AUTUMN/WINTER 2023 MEN’S COLLECTION

“RAMAJAY”

"RAMAJAY" marks the inaugural fashion collection of Sagaboi – a label founded by men's fashion aficionado Geoff K. Cooper. The term 'RAMAJAY' is a West Indian colloquial word that loosely refers to letting go and breaking away, often in musical improvisation with the steel pan. Steeped in the Caribbean feels the collection is an eclectic fusion of Cooper's diverse Trinidadian heritage and broader West Indian culture and history. Influenced by the iconic outfits of Caribbean calypsonians such as The Mighty Sparrow, actors Geoffrey Holder and Harry Belafonte, and men's style of the UK's Windrush generation, the collection riffs on the military silhouettes and flamboyant tailoring they wore in the '50s and is seamlessly integrated with modern day streetwear silhouettes.

Collapsible content

READ MORE

At the core of this collection is a free-spirited exploration of personality seen through a multicultural lens and played out at the intersection of streetwear, leisurewear, and expressive tailoring. It dances to a steel pan beat, elevated by a distinctive Caribbean colour palette that references flora and fauna of Cooper's native Trinidad, as well as the varied Hindu and African ceremonies the designer attended as a child growing up In the islands.

The collection is also a love letter to the style of the Windrush generation (the first set of Caribbean immigrants invited to the UK in 1948, 75 years ago), which Cooper researched deeply, and was inspired by how the men who suddenly found themselves in a new and colder environment, evolved their looks with elements of the 50s and 60s London fashion.

From the knitwear - all handmade by female crocheters and knitters in the Caribbean, inspired by materials found in local fishing villages  - to the classic tailored shapes on suits to jazzed-up denim twinsets, the collection has a playful carnival energy throughout. In outerwear, "rough around the edges" was the intention; bomber jackets feature Sagaboi's signature distressed steel pan quilting and rough island stitchwork. Cooper's sartorial serving offered double-breasted suits: a cropped admiral 2-button and a classic 6-button. Kilts were offered in leather and deeply textured wools while slogan tees beamed with West Indian colloquial terms and vernacular ("Big Big Tings"). The collection's colours were a sweet dance between idyllic reds, blues, oranges and mint - all grounded by black, brown and white.

  • Look 1 of 19

  • Look 2 of 19

  • Look 3 of 19

  • Look 4 of 19

  • Look 5 of 19

  • Look 6 of 19

  • Look 7 of 19

  • Look 8 of 19

  • Look 9 of 19

  • Look 10 of 19

  • Look 11 of 19

  • Look 12 of 19

  • Look 13 of 19

  • Look 14 of 19

  • Look 15 of 19

  • Look 16 of 19

  • Look 17 of 19

  • Look 18 of 19

  • Look 19 of 19