Giovanni St Omer’s Costume Design Wins Big in Dominica Carnival

As an artist, Giovanni St Omer’s work can be seen across Saint Lucia, including in hallowed halls with murals and stained glass artwork. His designs have also won numerous Carnival Queen of the Band titles, and he can be described as the “King of Kings” of Saint Lucia’s carnival bands, having won several titles both as a designer and as a costume performer.

The Saint Lucian creative has also competed in Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbados and has had his artwork displayed in the UK, Hong Kong, Canada and Brazil.

However, he has rated a recent victory closer to home as one of the most special and meaningful.

Last Friday, Tanisha Balson stunned the Windsor Park audience in Dominica during the Carnival Queen Pageant. Her costume, a tribute to the Kalinago people of Dominica, was designed by St Omer. Balson not only won the Best National Spectacular Wear segment but also walked away with the title of Miss Dominica Carnival Queen 2025.

St Omer explained to St Lucia Times what led him to his latest design achievement.

“My work has been popular in a lot of the islands, so I was recommended by someone to the team for the contestant. After perusing some of my work online, they became interested and reached out to me saying they wanted something different from the norm,” he recalled.

As someone who is passionate about culture and history, he decided to delve into the story of the Kalinago people. Learning that Dominica was the only Eastern Caribbean island with a remaining small population of this “pre-Columbus” native tribe deeply inspired him.

“The more I learned, the more I got excited. The thing is, many of us in the Caribbean and even some Dominicans are not aware of the Kalinago and their history, and so I decided to honour them through the depiction of the costume,” St Omer told St Lucia Times. “When I threw the idea at the team, they were stunned and sold at once.”

He knew he had to step up his game, understanding the passion and the importance of the pageant within Mas Dominik.

“It is one of the biggest shows, and there is a lot of pride in presenting and preparing for that show,” St Omer said. “The fact that they had reached out to me to do a piece and to bring out something different and to show strength in their contestant also spoke volumes, and I felt honoured by that, and I must say I’ve never been treated better.”

As the process evolved, he later visited Dominica.

“I reached out to individuals within the Kalinago tribe who gave me further insight about their culture, customs and traditions and I designed according to that,” he disclosed.

For the most part, the costume was built in Saint Lucia where the contestant’s team had a viewing before it was shipped to Dominica.

“I think what they were impressed with were the different elements of the costume that represented some part of the historical element or the culture of the Kalinago. Even the necklaces that I used were part of their culture,” St Omer explained.

“This, for me, was more than just about a costume but telling a story and saying to the country this is part of you, part of us as Caribbean people, and we should take pride in it and share these stories with our children,” he added.

St Omer said the way Balson portrayed the costume on stage also brought him great satisfaction.

“From the moment she got up on that stage, she truly brought the costume to life…. She went out there and performed, embodying the very essence of the Kalinago tribe.”

St Omer said he has since received numerous calls from other agencies and individuals in Dominica for future work.

“I am quite humbled by this experience and I want to say thank you to Dominica for embracing me and giving me this opportunity,” he said.