The fashion collection Kotomisi is inspired by the centuries-old Surinamese traditional dress called the ‘Koto’ [i.e. dress]. Seeing the koto on my grandmother mesmerized me from a young age. She would sew the dress herself and wear it for special occasions such as Keti Koti, July 1st, where we celebrate the abolition of slavery, as well as for ‘big age birthdays’. 

The dress is big, layered, colorful, textured, and communicates messages. For this project, I wanted to reflect this beautiful dress by exploring textile techniques. I used a Canadian smock-technique to create volume in flat fabric. I added wooden, pearl, and shiny beads to the Canadian smock technique to adorn the fabric. I made both dresses fully be hand, without the use of a sewing machine and handprinted some parts of the dress,  to honor the tradition of kotomaking. 

The collection is an ode to handcraft, to women’s craft, to Surinamese fashion and tradition. It was a labor of love towards my culture, my ancestors, and the matriarchs in my life.