THERE’S no type of cancer more deadly or prevalent among men in this country than prostate cancer. Yet, awareness is not as high as it should be. That might change after this month’s brave disclosures by football icon Shaka Hislop, 56, and fashion stalwart Christopher Nathan, 63.
Both come from different walks of life and age groups, yet they are tied by the fact that they have both had to battle the disease. Mr Hislop on December 3 revealed early detection helped save him; but on December 2 Mr Nathan told this newspaper he was facing a choice between seeking palliative care or treating his condition with a mixture of radiation and chemotherapy.
The urgent need for more awareness is brought home by the diverging experiences relayed by the two men on social media.
Mr Hislop was accustomed to having annual check-ups. Genetic markers further gave no indication of a family disposition to the disease. Even so, that did not save him from having to contend with it. After an MRI and a biopsy, by the middle of 2025, the cancer had spread to his pelvic bone. But recently, he completed a course of radiation.
This contrasts with Mr Nathan’s experience. He had been having back pain since July. Doctors at Mt Hope and the Scarborough General Hospital diagnosed osteoarthritis. Relocating to St Vincent and the Grenadines, he thought this manageable. Until last month, when pains and spasms returned him to the hospital. It was then that doctors at Milton Cato Memorial diagnosed stage four metastatic spinal cancer; and he had been afflicted with prostate cancer for some time.
Taboos, prejudices and cultural attitudes stand in the way of our ability to deal with what is, by any standards, a serious public health issue.
Men either do not access healthcare or only do so after signs and symptoms. Many prefer to suffer in silence. They are taught to avoid weakness. At play as well are gender norms and a “macho” culture that leaves no room for vulnerability. Unpalatable, too, is the perception of the public health system across the board, leading to little faith in physicians.
Meanwhile, the Caribbean has some of the highest mortality rates in the world.
The Ministry of Health says between 2016 and 2020, prostate cancer was the highest cause of cancer death, at 18.2 per cent. Cases were recorded in males 55 and over, with 20 per cent of the advanced cases occurring in men between 70 and 74.
But globally, cancer rates are rising among young people under 50, according to the American Cancer Society.
All the more reason why it’s important to shine a spotlight on detection, as Mr Hislop and Mr Nathan have laudably done.
Even though fashion director, fashion education consultant and international model agent Christopher Nathan, 63, grapples with mortality, he feels comforted that he did something with his life and left a legacy for which he will be remembered.
Nathan shared, via social media, that he was diagnosed with stage four metastatic spinal cancer. In a phone interview with Newsday on December 2, he said he was now left with a difficult choice whether to take palliative care or to combat it with a cocktail of radiation, chemo and other cancer-fighting methods.
In a social media post on December 2, Nathan said, “Unknown to me I have been afflicted with prostate cancer for some time now.
“When I left Tobago to relocate to the Grenadines, St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), I was under the opinion that the severe back pains I was enduring since July were caused by osteoarthritis which is what doctors at both Mt Hope and Scarborough General hospitals informed me in August.”
He said on November 22 he began feeling pins and needles throughout his body while at a hotel in Bequia. By Saturday morning (November 23) he experienced muscle spasms and then his entire body went numb.
On that Sunday (November 24) he was paralysed from his chest to toes.
He was taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, in the capital, Kingston, where tests and X-rays were done. There he was diagnosed with stage four metastatic spinal cancer. He has five legions and a spinal fracture.
He was airlifted back to TT and began treatment at the Sangre Grande Hospital Campus.
Nathan said in his phone interview on Tuesday that he was unable to have a bowel movement on his own or pass urine on his own.
“I don’t know if I can live like that. I have to make that decision with God in the next few days, to give up and surrender to God and leave it in his hands or take all the radiation and chemo.”
Nathan said he went to different hospitals in TT in July and he was told it was osteoarthritis in his spine.
Coco Velvet International chief executive/creative director Christopher Nathan –
“If I knew I had cancer then, I would have started treatment. I would not have gone to Bequia,” he said.
