Naomi Cowan brings glitz, glam to Bob Marley premieres
Published:Friday | February 23, 2024 | 12:18 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Playing the legendary Marcia Griffiths onscreen, singer Naomi Cowan brought all things glitz and glam to the premieres of Bob Marley: One Love.
Typically adorned in timeless, eclectic, truly feminine, purposeful and brave fashion, Cowan believed that her personal style shone right through in each of the red carpet looks. Her stylist, Ivy ‘Coco’ Maurice, explained that because Cowan’s confidence always radiated, she chose red carpet looks that told a story.
“You can never go wrong being a class act. And I really wanted to embrace the energy that Naomi was experiencing for the first time, having her first feature film. I knew that elegance would elevate her essence,” she said.
The singer and stylist first met back in 2018 through Maurice’s brother, Ettiene, who is one of Cowan’s closest friends. “Ivy and I immediately hit it off because Ettiene is like a brother to me, and he and his sister had this incredible bond. We’ve been friends the whole time but this red carpet tour was our first time officially working together.”
At the highly anticipated premiere held at Carib 5 in Kingston, the Paradise Plum singer and actress made her debut, rocking the red carpet in a green diamanté dress from Italian designer, Avaro Figlio. “For the local premiere, I felt like my adolescent self when I was Miss Teen Jamaica representing the country. Similar to my winning dress then with the feathers, I loved how the bow and the diamanté elevated the look. Like a hummingbird, it was like I was flying. The dress brought out the ‘Star Girl’ side of who I am, the ‘Paradise Plum’ that people know,” Cowan revealed.
Maurice, who was by her side, also stated, “We wanted to give a classic theme of the old-school Barbie, with the big bow in the back and the details of the jewels, just to accentuate and add a little flair.”
From there, fashion took flight at the London premiere of the biopic. Knowing the ‘Brits’ would step things up a notch, the dynamic duo decided to go with elegance and extravagance, making a bolder statement for the occasion dressed in a cobalt blue couture gown, with a train, from American-Japanese designer, Tadashi Soji.
“I loved the lace and the Victorian nature of the bodice. It was super classic and paid tribute to London. Then the skirt was very industrial, urban and light. It was so easy to wear that dress and navigate around the red carpet,” Cowan shared. Maurice was excited to see her client giving main character energy.
The glitz and glamour came to a head in Los Angeles. Reminiscing on the freezing cold and rainy weather she faced at that premiere, Cowan admitted that she was warm and cosy since the dress covered all the right areas and the curves were giving in all the right places.
Designed by West African designer Kwame Adusei who is based in the States, the vibrant dress also holds historic significance since it pays homage to the reggae queen she portrayed in the movie.
“For the grand finale in LA, we had to do a nice send-off to Auntie Marcia. I had seen a picture of Auntie Marcia on her album cover and I was like, we have to recreate the essence of this. Then I saw this amazing yellow dress by designer Kwame Adusei and I really wanted to emphasise a black designer during this tour,” Maurice shared.
Paying tribute to Marcia Griffith’s cover for her album Naturally, Cowan not only embodied her moment but she successfully represented the vibrant queen and her legacy. “It was like I was carrying her legacy and mine, as well as my family and the women of Jamaican music, all in one moment. It was the perfect mix of classy, feminine and a little bit of sensual without being too overt with it. Historically, culturally and energetically, this was my all-time favourite look,” the singer added.
Cowan, who appeared to be in her comfort zone, seamlessly painted a royal picture of Griffiths on screen, swaying to the melodies as the backup singer for the man of the hour.
When it came to the styles of the red carpet, Maurice was happy that she was able to push that actress outside of her comfort zone and, “...really showcase her in a different light. We know her as Naomi Cowan, the performer, and Naomi Cowan, the entertainer. But now we’re seeing her as Naomi Cowan, the actress.”