Haitian artist, Steven Baboun, announced on April 22, a new collaboration with CARIBBEAN APPAREL. The collection is made in Haiti and includes five shirt designs that celebrate the “Haitian way of life.”
“When I was designing I thought a lot of the Haitian community,” Baboun said in an exclusive interview with Haitian Times. “I wanted it to be very celebratory of who we are as a people.
For Baboun it was important for him to create designs that he felt spoke to other artists and also pushed back against some of the more conservative aspects of the Haitian culture.
“As a society we’re very conservative and can at times be closed off to what we view as different,” he said. “So for me it was about doing a lot of research and create a line that encompasses love and is inclusive of all Haitians.”
“Steven’s work speaks for itself,” Legrand Lindor, founder and CEO of CARIBBEAN APPAREL said. His work is “modern and thought provoking. CARIBBEAN APPAREL’s motto has always been to promote unity, culture and pride and Steven’s work fits perfectly into this and beyond.”
The collaboration between Baboun and Lindor came about through a mutual friend, Salima Montes founder of HaitiLuxe, who supported both men and their work, and believed Baboun’s work fit in line with CARIBBEAN APPAREL’s vision.
“Collaborating with Steven provides an additional element to the breadth of CARIBBEAN APPAREL,” Lindor said. “As you see from the collection, it provides brings about the beauty of Haitian and human global culture. The description of each piece provides a vivid picture of the collection and the stunning work of Steven Baboun.”
Baboun has already made a name for himself outside of the fashion world. He’s an award-winning photographer and the founder of Humans of Haiti , a portrait initiative aimed at telling the stories of individuals across Haiti. He’s a versatile storyteller that tackles issues of homosexuality, multiculturalism, sex, love, and anger in his work.
The collection launches May 1 and can be found on CARIBBEAN APPAREL.