–at Guyana Fashion Week 2016

Stories and photos by Vanessa Braithwaite

SHE may be confined to a wheelchair, but that has in no way daunted her spirit nor prevented her from rising to the occasion and becoming one of Linden’s renowned makeup

artists.
But the icing on the cake, perhaps, was taking the Most Promising Fashion Designer award at the just concluded Guyana Fashion Week, where she had her debut appearance as a fashion designer.
To her fellow Lindeners, the name Setra Oselmo has always been synonymous with anything to do with fashion, so when she did, they were not entirely surprised.

As for Selma, she’s still on cloud nine, she says, as she’s still puzzled as to how her creations came to catch the attention of the judges for her to be rated most promising. “I feel overwhelmed,” she said. “Excited, ecstatic, you name it, because I was never expecting the award, given it was my first time, and given that some persons had some negative comments to say about it while some commended me for the pieces,” Setra told the Guyana Chronicle.
The pieces of which she speaks are 15 handmade creations. All made of synthetic hair!

THE SWITCH
Asked what prompted the switch from makeup to fashion, Setra said she’s always wanted to be a designer; since she was young.
But the thing that made her participate in this year’s Fashion Week was meeting its Chief Executive Officer, Sonia Noel while showing off some of what she likes to call “my amateur pieces” at Linden’s annual Hair and Nail Exposition back in October.
The novelty of her work having caught Sonia’s attention, she encouraged Setra to go for it. And, being the adventurous soul that she is, Setra thought, “Why not!”

As she recalled, she had just one month in which to put together her “hairy” collection. With her bare hands, mind you!

But though it was a challenge, Setra says she has no regrets, as that one month was the start of a lifetime of designing, stitching and sewing.
And, despite her disability, she is confident of becoming “the next big thing” in the fashion industry, and representing her home-town, Linden, on the international scene.
For starters, she is hoping to start her own line of clothing for both fashion and costume designing.

And despite this new-found love of hers called fashion, Setra says she has no intention of giving up on makeup, as that is her all-time passion, and what has caused her to evolve into the confident, strong and remarkable young woman she is today, after having, for years, sought comfort in tears, knowing that she will never walk again.
“No! I will not give it up makeup for anything!” Setra said. “I super love makeup; it’s just that I love challenges, and I am on that path of fulfilling all the things I dreamt about, and all the things I ever wanted to do,” the makeup diva said.

SHATTERED DREAMS
Those dreams were seemingly shattered in October 2007 when Setra was involved in an automobile accident which left her permanently paralysed.
Even though several surgical attempts were made to remedy her extremely damaged spine, she is still paralysed today, and has to rely on a wheelchair to get around.
Being the active young woman who had aspirations of representing her country internationally as a beauty ambassador or an athlete, as she formerly took part in pageantry, swimming competitions, weight lifting and body building competitions, Setra was now forced to adapt to this life of being differently-abled overnight.
“It was really hard for me,” she said. “I was so down; so depressed; so frustrated that I even attempted to commit suicide, as I felt life had given up on me.”

Thoughts of her level of dependency and how her very active life was reduced to staring at the four walls every day threatened to suffuse her. “It took me years to get over the accident and how it has changed me positively,” the Rastafarian beauty said, adding:
“I was so fed up of seeing this sad, dull person in the mirror, that I decided to do something about it; I decided that it was time to get out of the house, as I was too ashamed of my condition, and fed up of people pitying me.”
This change came about three years after the accident, when she enrolled in a cosmetology class and completed it successfully. She even began taking her therapy more seriously, and attended sessions regularly.

It’s a decision transformed Setra’s life completely, and now she is the most sought- after makeup artist in Linden, the most budding fashion designer, the recipient of many awards, and a mentor to many, including those that are differently able like she.
Setra continues to face the struggles and challenges of having to depend on someone to move her around, but says that her biggest motivators, her parents, have helped her to see that she can reach the sky, and plans on doing so, despite the odds.