He is very emotional and there are good days and then bad ones.
“I am reading a lot about prostate cancer and when it reaches the fourth stage, what’s next and that is totally depressing.
“I am up and down emotionally but I am comforted by God. I am feeling God’s presence,” he said.
He found the acceptance he was feeling very strange.
“I am ready to transition, if I have to. But I am totally, totally satisfied God put me on this earth to do a job and I did it well.”
For the 28 years he has run and managed his Coco Velvet International Fashion and Model Management company, he touched the lives of over a thousand young people with his workshops.
“You have international models from TT who started in the workshop. You have the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) fashion programme, which is the first of its kind in the Caribbean, which I created, introduced to UTT and set up.
“So my legacy is there,” he said.
That keeps him satisfied that he came and did what he had to do, well.
“Maybe it is now God’s time, saying, ‘Boy, you did your job good, come and rest.’”
Nathan has been working for 48 years and never took a break.
Everything he accomplished in the fashion industry required hard work and did not come easy, Nathan said.
The tiredness was what was probably cueing him to surrender, he added.
He had just started his retirement, walking along Bequia’s beaches and having a good time.
He was having back pains in July/August and was visiting the local hospitals for pain killers and muscle relaxers.
“But I was enjoying my life, right because I thought I had osteoarthritis.”
However, he was thankful for the love and appreciation he has received since the diagnosis. People like Miss Universe 1998 Wendy Fitzwilliam, fashion designers Peter Elias, Claudia Pegus, Heather Jones and other industry members have been supporting him.
He was also thankful to pull off the Styleweek Caribbean Fashion Collections despite being in much pain and added that it was his best creative work.
Throughout his life, he has worn many hats: marketing and sales rep, flight attendant, purser/cabin service manager, chief executive/creative director, assistant choreographer/stage manager, fashion and design education consultant, stores merchandising manager, programme administrator and, in more recently, as the chairman of the specifications committee for sustainable garment manufacturing at the TT Bureau of Standards.
Coco Velvet International crowned four winners at its recently concluded Top Model competition.
Winners included Jean-Luc Christophe Jennings, Keisianna Morrison, Jamillia McComie and Kieron Cassey. Special awards were given to Arion Perouse and Shanique Marceline.
Keiseana Morrison of San Juan, Top Model Caribbean 2025 winner walks the runway for Conceited TT collection at Styleweek Caribbean Fashion Collection. –
Jennings will be heading to Milan in December to prepare for Milan menswear fashion week in January 2026. The other three winners Morrison, McComie and Cassey will be under development by Coco Velvet International for the next few months.
Jemelia Mc Comie of La Horquetta, Top Model Caribbean 2025 winner. –
Marceline will be targeted at editorial and print and commercial work and Perouse will be targeted at fitness modelling which is to do work for Adidas and Nike sportswear and Calvin Klein ads.
Arion Perouse of Sangre Grande, special award winner for Top Model Caribbean Fitness in a walks the runway at Styleweek Caribbean Fashion Collection Kambe The Brand at NAPA Auditorium. –
On September 6 all the winners signed contracts with Elsa Exclusive Look and Scouting Agency and Coco Velvet International Management who will manage their modelling careers.
Creative director of Coco Velvet International Christopher Nathan said he was satisfied with the outcome of Styleweek Caribbean and which was held on September 5 at NAPA and featured the Top Model winners.
Shanique Marceline of Tobago, special award winner of Top Model Caribbean 2025 walks the runway at Styleweek Caribbean Fashion Collection. –
Styleweek Caribbean also featured models who graduated from the TT Youth Creative Arts Workshop conducted by Coco Velvet International.
Nathan said he was happy that this year they were able to secure four contracts instead of two with Elsa Exclusive Look and Scouting Agency.
