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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Focus on Fashion
Until now, perhaps better known to our readers as "Mr. Carter," the recording artist and creator of The Limbo Song, Angelo A. Carter is doing well now in the fashion industry. A Freeport, Grand Bahama native, and resident of Baltimore, Washington, Angelo's Island Code Tees (R) are worn throughout the Caribbean and have even been seen on Soca Queen, Alison Hinds. (check out her music video, Parade - see 1:49 mark) Angelo said he came up with the idea back in 1998 while he was a performing in Baltimore. After making a long distance phone call home to the Bahamas, he discovered that the area code had been changed from 809 to 242. After some research, he found out that all the Caribbean country area codes had been changed, so he matched each area code with the country flag…and Island Code Tees was born. He was also working at a corrugated box manufacturing plant as a die-cut setup/print machine operator, with similar process as screen printing, so great things began from there. Angelo then commissioned a graphic artist for his designs. While still performing locally at Caribbean community festivals and clubs, networking with promoters and event organizers, Angelo would notice the merchandise vendors at the festivals, their T-shirt products so generic and with low quality printing. Unsatisfied with that, Angelo wanted to create something that was made with pride, because Islanders are proud of who they are. After much planning, and work, Island Code Tees, Caribbean Apparel Co., hit the web in 2006. Today his product line is comprised of over 25 Caribbean area codes including – Aruba, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, St. Lucia, Turks & Caicos, Trinidad & Tobago, and US Virgin Islands, with 20 Caribbean Country Independence Tees in various styles and colours.
The brand is endorsed by recording artists and international DJ’s covering many musical genres, including calypso, Caribbean, dance hall, hip hop and reggae. Endorsements come from a who's who of DJs, such as DJ Stephen, DJ Super Slice, DJ Smally, DJ Tanz, DJ Bing, DJ Assassin HD, DJ Baje-Man, Spyda the DJ, DJ Punpkin, DJ Majestic and DJ Mr. Muzik. Terra B, was the first Soca artist to wear the apparel in a music video. For Adrian Dutchin and Jumo Primo, they designed signature products that were featured in their music videos. Also eager to wear Island Code T’s, Soca / Parang Crazy (Edwin Ayoung) Kes (lead singer of Kes the band) Denise Belfon, Julien Thompson. Signature products were designed for Alison Hinds. The Official Born Wit It! Tees were designed by Island Code Tees, Caribbean Apparel Co., commissioned by Black Coral Inc, Official License 2013. For Joe Black they designed signature products that were featured in his music video in 2015. In 2001, during the Haiti earthquake, DC Caribbean Carnival Association, of which Angelo is a member, hosted a fund-raising event, donating to the victims all the proceeds from the sale of shirts sold at the event. Island Code Tees Caribbean Apparel Co started the whole excitement of representing the codes, and it hit especially big in Trinidad and Tobago, where they sell more shirts there, than anywhere else. "Our in-house design team is on the cutting edge of graphic design," said Carter. "And we have the best screen-printing production team. Every product is printed to last, because it's made with pride." Learn more at: IslandCodeTees.com
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