FAYOLA K J FRASER
Sophisticated. Vibrant. Fun. These are the three words Shoma Persad uses to describe her well-loved, beautifully handcrafted clothing line, Shoma The Label. Persad’s label, made right here in T&T, is the embodiment of feminine elegance, with an authentic Caribbean aesthetic as the facade. Her clothing, visually stunning, have been purchased worldwide, worn by Bollywood celebrities, such as Ananya Panday and most recently, worn in the halls of the most expensive hotel in the world.
Although Persad has always been drawn to fashion, she pursued business and marketing at the university level. Reflecting on her studies, she believes that her focus on these subject areas was not in vain, nor a diversion from her passion for fashion design, but rather an important element in her entrepreneurial journey. It has become the cornerstone for her ability to successfully sell her brand, as Persad does all her own marketing and is the sole businesswoman behind Shoma the Label. She insists that “business and marketing are embedded in everything I do, without my prior education and experience I would not have been able to run this company.”
Holding both Canadian and Trinidadian citizenship, Persad is based in Trinidad, simply because, “it’s home”. She derives a significant amount of creative inspiration from T&T, and with every collection, she makes her brand reflect the country, not only in theme, but also by using local artisans for printmaking and jewelry design. When she started conceptualising her brand, she studied the market of existing resortwear and “Caribbean” fashion, and found mostly generic prints, or bikinis and coverups. “I knew there was a gap to be filled, clothing from the Caribbean doesn’t just have to be bikinis,” she laments, “We can have couture and high fashion too.” Indeed, in many of her beautiful pieces it is clear that she pours her soul fully into each design and meticulously ensures perfection and an accurate depiction of the Caribbean in all final products.
Intimately interweaving history, culture, art and fashion in a piece of clothing is Persad’s unique gift. She spends a significant part of her design process conceptualising themes. Her first collection under Shoma The Label was “Tropical Masquerade”, a love letter to the splendour, beauty and majesty of T&T. The collection’s ruffles reflect the cascading waves while the prints and colours are a tribute to the country’s distinct collection of flora and fauna. Her second collection, “Harvest” is an ode to historical T&T, exploring our past, and the beauty that has emerged through more difficult, darker periods. “Magic Island” is her most recent collection, filled with poignant, radiant pieces, a heartfelt celebration of Caribbean beauty. It is in these three collections, Persad has told Caribbean stories to the world. “My goal is for my label to be like a Carnival in clothing,” she says, “the original Carnival, that was carefully crafted, and is an expression of art, craft and couture.”
The last four years of owning her own clothing line have not come without a variety of challenges. Persad recalled that, because of the limited amount of guidance she received, and the small microcosm of the fashion industry in T&T, she had to figure out a lot of things on her own. The help that has been offered to her by various agencies has been generic–to set up her website or sending samples–things she had already done herself. Her rallying cry for the fashion space in T&T is that there are more people sitting on boards of export or fashion agencies, who are attuned to the needs and challenges on the ground. These people can then respond adequately to the needs of designers, “to minimise the gap between what we need versus what we are given.” Export is a major challenge for many fashion designers, and there are obstacles even in the smallest of circumstances. For example, she described the difficulty of accepting international returns of her clothing, as when the clothing returns to T&T through customs, she is required to pay–for a product made in Trinidad. Another major challenge she has had to contend with is the copying of her carefully crafted prints and designs. In 2023, a seller in China replicated one of her pieces, and a local boutique began subsequently selling these knockoffs fabricated in China.
However, Persad radiates a driven and independent spirit, which she has used to overcome many of the challenges that have come her way. She has celebrated some incredible career highs that any designer would dream of–having her clothing featured in Vogue Mexico, her clothing being acknowledged as a “favourite” of renowned fashion blogger, Blair Eadie, and breaking into the Indian fashion market, with her pieces donned by Bollywood stars. Forever deeply buried in T&T, Persad’s international accolades aren’t the only things on her list of favourite professional moments.
Shooting her campaign for Magic Island in the heart of the Nylon Pool, Tobago, was a career highlight. “Imagine we can go in our backyard and shoot an amazing campaign,” she ruminates, “it is so special, and I feel proud to be doing something so unique and authentically Trinbagonian.”
Continued growth and expansion are at the top of Shoma the Label’s priorities for the new year. Persad has already exported to over 22 countries since inception in December 2020, including countries as far as North Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines and Australia. “I take pride both personally and professionally knowing that Trinidad and Tobago has a place on the map when it comes to luxury fashion,” Persad says, with over 90 per cent of her sales being exported. The amazement and wonder of how she has been able to expand her brand internationally hasn’t worn off. “When I’m generating shipping labels for a wholesale buyer in Jordan, I’m amazed that my clothes are going to be hung at a store in Jordan.” Above everything else, she feels pride to bring the vision, tradition and uniqueness of T&T, and by extension, the essence of the Caribbean, squarely into the global fashion market.
Her goal for our fashion industry and for us as a people, is to not feel that we have to look abroad and be like international fashion houses, but for others to crave our creations.
Her advice to budding fashion designers or entrepreneurs is to harness your talent and learn the business of fashion. She says that it’s “not just about putting a sketch on paper, anybody can do that,” but to lean into your niche–whether it’s patternmaking, or production–and excel.
Shoma Persad burst onto the fashion scene with Shoma The Label, and has never looked back. As she continues to build and create, she is looking ahead to her fourth collection which will soon be announced, but she offers an early teaser, that “this collection is about connections, how similar we all are as people across the world.”
Reflecting on the genesis of her journey, she says that she “wanted to create a brand that reflects a slower pace and process, where things are made with care and detail, where tradition is more important than trend, where there is a purpose to every piece.” Evident in every fibre of her being, is her pride in being a Trinidadian woman in fashion, and the high regard she holds the responsibility to showcase the best of beautiful T&T.
Q&A with Shoma Persad
Q: Describe Shoma in three words.
SP: Passionate. Driven. Meticulous.
Q: Where were you born and where did you grow up?
SP: I was born and raised in Trinidad, but I am also a Canadian citizen.
Q: Tell us about your family.
SP: I have a small family (parents and three sisters) in T&T, and some more family in Canada. I grew up with my dad.
Q: Where do you live now?
SP: I live here, in T&T, but I travel a lot to Colombia. For my new collection, I’ve been finding resources and even some inspiration there. It’s so similar to T&T!
Q: Who are some of your personal favourite designers at the moment?
SP: Ahhh, let me think. I would say Rahul Mishra and Oscar de la Renta.
Q: What do you want to see most in the local fashion industry?
SP: I want to see universities start teaching the business of fashion. There are so many talented people who need direction.
Q: Where has been your favourite travel destination recently?
SP: Colombia! Cartagena specifically is so beautiful, colourful and vibrant and the people are so warm. It made me wish we had maintained so much of our older architecture, like the gingerbread houses, and inspired me to create.
Q: What’s your biggest goal?
SP: My dream is to have my clothing displayed on the world’s biggest fashion portals. I’m blessed to say the Label has done well so far, and my goal is to continue on that stride.