Jean-Luc Christophe Jennings of Lopinot, winner for Top Model Caribbean 2025 walks for the Top Model Caribbean 2025 at NAPA Auditorium, Port of Spain on September 5. –
Coco Velvet International launched Styleweek Port-of-Spain in 2014 at the Trinidad Country Club as a marketing platform for local and regional brands to launch their seasonal collections. This year Styleweek attracted the global intimate apparel brand Victoria’s Secret. A segment was dedicated to the Caribbean Academy of Fashion & Design at the University of Trinidad and Tobago as three alumni collections were showcased.
Kieron Cassey of Arima, Top Model Caribbean 2025 winner, walks the runway at Top Model Caribbean Competition. –
Garrett Javan presented his debut collection for House of Argent, Vanessa Alexander presented a contemporary ethnic-inspired collection for Phlye Style and Stephen Bassano showcased a mixed men’s and womenswear ready-to-wear collection for his label Stephen Bassano Designs.
Nathan said he was thankful for all the assistance hosting Styleweek International, “I would like to acknowledge the Ministry of Community Development for providing the venue, Lord Kitchener Auditorium at NAPA Port of Spain and assisting to host the event and I’d like to thank Hyatt Regency Trinidad for accommodating our panel of judges and Nalis for hosting the TT Youth Creative Arts Workshop.”
Nathan said the plan is to host a fashion trade show in September 2026 at the Hyatt Regency titled Styleweek Caribbean Resort Fashion Week to showcase designer collections from TT to the international market.
The Miss Tourism World Organization has selected 23-year-old Renessa Ortiz to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the 2024 global finale in Beijing, China.
Ortiz won the Miss Tobago 2024 title at Makin’ Style Tobago on March 3 at the Shaw Park Complex and later competed against 16 other community delegates for the Miss World TT 2024 title at National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port of Spain, on June 23, making it to the five finalists.
The Miss Tourism World Pageant is a global platform for national delegates to showcase the culture, festivals and tourism offerings of their respective countries.
Christopher Nathan, director of Miss Tobago 2024 pageant; Giselle Laronde-West, Miss World 1986; and the national franchise director for Miss Tourism World Sohan Badall will accompany Ortiz to China.
MISS WORLD CARIBBEAN Aché Abrahams shared the spotlight with Miss Tobago Renessa Ortiz during the former’s day-long visit to Tobago on March 26.
The visit was organised by the Tobago Tourism Agency Ltd (TTAL).
A beaming Abrahams, who arrived at the ANR Robinson International Airport around 8.50 am with her mother, Camille Selvon Abrahams, was greeted by a small gathering, which included her sister Sade, Ortiz and Christopher Nathan, CEO, Coco Velvet International Fashion and Model Management.
TTAL representatives were also on hand to welcome Abrahams, who placed fourth overall at the 71st Miss World pageant in Mumbai, India, on March 9.
Abrahams, 24, embraced Ortiz, and the two exchanged pleasantries. She also hugged her sister and several others.
The beauty queens later posed for photographs outside of the airport.
Nine Tobago beauties will have the opportunity to gain automatic entry into the Miss World Trinidad and Tobago pageant in Port of Spain later this year, when they compete on March 3 in the final of the Miss Tobago 2024 pageant.
The final, titled Makin Style, will be held at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex in Scarborough.
Coco Velvet International, a brand synonymous with fashion and model management, will host the event in a transformed ambiance to suit the occasion.
The finalists were selected from a field of 15 contestants at the semi-finals, which was held at the Comfort Inn & Suites, Scarborough on January 21.
Christopher Nathan, chief executive officer of Coco Velvet International, promises a spectacular production for patrons. He said all the delegates and fashion designers are from Tobago, in an attempt to further promote the local industry.
Among the local designers booked for the occasion are former government minister Vernella Alleyne-Toppin and popular singer Sharon Phillips.
The queen show will begin at 8 pm and will be preceded by a Tobago designers pre-show from 5 pm, where patrons can view and purchase jewellery, art and clothing made by local designers.
A panel of international and local judges, including THA Secretary of Education, Research and Technology Zorisha Hackett, will adjudicate the women on intelligence, physique and evening wear. Special awards will include Miss Photogenic and Most Improved Delegate.
