Guyana Fashion Weekend commemorates five (5) years. The second longest running fashion festival in the region features thirty (30) Guyanese Designers with guest designers from Janelle Oosterling (Janoos Collection) of Suriname, Sharlene Lagon (Jhaylene Designs) of St. Lucia, Donna Weekes (Ethel Fashions) St. Vincent and the Grenadines/ USA , and Karl Brown (Khalil’s Hattitude) of Jamaica and Robert Young (The Cloth), Dexter Jennings (Concept Studio),Anthony Reid for Meiling, Dominic La Roche (DLR Designs), Omzad Khan/Nigel Eastman (Zadd and Eastman) all of Trinidad and Tobago . Set on a two hundred (200) foot pentagon runway tented at the GCC Ground.
Come 23rd – 25th September, the Guyana’s own ‘Bryant Park’ will be ablaze with designing and performing talent celebrating the local creative energy confirming our regional fashion identity. The Caribbean brand is coming of age with the existence of fashion initiatives like GFW. The show will pay tribute to ‘The Cloth’ of Trinidad and Tobago acknowledging the designer Robert Young’s the Cloth; 25 years in the business. ‘The Cloth’ will present two (2) collections and host an interactive workshop with the up and coming designers.
Sonia Noel gives accolade to Bob Marley as one of our pioneers of style by carrying our style to the world with his idiosyncratic lyrical reggae music. It is now time to bring the world to us, through our compelling style. One of her two collections for GFW 5 is aptly titled ‘Natural Mystic.’
Another feature this year is the incorporation of the crochet designs from the prison rehabilative initiative. Urban, ready to wear and crochet designs in the most modern silhouette surpass expectations.
Designers from far afield – Linden, Berbice, Essiquibo, Bartica- join Georgetown designers, stylists, make up artists and models in exalting Guyanese style. Designs showcasing vegetation and leather, appliqué, tie dye, batik, crochet and collage art – apparel designers including milliners, accessories’ designers, footwear and bag craftsmen have pitched in to shout style. It’s more than garment manufacture and clothing design; it’s about creating a look – a Guyanese look evidently but moreover a Caribbean look ultimately.
GFW 5 pays tribute to the UN declarations – international year of the forests, celebrating forests for people as well as acknowledging people of African decent.
It has become traditional and also imperative that we utilise the utilitarian platform of fashion to engage global campaigns and prompt critical and current awareness drives. Indeed we are consistently committed to youth empowerment; we are consumed by our environmental eco-balance concerns; we are engaged in holistic living practices and above all we pledge to sustainable development action. All in all, we promote Guyana not only through event tourism for destination marketing purposes, but to encourage pride in nation building.
Sonia Noel, CEO of Guyana Fashion Weekend is passionate about building the Fashion Industry in Guyana. Her convictions has carried her throughout the region and the Diaspora proclaiming a Caribbean fashion perspective for which she is being honoured at the U.S Virgin Islands Fashion Week with an award for ambassadorial service by the Governor J.P De Joung.
Her partner in passion is the production designer Richard Young who is the distinguished purveyor of a concept of the Caribbean aesthetic . Being creative director of GFW as well as Fashion Week Trinidad and Tobago and soon to be a more regional brand in the upcoming Caribbean’s Next Top Model. Richard Young continues to spread the word that Caribbean style is the alternative ‘new-world brand.’
