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The Brampton Guardian
Brampton colourfully represented at Caribana parade
The Brampton Guardian
Friday July 25 2008
By Ashley Goodfellow, Staff Writer
Brampton resident Terry Skinner said designing costumes for Caribana is a passion. His costumes have appeared on the front pages of newspapers and on the front lines of parades.
 
BRAMPTON - His creations have appeared on the front pages of newspapers and at the front lines of festivals— but Terry Skinner doesn’t do it for the exposure.
Costume design, he said, is a passion.
The Brampton resident, for the past 30-odd years, fell into the creative pastime almost by happenstance— but now can’t imagine his life without it.
“I was involved because of my daughter at first, she was playing with other masquerade bands and I did the costumes,” he explained.
With the encouragement of others, Skinner decided to pursue it more seriously. For several years, he’s been a head designer of elaborate costumes for high-profile events like Toronto’s Caribana festival.
In the past, he’s also had local ties to Brampton’s Carabram festival and Brampton’s Bramfest event.
In this year’s Caribana parade, Skinner’s band Masqueraders International will work alongside another masquerade band, Borokeete, in presenting the theme of “hidden treasures.”
Masqueraders International will specifically focus on Pirates of the Caribbean, said Skinner, and will feature a king, a queen and theme-based characters.
Skinner, who originally hails from Trinidad, revisits his homeland throughout the year to work on costumes and costume design. This year, his section of the masquerade band will feature 50 costumes— and he encourages Brampton residents to participate in the event.
For $130, he offers an all-inclusive Caribana parade experience— costume, food and refreshments.
“It’s a multicultural event that’s a lot of fun,” he said. “What it comes down to is you are able to enjoy yourself, put on a beautiful, exotic costume and take part in the multicultural event.”
The experience also has many opportunities for young people; as well as parading with the festival, youth can also participate creatively by joining the masquerade camp.
Volunteer positions at the camp enable participants to help design and create the costumes and artwork, and give young people a hands-on experience with multicultural art.
“My goal is to generate interest and see more youth participate,” Skinner told The Guardian. “We want to have young people interested, people who we can pass this on to in years to come.”
This year’s Caribana parade takes place Saturday, Aug. 2.
For more information on Masqueraders International, or to contact Skinner, visit www.masqueradersinternational.ca or call 905-796-1040.