Among the women competing are Annaya Baird, 17, of Plymouth. Baird said she was encouraged to enter the pageant by her family and friends, who convinced her that she is fitting of a delegate role.
She described the exposure thus far as eye-opening. “I entered the pageant for the experience. I am young and have my mind set on major goals,” she said.
“I am, however, able to take the things I have learned and apply them in other spaces, which I think is great, and the purpose of this training.
“This experience has certainly enhanced my personal development and I have gained knowledge in many fields such as beauty, deportment and public speaking.”
She said her confidence has elevated considerably.
Baird said her inspiration is Trinidad and Tobago’s Miss World 1986 winner, Giselle Laronde-West.
“Since meeting and being trained by her, she is definitely knowledgeable, eloquent, and a testament to how far hard work and dedication can take you. She’s also gorgeous and funny.”
While Baird is happy to have crossed the preliminary hurdle, she remains positive ahead of the final.
“Being one of the youngest and least experience of the delegates, I felt like I had to work twice as hard to belong in the space. I am glad to see that my hard work has paid off.”
Jhovell Sealey, 23 is representing Moriah and promises to use her platform to become a youth entrepreneurial advocate. She described her experience so far as truly captivating and exhilarating.
Sealey, who is employed as a spa esthetician, is embracing the positives in her journey. She said, “I am seeing myself slowly transitioning from being nonchalant into becoming a more self-conscious individual and embracing open-mindedness.”
She is not short of confidence heading into the final showpiece. “It felt deserved, knowing that I put my best foot forward. My confidence has not changed from the inception, it is still very strong.”
Monique Joseph, 26, of Speyside, said she knew of the pageant through social media and jumped at the opportunity to enter.
“Pageantry has always been a career choice for me,” she said, “Not only to compete, but my vision and ability to counsel others can be utilised in the beauty industry as a creative director or brands manager.”
She has entered pageants as a child, but said the experience gained at Miss Tobago 2024 is priceless.
Joseph did her first promotional video with Letts Shine Ltd and a photoshoot with international photographer Kevin Riley. She will be the first queen to hit the stage.
“I am confidently leading the way as contestant number one. My preparation has been thorough, thanks to the training I received, including from communication specialist Ria Ali-Lindow.
Joseph has a message for women around the world: “You don’t require a crown to be a queen, but queen are leaders. So lead by example.”
Tickets for the show cost $30 and $100 for VIP.and are available at Comfort Inn & Suites Hotel, Viola’s Guest House, Lowlands and the box office at Shaw Park Cultural Complex.
Coco Velvet International, one of the top fashion management companies locally, is intent on bringing the 2028 Miss World competition to Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the Caribbean. Established in 1997, Coco Velvet International is headed by Christopher Nathan, its chief executive/creative director.
Nathan said the plan, if chosen as host, is to spread the competition to other islands such as Grenada, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Coco Velvet International has hosted several local events such as Top Model TT and Style Week Port of Spain. Nathan has experience at the top of the fashion world having worked as a senior production associate for Caribbean Fashion Week (2000-2005) and been involved in the Elite Model Look world finals in France, Switzerland and China (2000-2015).
He was selected by Miss Universe Inc to work under its choreographer Scott Grosman as a stage manager and assistant choreographer for TT’s hosting of Miss Universe 1999 in Chaguaramas. Since then he has worked as Miss Universe TT choreographer and a member of the selection panel for several beauty pageants including Miss Trinidad and Tobago New York.
Nathan outlined some of his plans during an interview with Newsday on Monday as preparation continues for the Miss Tobago 2024 Beauty Pageant, which will be held on March 3 at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex.
On gaining support for the bid, Nathan said, “We’re doing it in a systematic way. First, we’re gonna send the proposal to the Ministry of Tourism for the minister to approve it. If he approves it, it will be then be taken to Parliament (Cabinet) for the government to approve it. Once that is done and the TT government wants to be the major stakeholder, we then plan to take it to Caricom and the OECS for approval, because we looking at a joint venture.”
