HAVING recently received a national award for the expansion of her business, Mariska’s Fashion, there’s no stopping this fashion entrepreneur who has just returned from two stints in the Caribbean.

One was a charitable benefit in St Lucia supporting ‘Faces of Cancer’. Held under patronage of the honourable Alvina Reynolds, Minister of Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations of St Lucia, that event brought together cancer patients and survivors, medical practitioners, pharmacists and corporate St Lucia to ‘Strut for a Cause’ in support of the proactive organization comprised of individuals who are afflicted in some way with the disease.

Set in the exquisite ballroom of the Sandals Grande, the showing was a major success, and Sonia Noel was the feature designer, with four supporting fashion houses – longstanding St Lucian staple Sea Island Cotton; newcomer Nella Collymore’s Caribbean Vibes; St Lucian-based California designer Dianne Starr, with her line, ‘Transformations’; and the toast of St Lucia, Sharleen Lagon, with her Jaeylu Inc. label.

Having earlier this year wowed Guyana with her beautifully crafted ‘folk meets the orient’ designs at Isika, along the Essequibo, at the finals of the Guyana Model Search/Designers’ Portfolio event, Mariska’s Designs created quite a stir, outfitting the Minister of Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs, the honourable Emma Hippolyte, as well as the patron, the honourable Alvina Reynolds, who made guest appearances on the runway to endorse the project.

The ‘strutters’ certainly were fascinated to don the designs of Sonia Noel, with many of them investing in her inimitable designer wear.

St Lucia seems to be agreeable to the designer, for she ended her stay there cavorting before the lens of Island Xclusive with the effervescent and vivacious Jeanille Bonterre in the intoxicating sunset backdrop at Bay Gardens Beach Resort.

Ms Noel outfitted Ms Bonterre for her travel series, promoting the exoticism, romance, adventure, sophistication and luxury of the Caribbean, aired on One Caribbean Television, a CBS affiliate.

Her second stint was in Guadeloupe, where at ‘Kreyol Fashion Days’, she had the opportunity to network with regional fashion stalwarts at symposia and conferences, as well as showcase her unique indigenous Guyanese brand to the fashion cognoscenti.

She had the amazing opportunity to meet and dialogue with the illustrious French designer Jean Paul Gaultier, who was instantly smitten with her signature braided hairstyle.

It was a great learning experience for this talented daughter of the soil, whose vision is to forge a way for a viable fashion industry locally and regionally.

Sonia Noel’s new Black and White collection, with the very stylish hats and fascinators, proved to be a big hit with the French patrons, who greeted her unique fashion well.
“It was great meeting Jean Paul Gaultier and chatting with him for a while; and his advice is to be true to yourself and never forget where you came from. Guyana had the smallest contingent there, and events for those countries that had one designer had other people in the entourage, but I represented well,” Noel said.

While creating a stir overseas, Sonia also made headlines right here in Guyana, as her brand, Mariska’s Designs, was presented with the President’s Award “For continuous expansion and market penetration for Guyanese Fashion Design” at the Annual Awards Dinner of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association Limited.

In true Noel style, little Miss Shonta Noel, Sonia’s younger daughter, accepted the award on behalf of her mother. This is added to the numerous other awards Sonia has gathered over the years, such as: The Shabeau Magazine Award for Excellence for her contribution to Fashion in the Caribbean (2007); Pride of Bartica Award from her hometown for her outstanding achievements in Fashion, both locally and regionally (2008); The Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association Award for her involvement in youth development and cross-border promotion of the local fashion industry (2010); the Caribbean Fashion Ambassador Award – US Virgin Islands Fashion Weekend (2011); the Bartica Regatta Committee Award for her outstanding contribution to Designing & Fashion, and to the Ms. Bartica Regatta pageants.
Her most current passion is the release of the magazine ‘Makin’ Style’ and getting preparations underway for Guyana Fashion Weekend 2013.