Posted on

Guyana Fashion Weekend – Ready and Rearing to Go!

Guyana Fashion Weekend took Guyana by storm when Sonia Noel, turned her dream to reality at the end of August in 2007. Celebrities, diplomats and general patrons all wondered how they could top such an excellent production in 2008. Noel and her team have been tasked to think out side of the box to produce an event which is more spectacular in 2008.

Plans are well on their way and an indication of this was clear on July 12th and 13th when the casting team of Rudy Saul, Richard Young, Negla Brandis, Donna Short-Gill and Kofi Branch met at Zoom in to audition model hopefuls. Over 100 models showed up over the two days expecting to be a part of Guyana’s premier Fashion Event.

The casting team expressed a sense of excitement with the beauty of the female and male models that auditioned for the events. It was also noted that the passion of the models was amazing as many of them couldn’t wait to find out if they were chosen to model on the eighty foot catwalk.

Guyana Fashion Weekend takes place from October 1st – 5th 2008 and will feature three fashion nights instead of 2 nights previously held in 2007. Sonia Noel also encouraged the public to get their tickets early in 2008 because sold out crowds in the previous year caused many persons to be disappointed when they arrived at the venue.

GFW2008 is being deemed as the event where fashion comes to life and expects fashion from Guyana, the Caribbean Diaspora and the French Caribbean. Media from Europe, North America and the Caribbean are also expected to be a part of the event.

Public Relations services provided by:

The Design Factor (Barbados)

Kofi A. Branch

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 592-698-5195

Posted on

Guyana Fashion Weekend Castings Continue Tomorrow

models models1 models2

The first day of Castings for the Guyana Fashion Weekend took place at Zoom Inn Hotel, Street. Some sixty (60) hopefuls were excited to come before the panel of casting directors, Donna Shortgill- Guyana Today hostess, Rudy Saul – veteran technical producer and Kofi Branch – Caribbean Fashion Producer.

Kofi Branch, who also doubles as Public Relations Director for the event, said that the first day of castings was exciting and it was great to see new faces at the audition and was amazed to see the enthusiasm.

Castings continue tomorrow at 1300 hrs for Designers and at 1500 hrs, models will have the opportunity once again to strut their stuff to be a part of the event.

Models requiring more information can contact Ruth at 613-7457 or Kofi at 698-5195.

Posted on

Guyana Fashion Weekend Casting brought forward

Models and designers hoping to be a part Guyana’s premiere fashion event, Guyana Fashion Weekend are asked to note that the date of the castings for Models and Designers have been changed. The information came from Public Relation Director, Kofi A. Branch.

Interested models who think they have the look and charisma to be on the catwalk of the prestigious event are invited to audition on July 12th and 13th 2008 from 3 – 6 p.m. on both days at Zoom Inn Hotel on Croal Street, while Designers are asked to audition on Sunday July 13th 2008 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Guyana Fashion Weekend takes place on October 1st – 5th 2008 and is expected to be the greatest display of fashion from USA, Europe and the Caribbean Diaspora.

Persons requiring more information can contact 613-7457 or 698-5195.

Public Relations Services provided by

Kofi A. Branch

THE DESIGN FACTOR

Tel: (246) 237-8708

Tel: (592) 698-5195

Email: [email protected]

Posted on

Accolade Nomination Panel targets diverse music styles

Artiste to be nominated in 35-categories

Music lovers are buzzing with excitement as Accolade- the music awards of Guyana intensifies preparations to celebrate music excellence and achievement by local artiste who have made their mark.

The Nomination Panel comprising Burchmore Simon, Music Producer, Kerwyn Bollers, Entertainer, Sean Bhola, Song Writer/Producer, Jaya Manickchand, Attorney-at Law and Malcolm Ferreira, Radio Announcer/DJ is aiming to capture a diverse range of musical styles with a line up of 35 categories for which artiste will be shortlist for Awards on November 30th. The period under consideration for these awards is January 1, 2004 to December 30, 2006.

