New York designer, Cara Araneta, created new uniforms for the staff at Ka’ana. Check out her mood board and learn about the inspiration behind the uniforms!
“I wanted to create a uniform that did not look like a uniform. The concept was to pay tribute to Belize’s cultural heritage and Ka’ana’s explorer lifestyle.
I was inspired by ka’ana and its beautiful surroundings, vintage red cross uniforms, the masculinity of traditional uniforms and YSL’s ’67 safari collection.
I wanted to mix traditional workwear fabrics with more refined. And redefine vintage styling in a modern way. Just like Ka’ana.”
Bio Eileen Chiang is a photographer and creative director whose penchant for documenting charming, offbeat experiences in faraway places often lands her right in front of the exotic glow of a computer screen. After spending nearly a decade branding and launching successful hospitality brands for a boutique hotel group based in Manhattan, Eileen now runs her own studio providing holistic branding to hotel clients in emerging markets. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her fly fishing obsessed husband and a pigish Boston Terrier. Her work can be seen on www.eileenchiang.com.
What was your favorite thing about Ka’ana? I love the people. The owners and staff are simply some of the most kind and caring people I have met in this industry. From the moment you enter Ka’ana, you can tell the place is a labor of love accessorized with excellent food and thoughtful service. My favorite touch is the midnight snack. The staff leaves a treat in your fridge while you are out. It’s such a lovely surprise to find the delicious nibble after a long day exploring the Mayan landscape. Oh and the rooms aren’t too shabby either.
What was your most memorable experience? I think my most memorable experience was when we ran late covering Lamanai and we had to navigate a speedboat in croc infested water in total darkness. Our friend Max graciously volunteered to strap on a headlamp and lay on the bow of the boat to be our guiding light while we held down his legs during the speedy sharp turns so he won’t fly off and become a midnight snack to the crocs.
Also shooting out of a doorless helicopter while our 65 year old pilot was doing serious arial stunts so we can catch a good shot of the speeding airboat was pretty memorable too. Then there was that time we foolishly hiked the ATM caves without food or water and a ton of water sensitive camera equipment…
What do you love most about your job? As a photographer and designer working in the hospitality industry, I get to travel a lot and meet some truly great people. I love listening to their stories and see their hard work pay off in ways that benefits others around them. I also learned to become tougher and more open at the same time on these solo work trips. I find that if you are ready to listen, people will gladly share their stories and in turn teach you things that are priceless.
We love biking to explore a new city, so we are loving artist Zhao Huasen’s fun collection of images where bicyclists float along city streets on Invisible Bikes.
Look at these beautiful images by Kristin Kirgan we found on LiveFastMag.com! Be sure to read about Ka’ana on LiveFastMag here!
“You do that like a local,” whispered a voice in the distance as I walked at the speed of a turtle, almost in a trance, after spending an hour relaxing in a hammock at the end of Colinda Cabin’s dock. It took me three days to finally catch up with the Belize island of Caye Caulker‘s motto “Go Slow,” and now I am totally ok with it.
We’ve been working with New York-based designer, Cara Araneta, to upgrade the interiors of our Balam Suites, King and Queen Casita Suites. Her vision was to combine Belize’s colonial heritage and indigenous crafts with expedition influences, scattering antiques like vintage binoculars, cameras, telescopes, and old, military medals. Also, placing English colonial portraits adjacent to local artists’ artworks and using warm, local textiles and patterned accents. Each suite is personally styled. “I wanted every room to tell a story – and feel personal.” Here are some work-in-progress snapshots.
