SugaCayne Designs

Toronto, Ontario

SugaCayne was started by Candice Dixon in 2010, when she was asked by a friend to design costumes for the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, an annual celebration of Caribbean culture. A mas band is an organized group of parade participants, and each band has a theme which is primarily reflected in its costumes. Combining traditional beading, wire bending and feathering with laser cutting and 3D printing, SugaCayne’s designs showcase each mas band and highlight African ancestry, connections to the Caribbean and stories from the diaspora. 

Molten Rock (back), 2019. 3D printer resin, laser cut acrylic and feathers. COURTESY OF SUGACAYNE DESIGNS

Mercury, 2019. Cut mirrored acrylic, sequins and beads. COURTESY OF SUGACAYNE DESIGNS.

Bloodline, 2020. 3D printer resin, laser cut leather, feathers, beads and wire. COURTESY OF SUGACAYNE DESIGNS.

Bloodline (detail), 2020. 3D printer resin, laser cut leather, feathers, beads and wire. COURTESY OF SUGACAYNE DESIGNS.

Since 2017, SugaCayne has been incubated by the Design Fabrication Zone at Ryerson University, working with students and lab techs to bring their unique ideas to fruition. In 2019, SugaCayne developed a 360-degree immersive virtual reality experience of the 2019 Carnival — the last one held before the COVID-19 pandemic. Viewers can celebrate with the crowd, watching mas bands go past and seeing the costumes up close. 

Through Carnival costumes, SugaCayne applies digital technologies to centuries-old traditions. Mas costumes are about connection for Candice: “(they are about) taking up space, carrying on a legacy of liberation and emancipation, and connecting elders with youth.”

SugaCayne Designs
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This article was published in the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of Studio Magazine.