Local Disc Jockeys, Radio Announcers, Recording Studios, Record Bars and the public participation at large will feature prominently in determining who the winners will since they all play an important role in the music industry.

An eligible artiste for the purpose of these nominations is defined as:

1. A person who was either born in Guyana; or attain naturalization status and or;
2. A person who has lived in Guyana for the full eligibility period (January 1, 2004 to December 30, 2007)

The Nominations Panel comprises individuals with good standing, demonstrated expertise and knowledge of the overall industry or individual categories. The panel will forward their top five (5) suggestions in each category to the Executive Committee which will then select the top three (3) in every category to present to the public.

Artiste may be eligible for any number of general categories. Where there are fewer than the minimum required amount of eligible entries the panel may use deliberate judgement, including making the entry automatically eligible in the same category for the following year.

Once again Guyana will be making its mark in the international arena by rewarding artistic excellence in the music industry through a premier event comparable to international Award shows such as the Grammy’s and the one produced by BET.

Indeed, the line up of fantastic performances will represent a climax for the local entertainment diehards and at the same time promote and represent a hype for the local music industry. Guyanese are asked to prepare themselves for an event which can only be billed as an excellent experience – from red carpet entrances to outstanding local and regional performances from a mind blowing awards ceremony to international celebrity endorsements.

The music industry is at a critical crossroad and deserves every effort to highlight its achievements, motivate its artistes, elevate standards, encourage artistic excellence and utilize talents that may be inclined to engage in negative endeavours.

(Email: [email protected] )

Here is the complete list of categories for Accolade Awards 2008

1. Chutney artiste of the year (Male)

2. Chutney artiste of the year (Female)

3. Best Chutney Band of the year

4. Best Chutney Album of the year

5. Best groovy soca single (Male)

6. Best groovy soca single (Female)

7. Soca single of the year

8. Best soca album solo duo or group

9. Best reggae single

10. Best soca compilation

11. Best non soca compilation

12. Reggae artiste of the year

13. Best rock alternative artiste or band

14. Best jazz album

15. Gospel artiste of the year (Male)

16. Gospel artiste of the year (Female)

17. Gospel single of the year

18. Best RnB artiste of the year

19. Best Calypso artiste of the year (Male)

20. Best Calypso Artiste of the year (Female)

21. Best Hip Hop/Rap artiste of the year

22. Living legends award

23. Cornerstone award

24. Band of the year

25. Producer of the year

26. Media award print/internet

27. Media Award- radio/television

28. Best new artiste

29. Best music video

30. Song of the year

31. Studio of the year

32. Album of the year

33. Entertainer of the year

34. Lifetime achievement award

35. Best Dancehall artiste of the year

Posted on

Sonia Noel & Sanola Forte Represent at St. Vincent Show

Fashion lovers in St. Vincent were surely able to whet their appetites and then full their stomachs with as much fashion as they wanted when Mije Modeling & Advertising Agency held its 3rd Annual Carnival Catwalk last Sunday evening. Set in the historic Pirate’s Cave in Lowman’s Bay, the show got off to an exciting start with the Mije models paying tribute to the veterans in the Caribbean Fashion Industry.

Shonta Noel, an 11 year old designer from Barbados started the collections rolling with her label La Cyanne and presented a line of chic, sexy silk and chiffon dresses that with body flattering cuts. Mije Models themselves put together a line of clothing which was cleverly constructed and dominated with organic accessories like coconut leaves and shells and was a major hit with the patrons. Many persons from the sold out audience enjoyed the collection of newcomer Jeremy Payne who dabbled in many fabrics and styles to come up with his offering.

And then there was the revolution, 3rd Revolt of Barbados presented a t-shirt line which ranged from dresses to sleeveless vests to long sleeved dressy T’s. A designer to watch in the future is Lisa Cordice, she offered a well coordinated line of clothing made mostly of satins accessorized with lace. Her collection featured casual, elegantly casual and formal pieces that seemed to be very well constructed. The heat then rose to another level as Fetish Swimwear by Cassandra Mottley of Barbados hit the stage. Models strut their stuff in sexy one piece swimsuits, tankinis and bikinis studded and accessorised with colorful wraps.

