SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 AFAR 69connect resident
life moves me. My inspiration comes from the
beach, the waves, the bougainvillea and other
vegetation, and just the warmth and friendli-
ness of the Bahamian people. Sometimes I pass
certain buildings and the color coordination
inspires me because the homes are painted in
such vibrant colors: orange and yellow, lime
green and blue.
Of course, the Bahamas have changed a
lot since my childhood. The islands used to
be more laid-back,
with smaller-scale
boutique resorts.
You could walk into
any home and the
doors would be un-
locked. I worry about
the Bahamas losing
their boutique feel,
because that’s what
differentiates us from the rest of the Caribbean.
That, and the fact that we have 700 islands and
cays, each with its own special features.
Another great thing about living here is the
ease of doing business. In school and in family
life, you’re taught to become an entrepreneur.
Even people who have a nine-to-five job still
run a small side business, hoping to go full-on
with it one day. So the landscape is very con-
ducive to owning your own company. I’m an
entrepreneur from small beginnings, but I
aspire to become a global player in the fashion
industry—like Oscar de la Renta. He comes
from an island nation [Dominican Republic],
yet he’s sold in Bergdorf Goodman.
As a young person working in fashion, it
was my dream to go to New York or Paris.
But I’ve come to the realization that it doesn’t
matter where you are in the world; if you’re
talented, people will find you. I’ve showcased
in Beijing. And last year, I joined the artist-
in-residency program at Baha Mar, a new
resort in the Bahamas. There were sculptors,
painters, and poets, but I was the first fashion
designer. Guests would tour the art gallery
and then visit with the artists in their studios.
It was an amazing experience. I’ve also had the
opportunity to showcase a gown in London,
representing the Bahamas in the Common-
wealth Fashion Exchange Program! So I don’t
feel that I’m at a disadvantage anymore.At Bon Vivants, a
café and bar in the
Bahamian capital
of Nassau, fashion
designer Theodore
Elyett settles in
to enjoy his favorite
drink: a double-shot
mocha.My grandmother used to sew as well, and
every summer my sisters and I would use her
fabric scraps to put on a fashion show.
My professional career started at age 13,
when I designed a dress for my best friend,
who was entering a modeling competition.
The costume was made with the same burlap
used to create coconut sacks, and it was
inspired by Junkanoo, a big part of Bahamian
culture. It goes back to the slavery period,
when [plantation owners] would give their
slaves time off around Boxing Day and New
Year’s Day and [the enslaved African Bahami-
ans] would have a parade. We still celebrate
it. And that’s how my career took off—some
girls in the Miss Bahamas pageant saw that
design and hired me to make their costumes.
Growing up in the Bahamas definitely
influenced my aesthetic as a designer. IslandPARADISE
ISLANDS
Fashion designer Theodore Elyett
finds inspiration in the Bahamas’
rich history, colorful architecture,
and culture of entrepreneurship.
as told to Ashlea HalpernI
WAS BORN and raised in Nassau, the
capital of the Bahamas. Art and fashion
were always important to my family.
My dad painted and drew as a hobby, and
my mom ran a sewing factory. Every day after
school, my mom or dad would pick me and my
older sisters up and take us to the factory.
I was eight years old when I made my first
dress. I used a heat-press machine to put a tiger
face decal on the front of it and gave it to my
sister, but it didn’t fit, because I didn’t know
anything about body measurements. I eventu-
ally learned how to sew through trial and error
and by watching my mom and her employees.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MELISSA ALCENA