ROBERT YOUNG, THE CLOTH
Famed Designer Robert Young is perhaps best described as conscientious yet daring. He is as well albeit subversively, nationalistic while influenced by the wider region which prove the perfect backdrop for his practical, colorful and playful designs. He at one point wanted to join the priesthood: to be a man of the cloth, hence the labels name. His dedication to his craft can therefore only be described as religious. Each collection seems to represent a variation on a similar theme yet always aware of the global trends without losing sight of the context of his environment.
Robert’s work has gone beyond the clothing rack. His designs have been part of presentations of the Emmy Award winning Guyanese cum Trinbagonian mas designer Peter Minshall. Robert’s work can be seen in Jerusalem for Minshall's Donkey Darby (1993), The Twelve Ships in the Odyssey (1994) and The Image and Likeness" in Tapestry (1995). He has also designed for such legendary Caribbean icons of music as David Rudder and the late Andre Tanker, as well as the profound Rapso artiste Ataklan.
He has also done the costuming and set design for several steel orchestras' panorama final and other presentations. Among them Phase II Pan Groove, Skiffle Bunch, Pamberi, and Redemption Sound Setters. His almost trademark appliqué has complimented the stage backdrops of one of the country’s leading choirs, The Lydian Singers.
When he is not designing Robert makes time for many outreach programs. He has been a resource person at the Man to Man Project (2000), a Delegate of the United To End Racism group at UN World Conference Against Racism and Other Related Intolerance (Durban, South Africa 2001), YMCA Mentoring project 2003 to 2005, Men support group Resource person at Friends for Life and has led several men’s, youth and artist support groups. Robert has designed consistently throughout the years and it is not only his passion but his profession and craft. He shows annually and has been a part of Caribbean fashion Week since 2001, with the exception of 2002. Robert’s work embodies elements of traditional folk, the spirit of revolution and an interest in restoration and integration.
The Cloth started as a collaborative some 22 years ago. For the last (15) years Robert Young has single handedly maintained the label which has come to represent a unique, dynamic and always original Caribbean aesthetic.
The Cloth – Hitting the Spot Fashion Week Trinidad and Tobago experienced a classic Cloth collection from Robert Young. With 22 years in the business Robert could have shown along side the Icons on the Tuesday night of the 6 day event but true to form, The Cloth showed on the night dubbed Conscious Fashion. Robert, not only conscious of what his client expects but as well conscious of how to infuse the current trends with his signature style, conscious of the issues of the day and how to bring incorporate them in his presentation, and too conscious of the band 12 and how to use them as a musical backdrop in a collection that indeed, Hit the Spot. One benchmark of success in design is the ability to be unmistakable and yet unpredictable. Holding on to the natural fabrics he knows well, Robert brought a fresh feel to his standard tricks. His use of appliqué in both the men's and women's looks showed a real comfort with the technique but was far from boring: traditional tunics paying homage to the Caribbean with abstract representations of mosques, jokers and Rastafarians; collared men's shirts with swatches of African print fabric that tell their own tale and the hard to forget Nehru collared denim jackets with gingham bleeding across the arm and chest. The women's line featured what Robert calls the "maybe I'll get attention" skirts, yards and yards and yards of fabric held together by waistbands precious enough to frame; skinny legged voile pants with rouching at the ankles and playful rainbow striped sun-dresses and pum-pum shorts. Models sat on little stools at points on the runway writing their dreams for a country experiencing unprecedented levels of crime evoking serious emotions and harking back to the early Cloth presentations of the late 80's when political statements screamed off the runway and the garments. Further testimony to the line's renegade consciousness was the imposition of a 5 piece music band to provide live accompaniment for the models as they showed the collection. The band 12, dressed by The Cloth, with a haunting trumpet, solid bass line and just enough grit in lead singer Sheldon Holder's voice brought depth to an already edgy Caribbean experience. Experiment he did but not at the expense of practicality. For not one second was there a question as to whose collection was coming down the runway. With solar-powered colors and easy breezy fabrics it seemed not only customized for a chic, fun-loving Caribbean spirit but as well to a loyal client for whom it would have definitely Hit the Spot.
To see Trinidad and Tobago's Premier Fashion Designer Robert Young - The Cloth, please come out this Sunday, November 1st to "The Great Escape: Destination 2010" Fashion Show at the Sheraton Washington North, located at 4095 Powder Mill Road in Beltsville Maryland to support the Caribbean Student's Scholarship Fund Inc.'s 2010 scholarship Recipients. See the Flyer Below for all the details!