Sonia Noel for Caribbean Fashion Ambassador Award from USVI

Sonia Noel
Sonia Noel

Guyana Fashion Weekend is less that a month away and designer Sonia Noel excitement is evident. This Caribbean fashion designer has even more reason to be excited because she will be receiving a Caribbean Fashion Ambassador Award from USVI Fashion Weekend. This two(2) days glamorous event will be on the 8th and 9th of October at the prestigious Frenchmen’s Reef Resort on the beautiful St Thomas USVI. Noel was describe by the CEO of USVI Fashion Week Henry Marshram as a phenomenal woman and an inspiration to many including himself. The launch was held in New York on July 29th, and the CEO of GFW Fashion was given the opportunity to tell the audience about Guyana Fashion Weekend(GFW) and Guyana.

“To be acknowledged out of my country for my contribution not only to the fashion industry in Guyana is an amazing feeling and it propels me to do even more in the future because I know we in the Caribbean have something special to offer the world in fashion”

A small contingent of models and designers from GFW will be joining her on the catwalk to promote the tremendous talent we possessed her with in Guyana. Most promising designers of GFW 2008 “Marcia De Santos”, most promising designer of 2010 “Nelsion Nurse”, Winners of 2010 Model Search “Steven Bagot”, Alana Pheonix and designer “Paul Burnett” will be the GFW team in USVI.

‘I am so excited to have the contingent from Guyana to the Virgin Islands for this years fashion week “Caribbean Catwalk” and we welcome them. This is what I want to see more of as it is my goal to help and promote the free movement of fashion professional in the region to promote their line and to network and build a bridge so we all can cross and unite as one in the fashion industry. I believe that designers, models, stylist and other fashion industry professionals are talented and have a lot to show to the world. This year Virgin Islands Fashion Week(VIFW) will be presenting two awards, and as the Founder/CEO of VIFW I have been involved in fashion for more than ten years and also following what’s happening in the industry in the Caribbean. I am please to announce that the “Caribbean Fashion Ambassador” award will be presented to Ms. Sonia E Noel of Guyana for her outstanding work and contribution in the Caribbean and particularly the US Virgin Islands in the area of fashion.

This is a well deserving award and on behalf of the the people of the US Virgin Islands I congratulate Sonia Noel and we look forward to having you this year to bestow this honour upon you. The award will be presented by the Governor of the US Virgin Islands Mr. J.P De Joung at the opening of the 2nd showing of the Caribbean Catwalk on Sunday October 9th at the host hotel Marriott Frenchmans Reef Resort.

Sonia Noel is the 1st Caribbean designer to be invited to Brown University in Rhode Island to give a presentation on Caribbean fashion duringCaribbean Heritage month. She also received the Shabeau Magazine Award in 2007 and the GMSA presented her with an award last November for significantly raising the bar in the local fashion design industry. She was also awarded for initiating a process for accelerating cross border services trade in the fashion business. In addition, Noel recently celebrated one year anniversary of her popular TV Show “Diatribe”.

Noel is also looking forward to attend the Caribbean China Economic Forum next week in Trinidad. October and November will be busy months for this Guyanese leading lady apart from her participation in USVI she will be in Trinidad for a four day fashion event at the Hyatt, Caribbean Top Model Fashion Show in Tobago, Caribbean Fashion against AIDS” on the island of St. Eustatius and Antigua Fashion Week. In November she and her team will be hosting an appetite for fashion fusing the food and fashion in Guyana.

Glamorous concludes and Guyana Fashion Weekend auditions begins

GlamorousEven as Guyana’s top models 2010 male Steven Baggot, female Allana Phoenix and plus size Latoya Whitehead  are  celebrating their win and have secured their place on the 2010 Guyana Fashion Weekend Catwalk.

Auditions for the Guyana Fashion Weekend are set for July 17 & 18 at the Water Chris from 14:00hrs to 15:00hrs. This is the statement from Sonia Noel the Guyana Fashion Week CEO who is advising that all interested female models are advised to wear heels as they pursue a chance to be part of the premiere fashion event in Guyana.

Last weekend Sonia Noel proved yet again that she means business in her quest to build Guyana’s Fashion Industry. Last Sunday evening after weeks of preparation several winners and runners up were decided on in her just concluded Guyana Model Search 2010.  The event staged at the Pegasus Hotel on Sunday night offered much excitement and jaw-dropping fashion and created much room for conversation.

From delicious collections to fierce attitudes; the night exploded with a string of new creations from fresh, young designers proving that fashion has a future on the local shores.  The participants included models, designers and stylists’ aspirants as well as this year’s addition of the culinary arts.

The ideas were mostly fresh and while some proved rough around the edges there were more who have grown from the training and nurturing they received from Noel’s team.

Patrons to Sunday’s event also got a glimpse of the new faces with varying body types who are likely to be seen strutting local catwalks hence forth. In the end the top models were crowned and the runners up named.

Steven Bagot ruled the male models line up while the other models were Tyrone Hamid, Esau Humphrey and Osafa Dosantos.

Alana Phoenix was queen of the pack in front of Gericia Francis Fiano Spencer and Alisa Williams in the female top model’s category.

A welcomed addition was the full figured models category and Latoya Whitehead proved the best over Pamela Vaughn, the effervescent Lucia James and Mishon Pertab.

In the culinary line up the chefs were Samantha Mosley, Kester Hinds and Gail Davidson.

For the team competition Team pumpkin led by Chef Deon Tasher and designer Micheal De Abreau won for the best design. Jomal Larose led the team that won the creative category with designs made from Victoria Lily and paper.

Natisha John Won best Arabian night outfit while Lucia James won the advertisement challenge along with Anthony Staman and Alicia Kiston while the winners of the photo shoot competition are Steven Baggot, Jonelle Dugall and Lotoya Whitehead.

Last year winners Jamain Victor and Yolanda Kerr were featured in pink in the opening number signify breast cancer awareness and will be a big part of fashion in October.

The top designer this year went to Nekisha John whose fierce collection of leather and tiger prints clawed its way to a top finish. The audience was buzzing about her collection from the opening presentation when she unleashed jungle fever.1st, 2nd and 3rd runners up are David Clarke, Micheal De Abreau and Micheal Kellman. The top stylist in the competition was the very flamboyant Mark Adams followed by Ryan Berkley and Kevin Singh.

Assessing the event Noel dubbed it major success. Noel noted too that she is pleased with its turned out and the overwhelming support that the young people received. “I am particularly happy that Guyana is emerging as a regional front runner for fresh, young talent” Noel said last Sunday at the shows conclusion. She further noted that the focus of the models, designers, stylists and chefs in the competition was “unbelievable” and she praised the hard work of the behind the scenes personnel. Expressing gratitude to the sponsors and the persons who contributed in various ways; she was high in praise of

Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud and his ministry’s endorsement of the culinary arts challenge.

The large audience embraced the models who battled it out on stage for a place in the top four in the respective categories and while the popular models were well supported by various fractions with the audience, but it was the plus size models who electrified the room.

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