When makeup, music, and couture collide at Okap à la Mode’s electrifying opening | Photos

CAP-HAÏTIEN — Bathed in stage light, three women from the audience joyfully sang along to the legendary “Papa gede bèl gason” by Lumane Casimir, their smiles as radiant as the music, while a performer commanded the stage at Gwòg Bar Restaurant in Cap-Haïtien on Aug. 6.

The beat suddenly stopped. The women complained loudly because they wanted to keep singing, but it was the night they had been eagerly awaiting for days, and they did not want it to end — the opening of the third edition of “Okap à la Mode,” French for Cap-Haïtien in Style.

Hosted by the local fashion and dance group Family Art Agency, Okap à la Mode is a five-day event that includes singing, live makeup and clothing designing performances on its opening day, Aug. 6, at Gwòg Bar Restaurant in Cap-Haïtien’s Boulevard.

On Aug. 7, the event featured Konpa, salsa, folklore, and Afro dance classes, followed by short film screenings on Aug. 9. The grand finale came on Aug. 10, when Family Art Agency hosted a fashion show and a red carpet event called the Trashion Show — a playful blend of “trash,” “fashion,” and “show.” With a renaissance theme, models highlighted recycling and sanitation efforts by wearing outfits made from plastic bags, umbrellas, and old clothes.

Family Art Agency partnered with the environmental group Poubèl Ayiti (Haiti Trash Can) to host the Trashion Show. With Cap-Haïtien facing a serious waste management problem, designers used their creations to stress the importance of recycling.

Below are photos from the first day of the third edition of Okap à la Mode.

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