GenXS Carnival has given a glimpse to its 2027 costume collection, which features model, actress, and influencer Virginia Sanhouse in a design by Shawn Dhanraj, as the band prepares to launch its full campaign for its fifth season in Jamaica.

Sanhouse, whose Instagram following exceeds 2.5 million, appears in one of the campaign’s first releases.

The costume reveal signals the start of the collection’s roll-out, with further designs and campaign announcements to follow.

The release comes on the heels of GenX’s second-place finish in the Band of the Year competition at Miami Broward Carnival 2026. The placement came after an emergency production effort saw teams flown in from Trinidad and Grenada to remake more than 100 costumes.

The band’s STING presentation reached the judging stage following round-the-clock work at the GenX band house. This is the band’s third-consecutive top-three finish, following its win in 2024 with Ravenous and third place in 2025.

“Miami 2026 tested us,” said Tagyei Belinfante, GenX director. “Alongside the move to a new venue, costume shipping delays from China affected several bands, including ours. Our team had to respond quickly, and our masqueraders showed tremendous patience. To still cross that stage and earn second place means a great deal. We’re proud of everyone who helped get us there, and we’re carrying that determination into Trinidad and Jamaica.”

Nisha Felice of Nisha Felice Productions helped lead the recovery, coordinating teams brought in to rebuild the affected costumes.

“We flew in teams from Trinidad and Grenada and ran production around the clock at the band house, remaking more than 100 costumes. Production crisis management is what I do, and everyone involved was committed to getting our masqueraders ready,” Felice disclosed.

GenXS will return to Trinidad Carnival on February 8 and 9 next year for its fourth year partnering with TRIBE. The collaboration will again feature a GenXS section and the branded GenXS Cart for two days of mas in Port of Spain.

Since its first TRIBE collaboration in 2024 the Trinidad experience has connected the band’s Jamaica and Miami communities with one of Carnival’s most established bands.

In Jamaica, GenXS Immortals J’Ouvert is scheduled for April 3, followed by the GenXS Carnival road march on April 4, 2027. The band made its Jamaica road début in 2023.

The first costume reveal builds on ‘Watch the Road’, the band’s pre-registration campaign, ahead of the wider campaign and costume roll-out.

“Five seasons in Jamaica gives us plenty to celebrate, but we’re just as excited about what comes next,” said Monét Flowers, acting marketing director of GenXS Carnival. “ ‘Watch the Road’ puts our masqueraders’ point of view at the centre of the experience. From smart glasses to what we’re planning for the road, we want to give people more ways to enjoy Carnival and keep those memories. There’s much more to announce.”

The pre-registration campaign features GenXS Smart Glasses for capturing the road from the wearer’s perspective, alongside GenXS Moon Slides, the GenXS Carry-On Capsule and insulated mugs.

With Sanhouse modelling the first revealed costume, attention now turns to the rest of the collection and what GenXS has planned for its fifth Jamaica season.