I just would like to say this:
Looking back to January 2016 when I just started looking for talents in the Caribbean Carnival culture, my second contact was Doshynko Sullivan. After explaining to him what I would like to do with CaribDomain, we exchanged information and then he got busy just like all the other dedicated designers and entrepreneurs out there. I am so grateful to be at this point to have another article being published about another creative carnival designer in this business. When I reach him on the phone again, I’ll say let’s get this out of the way.
My first question to Doshynko was, when did he start designing Carnival costumes:
Doshynko Says: I guess the first time I brought out a section was around 2011
Moving forward I ask, what inspires him to do this type of competitive work of arts?
Doshynko Says: What happened was; in 2010 I wanted to play as an individual, that was my first time playing as an individual and the designer who was making my costume actually, was overwhelmed with a lot of work so, I had to help in making my costume. Once I saw her make the costume, I realized that I could make it also.
I wanted to know what he thinks about the Caribbean carnivals also his passion for the designs:
Doshynko Says: For me, the carnival is not just about running around nakedly. The main reason why I got myself involved is that I can definitely say that the Caribbean carnival tradition is fading away gradually from my experience. When I look at most of the costume from the Caribbean carnivals nowadays, you can’t easily recognize the theme anymore.
I noticed this when I look at the Brazilian carnival costumes they were sexy and you could always see the theme and I always complain about it being different. So, I’m doing my own possible best and my own costume in such a way of not just saying something about our fading away of our culture designs but doing something to try and help to preserve our culture. When I do my costume I really do try all my possibilities to bring out the original theme so as for people to see the customs and at least have some idea of what the theme represents.
What other things you do when not designing costumes? At the same instance, I was laughing because I was wondering if he is going say he is also a model and the answer is a yes. OK!
Doshynko Says: I am actually a massage therapist, the carnival is just what I do on the side , I do samba shows and as for my origin , I am from the Bahamas and my family is a mixed one. My family is mixed of Cuban Bahamian and of course Canadian. That is why, when it comes to different cultures and customs i am open to new cultures and many other things.
Is anyone else in your family a designer?
Doshynko Says: Well, to be honest, I did not notice until after getting into design my father use to help build some costumes for our traditional carnival festival called Junkanoo’s back in the Bahamas. So this gave me an insight about the costume, whereas my mother used to participate in carnival too without me knowing, they did not even mention any of this to me until later when I start getting involved.
Could describe your style to our audience please:
Doshynko Says: My style is a little bit different from a lot of other people’s nowadays because I am still trying to keep my costumes sexy to the point that you know where they are half-way naked . Although some would say they are naked. Not just naked but also displaying a theme at the same time. I get a lot of my inspiration from Brazilian carnival costumes but the difference is just that I scale it down to what I would call the Trinidadian style. Brazilian designs are very intricate but Trinidadian are different because many of them are mass produced so a kind of blend both styles. Trinidad designs is more about the feathers and the style.
In Brazil they are also concerned about the style but more about the betrayal of the costume because they are really into competitions when it comes to the carnival. so my style is a mixed between the Brazilian and Trinidadian style but also sexy at the same time showing a lot of skin and also still battling a theme even to the point where my wire bras design shows . I bend the wire myself while many other designers buy the wire already bent to make the bra fit the pattern. For me when I make a wire bra I still like to see the theme in the costume.
Could you explain in more details?
Doshynko Says: The Brazilian costumes inspires me a lot. It’s just that I scale it down. Brazilian costumes are very complex and are not as introduced. Some countries costume for the most part when you look at it, you cannot tell the theme they are displaying. When you look at some of larger carnival countries they only go on color schemes but for the most part not able to tell what the theme is.
When you are not designing a costume, what other things interest you?
Doshynko Says: Outside my line of work, I am very artistic and I do many other things? I go to the gym I go to the temple I am Hindu by the way I cook, I bake, I do gardening, and sometimes I take pole dancing classes. I do use to take capoeira, origami and also, I do Native American beads work, I do play the beating bow which is like Afro-Brazilian instrument that they use during capoeira. I love travelling and now I am currently in Brazil trying to stay busy and not lose my mind.
I saw few different designs coming from your collection, could you tell me more about those costumes?
Doshynko Says: For the year 2015, my carnival design was the Spanish crown where I was with the island jams band. They wanted the ancestors of the Caribbean so I choose the Spanish because part of my family is Cuban so I had to represent and so, I did a head-piece with the crown. It had where the female is actually a tiara with feathers around it and the male costume also had a crown so, when you look at the costume you could automatically tell that they were kings and queens that was very cool because it look so royal or rural on the road and everyone had love for their costume. I was really happy that everyone was pleased with their outfit.
The purple costume is actually for the Miami carnival. This year it will basically be portraying the fantasy of the world of fairies and the red costume was the Spanish crown I mention earlier. The meaning of the costume is Garuda which is a mystical bird something of Hindu methodology of which the Hindu gods would ride on. The blue costume is the spirit of the Brazilian sapphire
For the Baltimore carnival and Miami, I shall have a section there and I will also be in the two band island jams and natural disaster, for the Bahamas, there are possibilities that I would be working out some of the other pieces for that also.
Doshynko also Says:
For anyone that is interested they could hit me up on my Instagram pangeacarnivalbydoshynko
People could look Doshynko Sullivan on Facebook 561-294-7659 if anyone needs to contact me for anything.