The Red Bulletin September 2020 (UK)

Notting Hill Carnival
what makes it such a powerful space for
women to celebrate their bodies.”
Samba has influenced Rhona’s work
beyond the dance moves. Although it’s
known today as a Brazilian brand of
dance, the roots of samba can be found
in the semba, a style that originated
in Angola, south-west Africa. When
Portuguese slave traders transported
Angolans to the state of Bahia in northeast
Brazil in the early 17th century, the
slaves maintained this tradition. With
the abolition of slavery in Brazil in the
late 19th century, those who had been
freed settled in the favelas of Rio de
Janeiro, where they developed their
own form of samba. “Being around those
stories has inspired certain headpieces
and accessories I’ve made,” Rhona says.
“There’s a recognition of those stories
in the garments I create.”
On a personal level, the sense of
achievement Rhona feels post-Carnival
lives on long after the floats have passed.
“I’m knackered by the end of it, but that
same feeling of ‘Wow, this is what I’ve
done…’ lives on,” she says. “I think I’ve
learnt to treasure that a lot more. I think
that’s made me a more secure person.”
LEONE
BUNCOMBE
PRODUCTION
MANAGER, MANGROVE
MAS BAND
Leone Buncombe designs
and creates more than 200
costumes for Carnival each
year, but on the big day you’ll
find her in jeans and a T-shirt.
“It’s funny,” she says. “I’ve
never been the kind to dress
up. When I was younger, I’d go
to Carnival with my mum, who
was a seamstress. She wasn’t
a costume person either.”
However, as production
manager for Mangrove Mas
Band (short for masquerade
band), one of Carnival’s most
historic costume troupes,
the 36-year-old is passionate
about her creations. “It’s
the spectacle of costume,
starting with an idea, going
through the design process
and creating something
“We try to
get young
people into
creative
industries.
Carnival
is a great
route in”
unexpected,” she says. “You
can go anywhere with it.
Creating costumes for
Mangrove Mas Band is a
year-round job – work starts
almost as soon as Carnival
finishes. “It’s like, ‘We’ve
finished. What are we doing
next year?’” says Leone with
a smile. “In July and August,
it’s all hands on deck. You
have 15 people a night at the
mas camp, all volunteers
working until the early hours.
Around 200 costumes equals
tens of thousands of gems,
hundreds of metres of fabric,
and at least 1,000 glue sticks.”
The community effort is
part of the appeal for Leone,
who has been with the mas
band for 14 years. “If you
don’t have community, it
becomes a lonely world,”
she says. “Carnival has taught
me to ‘free up’, as we call it –
not to take life too seriously.
You walk into the mas camp
and there’s music playing,
people giggling and catching
up. It doesn’t feel like work.”
In her day job, Leone
is service manager for the
Rugby Portobello Trust,
a charity that helps young
people find education and
employment. “It’s about
getting people through doors
they might not be able to
walk through themselves.
We have a creative arts
project called Amplify, which
Mangrove is attached to. We
try to get young people into
creative industries, and
Carnival is a great route in.”
Leone and her team are
making 15 ‘utopia’-themed
costumes for a catwalk show
that will be part of this year’s
digital offering. She believes
that being online will help
spread a deeper knowledge
of Carnival. “You’ll be able
to see every element for
what it is, and get a better
understanding of the history.
You couldn’t usually see it
all on foot in a day. It’ll give
people a chance to see the
bigger picture.”
THE RED BULLETIN 41