With Fetish Swimwear leaving the end of the first half of the show so heated, celebrated Designer Debbie Barbour presented her 2008 Wedding Collection. She showcased elegant wedding ensembles fused with Caribbean colors and the cool, calm nature of the islands. The female patrons then had a treat as Sharon Tanner of EC Harbour showcased her collection. The St. Lucian label featured sexy men shirts made of linens and cottons to outfit the metro-sexual man who was sure of his masculinity. Tanner also presented a female line of clothing ranging from casual pieces to evening gowns.

Guyanese Designer Sanola Forte made a definite splash on the runway with her Bumble Bee Collection. Glitzy pieces dominated her line and sexy cuts were the highlight of her line. Fetish Boutique and J& E Boutique also took to the Carnival Catwalk stage and both of them showcased clothing that was available in their respective stores.

Veteran Designer Sonia Noel closed the show with her 2009 Spring/ Summer Collection. Entitled “Animal Unleashed,” Noel brought the house down from beginning to end. The well styled collection started with guest model from Barbados Raymond Ward wearing a leopard-skin swim trunk and carrying a duffle bag and ended with Mije Senior Model Karlene wearing a close fitting evening dress. Noel convinced that 12 years in the business was well worth it.

Guest Acts were by Bomani who was thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and by the Arabesque Dancers who danced to a medley of Carnival Hits.

Executive Producer Jean Johhny-Findlay and Production Director Kofi Branch (The Design Factor) of Barbados were both pleased with the event and expressed their excitement for Carnival Catwalk 4 to be held in 2009.

Posted on

Our Recent Problems

Hey Addicts,

We apologize for the recent two days of downtime and the slow site. It was unavoidable and we did our best. Let me explain what happened.

The server that GuyanaLive was previously hosted on had a major hiccup. The power supply had a fault and it blew and caused a bit of damage. The drive was not damaged and was placed as a secondary drive in another server and the files and databases were then copied. I’m sorry but we just couldn’t run to Digicom or Starr Computers for a $6,000 (+VAT) power supply and plug it in. Reasons? It would not physically fit and the power supply is for a server not even located in Guyana.

(Yes Digicom and Starr Computers, you’re welcome for the big up.)

Another reason why it took so much time is because the DNS (domain name system) had to propagate.  Long story short.  GuyanaLive.com was pointing to ‘server a’ and it takes a while for all ISP (internet service providers) to get the updated records to direct users to ‘server b’.

The second server (the one we’re currently hosted on) just isn’t capable of handling the load it previously had and the additional. Therefore the execution times have increased causing a delay of page load and timeouts.

A backup PSU (power supply unit) is scheduled to be delivered to the data center today.  It would replace the first and we’ll see if any further damage was done. If so another R900 server would be ordered.

The gallery database has been marked as corrupt but I’ll get over that one like everything else. By the way, we have 4 events to publish. Its all uploaded and waiting on the gallery to be fixed.

We received many calls, emails and IMs concerning the recent downtime. I never had a chance for a full explanation so here it is.

So what do you think? Feel free to reply here shoot us an email at team at guyanalive.com

– Rowen

Posted on

Carifesta Designer Profile – Alexis Ryan [Anguilla]

Mr. Alexis S. Ryan made a start in the world of fashion as teen, covertly sketching portraits with various styles of clothing and accessories. He was discovered by his textile teacher who encouraged him to share his talent with others

His first sketch came to life at age sixteen, when he designed a prom dress for his twin sister. In 2002 he was commissioned to design two dresses for the Miss Anguilla pageant; the dresses were subsequently awarded second and third place in the evening wear segment.

