The Roots Collection

Description

The Roots Collection: "Through this flesh, which is us, we are you and you are us!"  
- Roots by Alex Haley 

Drawing inspiration from Alex Haley’s Roots, Toronto-based Caribbean Carnival arts practitioner and costume designer Candice Dixon produced The Roots Collection for the 55^th Annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival. The Roots Collection consists of five sections or sub-themes that tell Black diasporic stories through beautifully hand-crafted costumes that connect to her ancestral lineage all the way to the literal ROOTS of the trees that protect and provide on this land we now call home. 

Bloom 

By definition, a wildflower is a flower that grows in fields, forests, etc., without deliberate cultivation. They can be hand-picked and intentionally added to gardens, or grow and bloom wherever their seeds may land, creating a space for themselves. Collectively, they become a horticultural wonder and there is no denying its beauty. 

Birch 

When the huge glaciers of the last ice age receded, birch trees were one of the first tree species to repopulate the rocky, ice-scoured landscape. Hence, ecologists refer to birch as a pioneer species, a tree of beginnings that has come to symbolize renewal and purification. 

Syrup 

Famous as the source of maple syrup, sugar maples can reach 80 feet or higher, with a spread of up to 60 feet. Their fall foliage ranges from yellow to orange to red, which contrasts beautifully with the dark grey trunk and branches. 
 

SugaCayne 

English planters first began growing sugarcane in Barbados in the 1640s, using a mixture of prisoners from the British Isles and enslaved people from Africa. Sugar agriculture was very profitable, and it quickly spread throughout the Caribbean and up to Louisiana and Mississippi in North America.  
 

Crown 
Historically, we as Black people have struggled with our identity and the things that set us apart. We've been made to feel ashamed of our hair and our bodies in their natural state. Over time, systemic oppression has deemed our hair as improper, unhygienic, and has limited our access to outlets to express ourselves in most professional environments. Now, we as Black people are accepting our natural hair and its beauty as a vital part of our identity. TIME WE FIX OUR CROWN!