The Designer of La Vega Who Dresses the “Devils”

Ramón was nine when he began to snoop around the workshops of the designers, tailors and seamstress’s who were making Carnival costumes for the devils in La Vega. He didn’t know at the time that his curiosity would lead him to a lifelong career that would later support himself and his family.

Decades later, he works long hours to dress the hundreds of devils who walk the streets of La Vega every Sunday, giving life to the city’s colorful Carnival.

Ramón Stanley has dressed more than 400 Carnival troupes from La Vega. The majority of costume seekers tend to come from neighborhoods in La Vega. However, a significant number of people also come from Bonao, Villa González and Moca in search of his services for a costume with enough leg and arm room to dance around and to swing the traditional cow’s bladder.

This year, in his modest workshop in La Vega, Ramón Stanley is making costumes for 17 troupes.

This process is simple, but the work that goes into it is arduous. First the pattern has to be drawn out on white paper, he explained. He then makes a pattern of “Manila paper.” The pattern is used to cut out the chosen material.

“The costumes are made with lamé or “shiny material,” said the young designer who has turned most of his home into his workplace.

Kennet “Sequins” is one of the main providers of fabric and it is from him that Ramón Stanley gets his supply of material.

He’d run behind the devils in the carnival parties then spend endless hours in the mask-making workshops in the city in order to learn how to make them himself. He played with the mud and clay while learning to mold the faces from damp paper and glue. He was soon to become one of the most famous mask makers in Santiago.

In addition to the combination of colors and fabric designs, they also use decorative elements to embellish the costumes. They usually use sequins, feathers, tinsel and precious stones.

Bells are part of the basic outfit but they also provide music for the celebration.

The time it takes for a Carnival designer and tailor to make an outfit is difficult to determine.

“I wake up at 5:00 in the morning and finish working around midnight,” said Ramón Stanley. These long work hours are the norm in January but beginning in November things start getting hectic.

Eight people work with this hardworking La Vega native but he often has to find extras to lend a hand when things get busy. And that includes his 8-year-old daughter who has an amazing ability with a needle and thread and who organizes the remnants of fabric to help the assembly line run smoothly.

New Year, New Costume

The work is intense because every year the devils must wear something different from the year before. The designs are never the same as the previous year – not even two previous years.

The cost of the outfit depends on the material used to make it. The most economical costume costs around RD$15,000 each.

Some groups have up to 60 members. The smallest would have at least 8 members. Hence, the tailor must design, sew and come up with the exact right size for each devil.

This year, 2008, La Vega is expecting more than 150 troupes to participate in its Carnival parade.

The sewing machines are working non-stop…