By Tamica Garnett
The much anticipated Jubilee Festival kicked off last Thursday in beautiful style and fashion, literally, with the hosting of the Jubilee Fashion Extravaganza at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal. Minister of Tourism, Cathy Hughes, described it as an “important section of our Jubilee Celebrations” as she opened the chic event, which showcased the designs of eight of Guyana’s leading designers including Jason Shurland, Amrita Daniels, Reshma Persaud and Marcia De Santos.
“Fashion is making a mark,” Hughes commented. “And over the next three days we want to celebrate the talent, the initiative and the creativity of our designers.”
Talent and creativity were just the words to describe Thursday’s designs as patrons were treated to innovative pieces which displayed an infusion of culture, tradition and modern style.
Celeste David’s riveting rendition of the National Anthem gave a fitting start to the show, was followed by a display of the delegates of the upcoming Ms. Guyana World Pageant which is set for May 27.
Things then got down to business with the designs of Sidney Francois, which include pieces with colorful prints. The prints continued in the designs of Sharon Gittens, while Natasha Calderia’s “Woman Overboard” line was a colorful blend.
Jason Shurland’s “Brining Back Our Culture” collection featured tie dye with a modern twist, and Amrita Daniels in her usual flair showed that African print could be incorporated into outfits for just about any occasion.
On the bolder sides were the designs by Keisha Edwards, who described her pieces as “culture with a modern perspective” and Reshma Persaud’s line which boasted a mixture of “tradition and style”.
Thursday’s Fashion show was just the beginning of the Fashion Extravaganza, which continued on Friday evening with the launch of Guyana Fashion Week 2016 at the same location.
The Fashion Week launch was orchestrated by Guyana’s fashion queen herself, Sonia Noel.