Once approved, the project proposal will be submitted to Julia Morley, CEO and chair of Miss World. Nathan plans to submit the Miss Tobago 2024 Beauty Pageant video along with the proposal to convince the Miss World organisation that Coco Velvet International can deliver the required high quality standards associated with the brand.
Nathan said it would be in everyone’s best interest to share the financial cost of hosting such a prestigious competition.
Coco Velvet International chief executive/creative director Christopher Nathan –
In a statement sent to Newsday, Coco Velvet International said, “There are normally several judged pre-show contests and special events leading up to the Miss World finals; the plan is to host one of each of the pageant’s pre-show events in a different island – one in Tobago, Grenada, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines; with the Miss World 2028 grand finale to be held in Trinidad at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain.
Nathan said the Caribbean stands to gain heavily if the bid is successful, especially with its close proximity to Latin America which boasts millions of pageant-loving fans.
“Tremendous benefits. The stats show that the Miss World pageant was viewed by over 100 million people. We’ve had at least 40,000 people who come to the event wherever it is hosted, so you’re looking at filling up the hotels in the participating islands for the show.”
He noted that opportunities for branding would also be available.
Coco Velvet International said it would be ideal if Caribbean Airlines could become the official air carrier to bring visitors to the event.
Coco Velvet International said contestants from the English-speaking Caribbean have enjoyed considerable success at Miss World since the inaugural pageant in 1951.
The company noted that Miss Grenada Jennifer Hosten created history at Royal Albert Hall in 1970 when she clinched the title, to become the first black title winner.
TT’s Giselle Laronde-West became the third black Miss World winner in 1986.
Jamaica has won the crown four times: 1963 candidate Carole Joan Crawford, who became the first delegate from the West Indies to win Miss World; Bob Marley’s girlfriend Cindy Breakspeare won the prestigious title in 1976; Jamaican politician Lisa Rene Shanti Hanna won in 1993; and Toni-Ann Singh in 2019.
Efforts to contact Miss TT World franchise holder Charu Lochan Dass for comment were unsuccessful.
TWELVE talented young women, representing communities across the island, will compete in the semi-finals of the Miss Tobago 2024 beauty pageant this evening at The Terrace – Comfort Inn & Suites Hotel, Orange Hill Road, Scarborough.
From the line-up, nine delegates will be selected to compete for the title of Miss Tobago in the finals of the pageant on February 4 at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex. It is being hosted by Coco Velvet International Fashion & Model Management.
The winner will represent the island at the Miss World TT contest in Port of Spain later this year.
The semi-finalists are: Monique Joseph (Miss Speyside); Brianna Joseph (Miss Mason Hall); Renessa Ortiz (Miss Golden Lane); Jelani Lovelace (Miss New Grange); Annaya Beard (Miss Plymouth); Renee Mc Ewen (Miss Black Rock); Jada Miller (Miss Mt Grace); Dejah Vincent (Miss Patience Hill); Jhovell Sealey (Miss Moriah); Makayla Mc Kenzie (Miss Bon Accord); Lily McKenzie (Miss Charlotteville); Dionne McKenzie (Miss Scarborough).
Coco Velvet International CEO and pageant director Christopher Nathan said patrons can expect “an afternoon of elegance, glamour and excitement as we unearth the next generation of top models and beauty queens.
“But for one special young woman, Sunday (today) is the first step toward representing Tobago at the next Miss World pageant.”
He said the judges for this evening’s pageant are Miss World 1986 Giselle La Ronde West, THA Secretary of Education, Research and Technology Zorisha Hackett and Miss World TT national franchise director Charu Lochan Dass. There will be a pre-show cocktail from 3-5pm.
A ground-breaking initiative conceptualised to provide opportunities for young women living in villages, Nathan told Sunday Newsday the preparations for the contest included personal and professional development training based on the requirements of the Miss World pageant.
