Sonia Noel is calling it “the most ambitious” fashion weekend yet, a blend of the arts and business as the premier event expands beyond the glitzy catwalk and projects a sense of commercial viability in the industry and by extension the country.
The focus is fashion and business, the latter of which Sonia had mentioned in past years while pushing the event. The essence of Guyana Fashion Weekend (GFW), Sonia has long said, has been “about uprooting and promoting talent”.
Sonia, though a bit apprehensive about discussing the business aspects of things, notes that GFW “has never been about the money”.
Her response is expected, but she builds on it by saying that if the goal had been money GFW could have easily been counted a failure.
“GFW survives on the strength of corporate Guyana and it thrives on the talent that is here hiding in Bartica, in a quiet street in Georgetown, in my area, everywhere actually. It is about the designer with a dream who has no shot at realizing it…”, Sonia said.
She speaks with deep conviction when addressing GFW, probably because the idea to initiate the event was hers. She is also protective of it and routinely defends it as against the critics who say that it is yet to effectively promote fashion as a business.
Sonia and the GFW team have taken the criticism onboard and are scaling up GWF 2009. The theme this year is “Building the industry”, and according to Sonia the aim is to integrate smaller projects into the GWF programme stretching it to a month and it culminates with the actual two nights of fashion.
GFW has been in dire need of corporate support, Sonia said, and over the years the event has seen a steady trickle. She said government has been a constant rock and that “no matter what they are onboard with us”.
This year the administration has again thrown its support behind the event and there is a more visible presence in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture. Sonia launched GFW on Friday last at the Princess Hotel where the event will come off on August 22 and 23. But in the lead-up Sonia and team have decided to hold business and fashion forums geared towards strengthening the key players in the industry. She said that they have introduced workshops in lifestyle empowerment, professional customer service and image management.
She noted that the idea behind the new concept has to do with targeting the individual since “the confidence to transform society begins with the individual”.
Sonia again promises to “up the ante” and position GFW alongside other fashion weeks on the regional and global fashion calendar. She believes that there is still work to be done, but is firm on the point that fashion weekend here is growing.
She explained that GFW is evolving into a tourism product and that it must be viewed as an initiative to strengthen trade as well as “open doors” for all stakeholders. Sonia noted that fashion weekend has also shifted focus to its ancillary components of the fashion business such as modelling, styling and event management, adding that its growth is determined on the growth of “these areas”.
She said too that the event has since last year taken on a social role and is now aligning itself with platforms that promote social consciousness: the eradication of domestic violence, the awareness of HIV/AIDS, the preservation of our environment.
Sonia has much to prove as she speaks optimistically of where GFW is going, but she seems to be on walking the road that will get her there. The designer is so busy with preparations that she would only say that her clothing line would be on display among several hot new collections.
She mentioned that Andrew Harris, who grabbed national attention after winning Designer Portfolio [another Sonia initiative] would be here for GFW, adding that “he has really exploded”. Harris is currently in Barbados where his line has taken off.
