Red Stripe’s Safia Cooper
Poised and elegant among the flora and statuary at Villa Ronai, Safia Cooper looks like she could have been a model, which would have been an obvious progression for the daughter of Pulse boss Kingsley Cooper.
In fact, Safia, who hardly ever did any modeling at all, except, - as her mother Marcia Reid (a retired teacher) reminds her - at the “home fashion shows” of her childhood, with the neighbours and family friends as the ‘audience’. This revelation elicits mildly embarrassed laughter from the subject.
But defying conventions is par for the course for the September-born marketing executive. Having done her first degree in International Relations, along with Political Science, which might have suggested a future political, or at least diplomatic career, she got word of a management training internship being offered by Red Stripe (and sent in application one day before the deadline, expecting little, and thus was surprised when she got called in for interview).
Cooper began her internship at Red Stripe on the fateful September 11 2001, amid images of crumbling skyscrapers, mass chaos and courage beyond measure, an experience she describes as surreal. Starting out in the Promotions department (where she did ‘everything, even put up banners and bunting at events’) she then moved on to Sales, where her mettle was tested by, among other things, a hold-up in the Spanish Town area.
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Earl “Fuzzy” Franklin
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The Man Behind The Costumes
When you think of carnival, three words immediately pop into mind: music, gyrating and those magnificent costumes. Well, the bands provide the music and the revellers take care of the gyrating. But, when it comes to Bacchanal Carnival in Jamaica, it’s Fuzzy Franklin who handles the costumes.
Fuzzy, who earned his nickname from his adoration of Muppet Show character Foz, returned to Jamaica in the seventies after flipping burgers at McDonalds, in Washington D.C. An aircraft mechanic by trade but delved into craft for years before going big time into carnival twelve years ago. From as far back as 1982, Byron Lee approached Fuzzy to team up with him in importing costumes from Trinidad, and it was there it started.
After years of bringing in expensive costumes from Trinidad, Fuzzy decided that he would just make them himself. Of course it took a lot of trial and error; testing materials, glue, feathers and appliqués, but eventually it seems that Fuzzy have found the right formula. His wife, Charmaine, helps with the management and sales of the costumes, and he has a selected team in Jamaica, who help him put the final touches on the outfits as carnival rolls close.
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