Carifesta fashion is red hot, jaw-dropping and includes a line-up of Caribbean designers that defines the region’s fashion in a bold, outstanding way, according to Kofi Branch who not only promises much beginning tomorrow, but brags that it is going to be unforgettable.
Branch, the right-hand man of Carifesta’s fashion ace Sonia Noel, is in the forefront of everything that is happening, so when he declares that the runaway shows planned for the festival will turn up the heat at the Sophia Exhibition site there is simply no reason to doubt him.
The Carifesta Fashion Village was exactly what Branch and Noel had been waiting for – close to a week of fashion activity that allows designers in Guyana and the Carib-bean to acquire major exposure. Branch underscored this when he said in an interview this week that, “this was the moment we always dreamed of.”
Since stamping their approval as serious organisers with envious planning skills following the smooth execution of the inaugural Guyana Fashion Weekend, Noel, Branch, Richard Younge and a few others known quietly as the ‘fashion dream team,’ have been blazing a hot fashion trail. It was therefore no surprise when they were named among the top guns planning the fashion village for this year’s Carifesta.
Branch said they are aware of the expectations and the hopes riding on them delivering, but they have been working tirelessly as a team with a host of other persons for months trying to get it right. He pointed out that by the time this article is published they will be hours away from the opening runaway show, and for him that spells excitement.
Carifesta Fashion Village will run off August 23-30 and will feature a total of 64 designers, 30 of whom are Guyanese. The designers are drawn from various Caribbean countries including Trinidad and Tobago, French Guiana, St Vincent; Antigua and Barbados. Of the crop from Guyana, the fashion veterans are there but there is also fresh talent.
Branch disclosed that through a fashion workshop, ‘Designer Portfolio’ that was televised live, Noel, Younge and others were able to nurture many young designers that are eager to get their five minutes of fame, and they are ready and they are going to explode!
Though the seasoned designers are the ones headlining the two nights of runaway fashion, Branch predicts that that there are a few darlings in the new crop that will just stun everyone as the break-out fashion duo, the Telford Sisters, did at the Guyana Fashion Weekend last August.
Carifesta Fashion Village offers two runaway shows on the opening night and follows up with an accessory show, workshops on hair, make-up, skin care, head-wrapping and make-over. Branch said that Sacha cosmetics have partnered with the Carifesta Fashion Committee and will conduct two of the workshops in addition to offering the make-overs. He noted that Kevin John of Kevin Reflections will take on the hair workshop.
For the head-wrapping sessions, persons can go to the village and learn how to do various wraps, including African and Indian head wraps. At the skin care workshop information on how to take care of one’s body, particularly the face will be available and there is also a segment looking at women who use make-up and the skin care that is necessary.
On the day of the hair workshops Kevin is expected to give a detailed rundown of what not to do with your hair, and if there is a local expert, it is him. Branch said Kevin is just good at what he does and anyone interested in the 411 on hair just needs to go down to Sophia when Kevin is doing his thing.
As for the Sacha workshops there is very little to be said, since the name speaks for itself. Sacha, which is a Trinidadian brand of cosmetics has for years been the authority on Caribbean beauty products and skin care, and they have made Guyana a second home for some time now. Branch said they will deliver as usual.
Several fashion booths will be at Sophia on a daily basis until the village closes, and according to Branch, persons can visit and be a part of everything that is happening on the various days as everything is open to the public. Several country delegations will set up in the fashion booths showcasing fashion taste from across the region.
However, he pointed out that if persons are interested in getting involved in the workshops they can contact him on 698-5195 just to secure a safe spot.
For the runaway shows the plan is to offer a mix of young and seasoned designers, and Branch emphasizes every show brings new collections. He noted that the Carifesta schedule does not allow for any person to be at more than two events on any day for any reasonable amount of time but added that fashion is likely to draw a large crowd.
“People are interested in fashion and if they chose to be at the village and experience the runway shows then we cannot disappoint, and we won’t,” Branch said. (ianaseales@yahoo.com)
