Georgetown-based fashion designer Sonia Noel literally turned the rotunda of Brooklyn Borough Hall into a runway on June 12. In just 45 minutes the Guyana Fashion Week CEO was triumphant in hosting 16 designers, presenting more than 40 pieces of garment and accessories, all the while showcasing the multi-cultural identity of the couturiers.
From floor sweeping gowns in black and gold, to white frocks and bridal wear, models sashayed down a long flight of stairs to display a floral patchwork attire by Guyanese Melissa Payne, swimwear embellished matched with costume head-pieces by Marlon Smart, in addition to Mariska’s popular Resort Collection, that continues to take the world by storm.
The recent Caribbean Heritage Month fashion platform was idyllic for up-and-coming designers Lisett Mendoza, Darya Filipchyk and Shackeema Brown, Kings Borough College students whose excellent pieces captured the essence of style and elegance.
Bridging the Gap – Connecting Caribbean Style certainly hit its mark with a production that notably had a mixed spread of trends.
Ghanaian Frederick Agyemang’s colorful mud cloth outfits, and Haitian Lady Ruth’s fierce designing concepts, sizzled on the catwalk.
Noel certainly cast a net far and wide to find designers whose ensembles were poetry in motion. Jamaican Minki’s sexy shorts and top in green and yellow and a crochet dress, summed up the designer’s panache, while French Guiana’s Mayonka designs were a fitting tribute to the ultra elegant woman.
The ready to wear pieces by Lady Ruth, Dominick Larouche and Butch Diva of Trinidad, Geneve Powell of Jamaican decent, St. Lucia’s Christine Samuels and Aytava, all brought Caribbean flair and sophistication to the platform.
Noel’s collaboration with makeup artist Kirk Cambridge of Del Peche and Stylist Desma Bidjor, runway coach Richard Young, and the team of designers and production crew, unquestionably achieved its goal of bringing together fashion forward elements brewed in a melting pot of diversity and cosmopolitanism, according to the award-winning designer.
