Good morning !
Who am I? To make it short, my name is Samantha Cangé and I was born in Quebec to two Haitian parents. While I have acquired a certain Quebec culture, it was also very important for me to preserve my origin culture, to remember where I come from, and to be able to pass it on to my children. Shiklèt, for me, is a way to allow the diaspora to reconnect with its roots through fashion.
My story
Two major events allowed the creation of Shiklèt.
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When you are born in a country different from that of your parents, it is more challenging to immerse yourself in the original culture because we are heavily influenced by the culture in which we grow up, our neighborhood, and the people we associate with. There is a real challenge in transmitting the cultures of origin when immigrating to Canada. It was only when my parents decided to take me to Haiti for the holidays that I was able not only to recognize but also to proudly show where I come from, and I wanted to learn more. It was my very first cultural shock. Upon my return to Quebec, I often wondered how I could provide my friends, who never had the chance to go to Haiti, a similar experience.
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During my studies at CEGEP (college), I had the opportunity to organize a multicultural fashion show with my colleagues. The objective was simply to showcase traditional and folkloric outfits from one culture to another. We were able to find several outfits from various African countries, more oriental attire from different Asian countries, and so on. However, it was very difficult for me to find Haitian clothes or even clothes from other Caribbean countries. Not only were they not accessible, but they were also quite expensive, or I could find only two or three imported at Haitian markets. This is when I realized that many of us were looking for them but struggled to acquire them.
Beyond providing traditional clothing, Shiklèt wanted to reinvent itself to offer more fashionable clothes by reusing this fabric so that each of us could have a piece of karabela in our wardrobe for any occasion.
Our trilogy mission, vision, and values go as follows:
Assignment
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Revisit the karabela and adapt it to everyday life, allowing the Haitian diaspora to reconnect with their roots other through fashion, in addition to music, language, or dance.
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Encourage the community to develop a deeper interest in Haitian culture to preserve knowledge and heritage for future generations.
Vision
To become a Haitian brand on an internationally scale.
Values
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Create a sense of belonging
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Freedom of expression
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Creativity
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Transparency
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Demanding quality
