Wrap Star Ann-Marie Davy
“I fully enjoy wearing a wrap with any kind of garment. From a simple sun dress, to an elegant gown and everything in between.” –Rosalia Martinez
Born in the Dominican Republic, raised in New York and now residing in Norfolk, VA, Rosalia Martinez is obviously a WrapStar and our feature of the week!
She is an awesome crotchetier who creates beautiful handmade earrings, head coverings, and clothing. She is also a muse who has inspired some of the beautiful paintings by her fiancé, Ramel Hunt. My favorite is this amazing piece:
Rosalia has worn head wraps for the past 13 years after experiencing an increase in self-knowledge and realizing (at the age of 16) the beauty of her black heritage. According to Rosalia “I wrap my hair because it makes me feel like royalty. It represents my culture, my African roots. A head wrap to me is a crown that as a Queen I wear with pride.” Her sentiments are evident in her moniker,” Dynamic Queen.”
The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, is rich in African, European, and Hispanic influences. In DR, the head covering is called the Paños, which was usually made of a coarse material during the days of Slavery. Formerly worn by slaves and women as a protective tool, today, the paños is uncommon in today’s Dominican Republic society. 
But, that does not stop WrapStars like Rosalia Martinez from wearing her crowns with pride and style. She wears her head wraps with any type of garment from jeans to gowns. She shows us how to wear a wrap both casually as she goes about her daily business or cares for her family. But she also shows us that the head wrap is not just an accessory for casual outings, she has worn hers with gowns and beautiful summer dresses.
Rosalia wears the Nefertiti head wrap, which is also known as the Badu named after Erykah Badu or the crown. A tutorial for which can be found on my YouTube Page at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeSwtoL3p9I&feature=related. North American Men and women alike tend to feel most regal in the crown head wrap than any other form of head wrap.
Rosalia’s 13 years of wearing wraps has had its moments of difficulties which she has faced with strength and determination. Because she began wearing wraps in high school, she remembers being “harassed” by teachers who advised she remove the wrap or face detention. Needless to say, Rosalia never removed her wraps. In adulthood, she has noticed that employers are more favorable to a partial head wrap as opposed to a full crown. She jokingly says “I guess a full wrap made them too uncomfortable”.
For Rosalia, exposing her hair is very personal. By wearing head wraps, 
some individuals feel more connected to their African heritage and allows them to choose when, where, and to whom her head is exposed. Reader, do you have similar experiences as Rosalia? Has a teacher or an employer asked you to remove your head wrap? If so, comment below this article and tell us all about it.
Please join CaribDirect, Sandal Solé®’, and Headwraps & WrapStars as we congratulate this week’s feature Rosalia Martinez!
If you have any questions or comments regarding head wrapping or need a video tutorial, don’t hesitate to contact me (Ann-Marie Smiles) or post your requests right here on CaribDirect.com.
Wrap on WrapStars!
