Our Heritage with David Paulus. Photographer: Matt Voigts.
PAGA TERA, the fashion show of the Curaçao designer David Paulus, took place on Sunday 13 April in Studio C in Amsterdam and was an unforgettable celebration of heritage and style. With his distinctive combination of art, spirituality and fashion, Paul brought a powerful and moving ode to ancestors, Afro-Curaçao identity and keeping rituals alive from the Caribbean. In collaboration with Our Heritage, it became a successful evening: a powerful and wonderful ode to Caribbean roots and identity, with room for spirituality, politics, and cultural resilience. Our Heritage was proud to help bring this about.
Textilia asked David Paulus: Can you talk more about the collaboration with Our HERmitage? How does this collaboration contribute to the message you want to convey with the fashion show?
"Our Heritage" focuses on transcending the first generations and going back to our origins: our forefathers. This organisation promotes a new perspective and counteracts stereotyping, both within and outside these communities. Our Heritage plays a crucial role in my project because we share a common goal: to explore and share the stories of our ancestors from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. I see a lot of overlap in our work, and I am therefore pleased that I have been given the opportunity to create the artwork **BLOSSOM** for them, which is incorporated in a large canvas. This canvas serves not only as a visual statement, but also as a bridge between our stories and traditions. With the fashion show I want to convey that we can work together and create something beautiful. Sharing information and knowledge is essential, and this collaboration allows us to present the rich history and meaning of our culture in a creative way. In this way, we can convey a message of recognition and pride and inspire audiences to embrace the stories of our forefathers." Read the full article here.
Even before the show started, Rubien and Ludmila of the Our Heritage team welcomed the visitors. Fausia and Rashid talked about the Our HERHeritage project, focussing on pedigree research, the teaching of ancestors and special stories that have been uncovered during the project. With the help of our volunteer Matt Voigts (who was behind the camera) we also sold exclusive postcards with designs by David Paulus and historical stories, such as those of the Afro-indigenous woman who put midwifery on the map in Suriname, and of a well-known yaya, an icon that has meant a lot to the Curaçao culture as we know it today. Among those present were cultural icons such as Imro Noslin and Gerda Havertong, as well as beauty pageant winners who impressed each and every one of them.
Participant Cherry Taylor, team members Rashid Dossett, Ludmila Duncan and project leader Fausia S. Abdul, participant Rubiën Kalaykhan. Photographer: Matt Voigts.
Closing fashion show David Paulus with the Paga Tera ritual. Photographer: Paco Nuñez.
The show started just after 16:00 and from the first step on the catwalk PAGA TERA immediately impressed. Models of all ages, sizes and skin colours gracefully moved on the hypnotic rhythms of tambú, the Afro-Caribbean drum, music style and dance form with roots in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. The atmosphere was loaded with emotion and pride. Each design told a story full of texture, colour, movement and meaning.
The title PAGA TERA, literally "paying the earth", refers to a deep-rooted tradition on Curaçao in which a little drink is poured on the ground in honour of the ancestors - a ritual that Paul's grandfather Abilio Paulus (1931) held until his death. It was this tradition that guided the show: a visual narrative about honour, memory, and spiritual connection between past and present.
This was not a regular fashion show. It felt like a spiritual homage, a coming home, and an act of remembrance. Through this partnership, Our Heritage and David Paulus both showed their commitment to celebrating and revaluing our shared past, and in particular the life and legacy of Caribbean ancestors.
In short, PAGA TERA was a vibe: a moment of community, reflection, inclusiveness and, most importantly, empowerment. For those who couldn't be there: take a look at the beautiful work of David Paulus on Instagram DavidpaulusstudioOh, yeah.
Our HERITAGE continues to share the stories that form our identity and looks forward to more collaborations with creative makers and change makers from the diaspora.
Icon Barbie and tambu musician. Photographer: Matt Voigts.
Photography: Paco Nuñez & Prasantha Yamapath
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