Rona Thomas and her husband Charlie are two very busy people, both in and out of the Carnival season as they cut, stitch and construct garments and costumes at their Belmont business place. A fortnight ago, Rona, managing director of the small factory which manufactures clothing outside of Carnival and produces the most elaborate costumes for Carnival or stage productions, was busily at work supervising every facet of costumes to be danced at the Red Cross Junior Carnival.
By the time photographer Enrico Matthews and myself caught up with Rona last Tuesday, she was busily putting the finishing touches to 130 white long sleeved trouser suits, which had to be sent for black prints, for Amoco Renegades appearance in last night's Panorama finals. One of which was worn by her 11 year old grandson, Nicholas Moore, playing with Renegades for the second year. Rona pointed out with pride "he is my daughter's first child and has attended Curtis Pierre's music school for three or four years."
Xantash clothing and fabric works is Rona's brainchild. And it is because of her expertise as a garment manufacturer and designer coupled with her Carnival skills that "people with costumes come to me, such as the Caribbean School of Dance. When it comes to Carnival, because of that other experience, I can deal with anything that is thrown on me, like the 300 pieces here for Renegades will be completed in a couple of days rather than a big factory with thirty machines as compared to my five machines."
When dealing with Carnival costumes, Rona insists in order not to lose money through wrong purchases "a prototype must be done for the mas before you start. The characters must be organised. You must go through with the designer and see what the designer is seeing in his/her mind's eye. They can explain to you what they want and as the producer I can tell exactly what materials are needed. There are times when you have a short time but it can only turn out right or good enough if you knew from before how it is going to be done, then you can deal with the lateness and push yourself, that is costuming. You cannot work from guess."
Her husband has brought his own band for years under the banner of Charlie Thomas & Associates, from Chessmen to Antique Silver and all areas starting from small bands and up the ladder but although the couple had the artistic skills, they did not have the kind of money needed to produce.
While Rona cuts and passes to her staff to stitch, Charlie does his "costume construction outside. It is no longer called wire bending" says his wife with a chuckle.
Recently, Xantash did the choir robes for the opening of the new airport. And currently Rona, Charlie, the sewists, and Ming the decorator are busy with a j'ouvert band, individual children's costumes, a junior band, costumes for Albert Bailey's "The Golden Day of Piracy" , and the design and production of a private section in an adult band. Rona is happy looking after people like Bailey "who just have to be in it because there are people who prefer this smaller type band", and sees it as "a gross insult to my Carnival culture what these larger bands produce and they have the audacity to call this costuming, a bikini and you add a collar to it . No imagination, there is nothing in it. No room for anything, how could you call that a costume. But these people have the money to produce these bands whereas the people with the talent do not have the money. If I could not pay Xtatik $700,000.00 plus who is going to play with me."
She vows to "remain playing mas outside of this big band business me and my little group in my family. Our costumes are just as sexy and exciting."
There have been no formal design or dressmaking courses for this very young looking grandmother who says "the physical experience is my gain." Rona designs and produces her own garments which are more sold up the islands - her Batik designs go to Barbados where the European or American customer will wear it. And although she deals in wholesale, people come to the shop at 1a O'Brien Place or call her at 624-2067 for individual pieces.