Ten of the semi-finalists in the Miss Tobago 2024 Beauty Pageant. Photo courtesy Coco Velvet International. –
Initially, he said, the young women were enrolled in Coco Velvet’s Tobago Youth Creative Arts Workshop for three months of intensive training at the Scarborough Library. The workshop was facilitated by La Ronde-West, communications practitioner Ricia Ali-Lindow among others.
Nathan, who has been involved in the local fashion industry for more than four decades, also shared his years of experience with the delegates.
He told Sunday Newsday his career in fashion began as a sales representative for TT’s first fashion magazine, You, in 1978. That same year, he trained for a professional modelling career and a year later, was signed to Finale Fashions as a male model.
Nathan then moved on to the House of Jacqui in 1986 and Mannequins Image Management in 1991. He established Coco Velvet International in 1997.
Asked about his experiences in coordinating the Miss Tobago pageant, Nathan said, “The Miss Tobago project experience has proven to me that this type of professional development is badly needed for girls and young women in Tobago, particularly so for residents living in rural communities.”
He said the delegates’ training involved deportment, grooming, hygiene, etiquette and communication skills development as it related to verbal, non-verbal, digital communication as well as public speaking programmes.
But he observed, “Most of the community delegates started the training with confidence challenges, fear of public speaking and problems managing their social media presence.”
Nathan said the facilitators, La Ronde West and Ali-Lindow, in particular, provided yeoman service to Tobago “as our delegates are now empowered to go after their career goals and aspirations.”
The pageant, he believes, can provide a platform for the Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation to explore the benefits of beauty and fashion tourism, which already exists in many countries around the world.
“This tourism niche market, if developed, can attract a new market segment to Tobago.”
Nathan said once Coco Velvet international receives support from the assembly, it will host Styleweek Caribbean Carnival Arts and Fashion Festival from Ash Wednesday in Tobago, targeting the cruise market and fashionistas living in North America.
Styleweek, he said, will allow craft artisans, apparel designers and artists to exhibit and sell locally made merchandise to the visitors during a five-day arts festival at Pigeon Point Heritage Park.
But Nathan said the journey to Miss Tobago 2024 pageant has somewhat challenging.
“The whole problem with the Miss Tobago pageant was the difficulty in securing support from corporate Trinidad and Tobago and as well the Tobago House of Assembly.”
Nathan said although the THA sponsored the training for the delegates during the workshop, “Up to today (Thursday), which is just two weeks before the pageant, we have not received any funding whatsoever for the pageant itself. So that was my main difficulty.”
He said he sent out proposals to over 50 corporations, including all of the banks, energy companies and large corporations in Trinidad that would normally support Cocoa Velvet International’s fashion products and events in the past.
Nathan said he is yet to get responses.
Christopher Nathan, CEO, Coco Velvet International and pageant director, with one of the delegates during a training workshop. –
“It seems to be that because the project is in Tobago, we have not had the support from corporate Trinidad and Tobago, which is unfortunate because I have found that Tobago is often left behind and do not get the kind of support that Trinidad gets on events and projects. So that was my main difficulty.”
He said organisers have also encountered difficulties in getting gowns for the nine finalists.
To address this, Nathan said he came up with the idea of a designer challenge where the nine designers who were selected to create and manufacture the gowns would compete for a cash reward.
“I have approached the THA to sponsor that prize, which we call the THA Chief Secretary Designer Challenge Award. I am still waiting on confirmation from the THA for that award. But it will help tremendously because it would alleviate the need for the delegates to find resources to pay for their own gowns.”
But Nathan assured the show will go on.
“The Shaw Park Complex is booked and ready. We have had our site visit for the pageant on February 4 and ticket sales are moving along nicely because we tried to keep the ticket at a low cost in order for residents of the communities who have a representative to come out and support their delegate for Miss Tobago 2024 beauty pageant.”
He said 14 young women were expected to participate in the semi-finals but two dropped out of the competition.
“So 12 delegates will compete for nine spots in the final.”
Nathan said this evening, Coco Velvet will also host Tobago’s Top Model 2024 to select an aspiring fashion model for an international modelling contract.
