From the Roman marvels of southern France to Caribbean revelry, Sailors in Denim threads together the architectural grandeur, cultural rituals, and timeless style of denim's birthplace—Nîmes. The presentation ties this textile legacy to a contemporary reinterpretation of the Sea Bee masquerade costume, itself a variation of the popular Sailor Mas originating in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1880s.

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Traditional Sailor Mas was shaped by the presence of British, French, and American naval ships that docked in Trinidad’s ports, influencing Carnival with uniforms that were reimagined as performance and play. Among its most recognizable offshoots, the Sea Bee mas drew its name from the Construction Battalions and their work attire. It became known for its distinctive ensemble of blue dungarees, blue chamber shirts, and a crisp white sailor cap, an outfit popularized on the streets by the Dem Fortunates Steelband.

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Through this costume’s evolution, denim is repositioned not just as workwear or fashion but as a fabric of identity that is woven into our Carnival. In connecting the mills of Nîmes with the streets of Port of Spain, Sailors in Denim celebrates the history of the fabric itself and our traditional Sailor Mas, now contemporized for a new generation of masqueraders.