by Yohanice El Bey of designsbytenci for the Heritage Queen Show 2023 Recycle Wear category. We want to congratulate Ms. De’Jel Quashie on placing 2nd in the competition and for proudly portraying this gown with such elegance. Gratitude is also extented to Elisha Brathwaite for her assistance and Ms. J’Liese Scotland the makeup artist for harmoniously working with us.
Queen De’Jel portrays her gown Gold Spoon In Yuh Mouth. This design was created to attend the annual Heritage Queen Show Festival Competition 2023. Queen De’Jel was invited to compete and present a coûteux design which focuses on upcycling and recycling of resources. Having not even a little pittance she contemplated this invitation as she found herself at a CROSSROAD, wondering Where Do I Go From Here.
She began to search through the kitchen where she found some golden plastic spoons remaining from this year's village harvest festival. These spoons brought back memories of her grandmother's old saying “yuh born with a gold spoon in yuh mouth”. She was mesmerized as she gazed upon some golden and green plastic cups which were used to create floral decorations reminding us of the homes that came from humble beginnings. The base material used for the construction of this gown came from the remains of the well known brown cotton, which was used for kitchen towel crafting.
Inspiration flooded her mind as she began to pull other elements together with gratitude, creativity and appreciation for the plenty we have. As she ventured outdoors she found some coconut shells, the remains of one of our natural resources after it was used to make processed coconut oil known to some as liquid gold. Some cotton was picked off our local cotton tree and utilized on the sleeve of the gown.
The goat skin which is recycled for drum making by the brotherhood of the village along with the tamarind, creates sound, rhythm and vibration, which was also used as a form of ritual to summon and communicate with our ancestors, those that came before us.
She began to pull together as if the drums moved her from afar. She collected a calabash of old buttons which were removed from old shirts and dresses. These buttons were heavily used at the top of the gown. It reminded her of how much she appreciates our local seamstresses , tailors and designers, one of which she called out to assist her in fusing these recycled elements together.
Brown paper which is used by the designer to create patterns was utilized on the tail end of the gown and also on the breastplate of the gown to give an illusion that leather was used.
Queen De’Jels gown was contoured with most of what nature had provided us. Her accessories and handbag were created using old card boxes, buttons, rope, plastic cups and coconut shells, reviving the old saying “ one one does full basket. Gratitude and appreciation goes out to the designer and constructor Ethencer Timothy of Designs by Tenci and her team.
This gown portrayed by Queen De’Jel Quashie tonight serves as a reminder that we are all born with a gold spoon in our mouths and is portrayed as a tribute to all our natural resources at hand.
