The reigning Large Party Band of the Year caters to all body types. Co-founder of Vida by Esquire (VXE) designer Janelle ‘Jin’ Forde gave that assurance during the launch of their 2025 Grand Kadooment costumes.
“This is a very inclusive band. When we talk about price points, we have a range.
“You won’t only see the skimpy bikinis, you will see coverage and the coverage is not an afterthought. We designed costumes that will be flattering to all body types so that everybody can feel comfortable and get a piece of VXE,” Forde said.
She made those comments on Sunday during Daylight at Sandalwood Estate, St Michael.
The band’s theme is Soaring SongBirds featuring sections Ragga Muffin, Volcano, Tempted to Touch, Standby Love, Glamour Girl and Road Block.
There is also the ‘Ruff Winers’ jersey section.
Forde designed Ragga Muffin, Volcano and Tempted to Touch. Road Block was designed by Sandra Hordatt, Envy Designs produced Glamour Girl and Simone Michelle designed Standby Love.
Forde said the sections were titled to honour popular Bajan soca songs.
“For us, being Bajan is number one, so these are familiar songs that we grew up with that shaped our entertainment life. Hopefully, that resonates with locals,” she said.
The band grew from 600 masqueraders in 2023 to around 800 last year when they won Best Presentation, Best Large Band (Party) and Best Advertising.
They are hoping to attract more than 1 000 masqueraders this year.
While acknowledging that bands could experience numerous challenges, especially because of shipping delays, she said planning early was critical.
“There are always challenges, but my background is fashion design, so as soon as Crop Over is done, we start. We have six months to get it right.
“If we run into challenges, it is usually very costly, but we try to overcome them to ensure we give people the product they paid for.”
