Snazz Revelers keeps revellers road-ready with costume alterations

With just a day from the anticipated Carnival in Jamaica Road March, revellers have been in ‘carnival Olympics’ mode all week long – doing beauty touch-ups, final fittings, and the all-important task of collecting and trying on their costumes. But as the feathers, gems, and glitter come out in full force, not every costume fits the way it should, and that’s where Snazz Revelers step in. Known for their meticulous costume alterations, the team has carved out a niche, making last-minute fixes feel seamless and helping to bring a little ease to the frenzy of the season.

Headed by fashion designer Sophia Douglas, her team of three, which includes fashion designers Steven ‘Stevy Who’ Morgan and Roshaun ‘Ross’ Samuels, the alterations station, located inside Mas Camp, has been offering this service for a total of seven years.

“Sometimes, costumes are not true to size, and we see people coming in with different issues because, really, people want to be looking and feeling good on the road. They want their costumes to fit well, and I think for that reason, [us] offering an alteration service makes a lot of sense,” Morgan told Saturday Living.

Some of their most common alterations include fixing wire bras, remaking or altering panties, reapplying gems, and adjusting shorts and shirts for male clients.

While working on custom costumes for her daughter and friends, Douglas took a moment to share how she first stepped into the world of fashion design.

Douglas began sewing at around 15, working from her parents’ verandah while still in school. Since then, she’s done it all – from resort wear and dance theatre pieces to bridal gowns and carnival costumes – eventually joining forces with Bacchanal in recent years.

“I started with Bacchanal Jamaica through Nicholas Franklin (one of the directors), and he asked me to sew and alter some panties for the band’s costumes and asked if I could do it yearly. And, the rest you can say is history.”

In the past two years, however, Douglas has expanded her services to welcome revellers from any band – even those jumping independently. What matters most to her is how people feel when they leave the space.

“We want them to feel comfortable, especially the ones who come in a bit anxious when the costume doesn’t sit right. So we assure them, we listen to them, and they leave smiling and excited for the road. I want people to feel like we are a part of the experience that they’ve invested in,” Morgan said.

Assisting a customer who came in to adjust the panty of her costume, Morgan and Douglas had her try it on to pinpoint exactly where the changes were needed.

“So you see here,” Douglas said while pointing to the torso area of the costume as she sat around the sewing machine, “she wants it to fit properly on her and right now parts of it are a bit too long.”

While Snazz Revelers get a lot of young clients, Douglas shared she also has a lot of older clients from overseas who used to jump with the late costume creator Earl ‘Fuzzy’ Franklin.

“When they come in from Trinidad and Florida, I remake parts of their costumes to something less revealing like boy shorts. And, they depend on me every year.”

With the final day of carnival prep underway, Douglas and her team have extended Saturday hours to 9 p.m. – two hours past their usual 7 p.m. close. The service, which can take up to 20 minutes depending on the fix, operates on a walk-in, first-come, first-served basis.

As for tips for revellers, Douglas recommends wearing sunscreen on the road, keeping hydrated, and simply having fun.

rollesha.laing@gleanerjm.com