To date his designs have been featured at Essence of Style, Taste of the Caribbean, Virgin Islands Fashion Week as well as in Shabeau Magazine, Caribelle, and ITZ Caribbean.com among others

Alexis has started his own clothing line, TheoChris Designs with his mother Marilyn Ryan as a partner and co-designer. The motto for the line says it all, ‘ TheoChris – Dare to be noticed – Clothing for individuals who like to stand out in the crowd.’

Alexis’ believes that that the clothes you wear have a lot to do with how you feel as a person, TheoChirs he says is about you being able to express yourself how you want to.

Designs By Alexis Ryan

TheoChris1TheoChris2

Posted on

Guyana Fashion Weekend Model Castings

In 2007, the inaugural Guyana Fashion Weekend brought together the best of Guyana’s and by extension the Caribbean’s designers for two spectacular showings of fashion at Buddy’s International Hotel. The event forced the eyes of regional and international media houses to focus on Guyana as it stated it claim as the new Fashion Mecca of South America and the Caribbean. Now, it’s time to do it all over again.

The second annual Guyana Fashion Weekend will be held in October and plans are well on their way to making the event bigger and even more successful than the 2007 event. A new venue with a larger capacity, more designers and even an added night of fashion are all some of the addition to the new event.

The directors of Guyana Fashion Weekend 2008 will be hosting a model casting for persons, male and female between the ages of 16 and 25 on July 18th at 6 p.m. and July 19th at 4 p.m. The casting will be held at Zoom Inn Hotel at Croal Street.

Models needing more information should email at [email protected] or call Ruth at 613-7457.

Posted on

Nominations Committee for Accolade – The Music Awards of Guyana

Guyanese Musicians, producers and persons ancillary to the music industry are one step closer to finding out who will be nominated as the crème de le crème in their field. This happens as the directorship of the Accolade Awards announce the nominations committee whose job is to research and then nominate the most suitable persons for the proposed categories. The nominations committee is made up of the following persons:

Burchmore Simon – Music Producer

Kerwyn Bollers – Entertainer

Sean Bhola – Song writer/ producer

Malcolm Ferreia – Radio Announcer/DJ

Jaya Devi Manickchand – Attorney-at-law

The Accolades team revealed that musicians will be nominated in some thirty- three categories ranging from Lifetime Achievement Awards to Entertainer of the year, to Song of the Year with a long list of others.

Artiste wanting to submit their music to the nominations team should contact Mr. Burchmore Simon or call 698-5195.

The Music Awards will be held on November 30th 2008 at the National Cultural Centre and is promised to be an evening of glitz and glamour from the red carpet entrance to the last performance. Guyanese patrons can expect local and regional performances from the best in the business.

Posted on

Carifesta Designer Profile – Janay Reymond [Anguilla]

JanayFrom a very young age nineteen year old Janay Reymond was imbued with a flair for the art; she designed her first dress at age twelve for a cousin who was participating in the Miss Anguilla Pageant. She has always aspired to own a clothing line and that dream became a reality with the launch of the independent label Feelo’Je.

Janay chose the name as both a dedication to everyone who inspired and encouraged her to follow her dream and to capture how much designing is a part of her life. Feelo’Je means Feel-of-Jay: the feel being her passion for the art of fashion and her love of designing, the Jay being what she is affectionately called by her family and friends.

Since the official launch of her swim line on July 1st, 2007, entitled, ‘Feelo’Je’s Traffik Jam’, Janay has created waves. She has showcased her pieces at: WMM’s ‘Show Me Your Body in St. Kitts, the Nevis Fashion Weekend, Virgin Islands Fashion Week and many fashion events in Anguilla and St. Maarten. Her designs have placed in the top 5 at the 2007 Miss Earth Pageant courtesy of Miss Je T’aime Cerge; won best swimsuit at the 2007 Miss Venus Model Pageant, and won third runner up Miss Caribbean Culture courtesy of Miss Latoya Hughes.

Its Janay’s belief that a woman has the ability to be whomsoever she wants; a woman is strong, sensual, stylish, beautiful and ultimately powerful and throughout her designs she brings to life that factor.

Designs By Janay Raymond

Janay2 Janay1 Janay3