Coco Velvet says sorry for cathedral faux pas

ALTHOUGH the company sold the franchise this year, Coco Velvet International, the original organisers of Style Week Port of Spain, has apologised to the public and the religious community over the fashion show which took place at the Holy Trinity Cathedral over the weekend.

In a release, chief executive director Christopher Nathan said while he respected the need for artistic freedom, the company believed overtly revealing looks should have been edited by the fashion director.

Nathan explained Style Week Port of Spain was launched in 2014, but because of a lack of corporate support, the franchise was sold to Zetik Caribbean Ltd this year.

He added several meetings were held between Zetik Caribbean and the dean of the Anglican Church, where guidelines were set.

Nathan promised, said the release, that "if swimwear collections were being showcased in the cathedral, sarong wraps, scarves and other beach accessories would be used to ensure all models would be fully covered.”

Nathan said he was in the Seychelles on business while the show was running.

“Seeing skimpily clad models parading in front of the Trinity Cathedral's altar on the cover of Monday's daily newspapers was highly offensive to him,” the release said.