Trinidad and Tobago’s pioneering fashion house The Cloth has inaugurated a new boutique at the historic Trinidad Gingerbread House on Carlos Street, Woodbrook, marking a significant expansion as the brand approaches its 40th anniversary in 2026. The December 20 opening represents both a physical and philosophical evolution for designer Robert Young’s enterprise, which maintains its foundational commitment to cultural storytelling through wearable art.
The new space features curated capsule collections and seasonal releases that integrate local craftsmanship heritage, offering visitors bespoke fittings and in-house styling services. Young emphasizes that the location transcends commercial considerations, serving as a repository of encoded cultural language through its distinctive African-crafted fretwork that embodies “liberatory hopes” of post-colonial artisans.
Young’s unconventional journey into fashion began when the former agricultural science student purchased a sewing machine on impulse despite no prior experience. His breakthrough came in May 1986 when his politically-charged debut collection featuring messages like “Free Mandela” and “Crush Racism” garnered front-page newspaper coverage. This established The Cloth’s distinctive approach to fashion as “spiritual armor” that celebrates Caribbean identity rather than conforming to Western aesthetics.
The brand has achieved remarkable international reach, with collections currently stocked in boutiques across Mustique, Jamaica, Martha’s Vineyard, Japan, Spain, and several European nations. Notable collaborations include dressing cultural icons like David Rudder and 3canal, while The Cloth’s designs have been exhibited at prestigious institutions including the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and the Museum at FIT in New York.
In 2017, Young partnered with British anthropologist Sophie Bufton to form The Cloth Caribbean, enhancing the brand’s global market navigation while maintaining its Belmont-based headquarters. Despite international acclaim, Young remains committed to sovereignty in creative expression and economic models, advocating for regional control of rare sea island cotton and developing worker-owned cooperatives for artisans.
Looking forward, Young plans to establish an experimental creative space in Toco to nurture emerging designers while continuing Vulgar Fraction, his independent Carnival band that transforms masquerade into cultural commentary. The designer acknowledges four decades of community support that has sustained The Cloth’s unique vision of fashion as a medium for Caribbean self-determination and cultural preservation.