-exploring evolving trends in the Caribbean
GUYANA Fashion Weekend had it all, from beachwear to glamorous evening wear, as it celebrated its fifth birthday, featuring  an impressive line-up of local and regional designers, both seasoned and new.
At the three-day extravaganza, hosted at the GCC Bourda ground last weekend, the constant flow of models worked a 200-foot runway which featured an up-close-and-personal seating arrangement that allowed attendees to truly feel a part of the event.
As the first night got underway, newcomer, Roshini Boohoo, reigning Miss India Guyana, made her venture into design with her collection, ‘Metamorphosis’.
Swimwear was as always a big hit, with designer MeLeesa Payne lending her flair for the Afro-centric to ‘Free’, and at the same time acknowledge the UN-led International Year of People of African Descent. Young Neilson Nurse also delved into the sensual world of swimwear design with his ‘Flavours of the Caribbean’.
With an innovative Nubian ceremonial tribute, Wanza contrasted aubergine terracotta and black with a yellow accent.
With the aptly named ‘Miscegenation’, Maxi Williams pulled from various cultures, religions and social movements to create unlikely clothing combinations such as traditional African fashion with a touch of rock-and-roll leather and buckles and topped off by a prim- and-proper English fascinator. Gorgeous luxe touches such as hand-painting, appliqué and touches of gilt completed other outfits. Williams pulled the eccentric melange off with panache.
Paying tribute to nature and African culture, Natasha David paired her organic pieces with complementary dolls carried by the models down the catwalk in  her collection titled ‘Fragments of the Earth’. She made use of breathable fabrics and dried leaves to help pull it all off. The Pat Helwig Collection was yet another crescendo in the Afro influence, with a highlight on cool dashiki-like men’s shirts which took you from dapper casual to debonair chic.
Designer, Ryan Berkley pushed the enveloppe with an incursion into a gender-related subtext in his storyline as he presented  his own  Avant Garde interpretation ‘En Nyr’, which featured a  well chosen exquisite fabric with gold motifs, complemented by layering gold inserts.
The regional designers added their own flare to the event, blessing the catwalk with Caribbean colour, energy and exuberance. Jamaican milliner, Khalil orchestrated a theatrics story with a zesty outpouring of hats in ‘Hattitude’, while Karl Brown explored headgear throughout the ages in ‘Kepi to Kloche’.

Zadd and Eastman’s hand-painted collection was a crowd stunner, combining art with fashion to create an intoxicating, heady rush of mesmerising, unforgettable couture.  The rainbow array of colours seemed to flow seamlessly into each other, making you wonder: “How in heavens did they do that?”
Guyanese-born, New York-based Monica Caleb brought her edgy metropolitan take on her Guyanese fashion roots to reveal a capricious blend of urban flair in tropical colour.
The much-anticipated ‘The Cloth,’ presented by Robert Young of Trinidad, was an irreverent and bombastic commentary on the state-of-emergency in Trinidad and aimed to raise the race card with a voyeuristic take on black.  The line featured models with faces stained black, taking to the runway as the emcee blithely announcing that the event was about to experience a ‘blackout’. The concept, however, was lost on some as unfortunately, the sound system chose to failed at around the same time as the first couple of models came on stage.
‘Ethel  Fashions’,  the exquisite line of the  Vincentian-born, New York-based designer who revels in exotic swimwear with sinuous and sensuous shapes backed by fine craftsmanship exploded on Day Two, while ‘Forever Hold Your Peace’, the eclectic collection of Dominic La Roche provoked dialogue. Dexter Jennings’ ‘Trini Zante’ was a true showing-off of Trini style, with carnivalesque exhibitionism. Flaunting style from hand-paint to tie-dye, copper to wood and casual to couture, the audience came to appreciate his larger-than-life perspective on Caribbean style.
GFW CEO, Sonia Noel paid tribute to Reggae legend, Bob Marley with ‘Natural Mystic’ a line of clothing inspired by the colours ‘Ice, gold and green’, which she contrasted with classic black-and-white tones.  The collection was complemented by the smooth voice of local singer and model, Travis Bowen who did a flawless cover of Marley’s song of the same title as the collection.
Of course, no GFW would be complete without the risqué finish provided by designer, Olympia Small-Soneram with her provocative lingerie line, ‘Saxuality Reloaded’.