Life beyond the runway

LAST WEEK I shared with you a story that proved that anything is possible. If I can do 20 years in the fashion industry you can too. Without faith, passion, drive and perseverance, we could not have done it. We need to be willing to put in the work and to be decisive. Don’t judge your circumstances and the possibilities for the future based on what you are going through now.

Today I will share part of the 10 years journey for Guyana Fashion Week (GFW) which started as a week-end for the first five years. I started thinking about GFW for years because many times I was the only person from Guyana participating in the fashion events throughout the region and beyond.
I know we possess talent in abundance in Guyana but it was almost impossible without sponsorship to showcase our talents. We launched GFW in 2007 by faith and by believing it was possible. Without a loyal team with vision and passion, it would not have been possible and I thank God for them.

I was living in Barbados then and was doing well financially because I had two boutiques. I withdrew some money from my businesses and decided to come back to Guyana to pursue another dream. So many people were saying that Guyana was not ready for such a big event and my response was when are we going to be ready? You need to be great to get started but you have to get started to be great.
We started engaging potential partners for the event in order to be successful and we were very happy with the result of our meeting with the then President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo who saw it fit to support such a venture.

The journey has not been without challenges and overwhelming times but it has surely been very fulfilling. Over the decade we have seen sketches turn into beautiful collections and dreams into realities.
The year 2007 is also special because it felt like the birth of my third child. Stan Gouveia and Mondale Smith were the emcees and we had one of the finalists from America’s Next Top Model along with regional star models and designers from various parts of the Caribbean.
We had a fantastic cast of models and designers of which the Telford Sisters won the most promising designer prize. The event was memorable each year but the construction of a 100ft runway was a huge achievement by any standard.

Over the years we have had coverage from international magazines such as Essence and Sister 2 Sister to She Caribbean and Profile 98 from the region. We had a Reuters’ photographer cover fashion week one year and those images were all over the world. We have had some well-known personalities such as actress Anna Horsford, CEO of Caribbean Fashion week Kingsley Cooper, Tempo star Hector Lincoln, VP Elite Jean Pierre Begon, among others.
GFW acted as a platform in assisting persons to transform their passions into successful careers. Our local designers and models went on to participate in many fashion events around the Caribbean, United States and China. Our young talented designers were finalists on Mission Catwalk in Jamaica.

We utilized the GFW platform in meaningful ways to incorporate messages like domestic violence, the environment, teenage pregnancy, suicide, cancer awareness, trafficking in persons etc.
I love working with the young talent because they are so hungry and possess talent beyond words but I always make the point that talent is not all you need because if you don’t have the right attitude, things can become disastrous.

Our team always facilitated and sought invariably, to realize the aspirations and ideals of the creative human resource potential of Guyana and the Caribbean. This team was fortunate to have the brilliant artistic direction of Richard Young who is the best in the region, our young energetic project manager Keron Noble, the queen of the catwalk, Melessa Payne who mentors so many young models and Nelsion Nurse who is always finding a way to make things work.

Other committee members who contributed are Donn Thompson, Ronnie Morris, Shiv Dindyal, Rudy Saul, John Quelch, Mariska Jordan and Negla Brandis. Over the years we laughed, cried, agreed and disagreed but always respected each other’s opinions. We recently welcomed Vincent Polak, a very creative young man from Suriname, to our team.
Recently, we had a GFW party and presentation at the Dutch Bottle Restaurant. The GFW team wanted to provide an atmosphere for these young talented people to unwind while enjoying each other’s company and sharing their challenges and triumphs.

We have recognized that the human resource is the most valuable resource, there are these super multi-talented young people who are the future of our nation. So much talent in this small pool is mind-blowing. Although we have managed to impact and inspire these young lives beyond the runway, I know more can be done. People close to me know how frustrated I am because I can’t do more for the creative sector presently. The optimist in me tells me that I will in the near future.

The lovely Anasha Dutchin took the initiative to start singing LEAN ON ME and everyone ended up hugging and holding each other’s hands. It felt like a big GFW family.
Thank you to all the persons who partnered with us over the years, the patrons who supported and anyone who would have sent some encouraging words. These people believe in the GFW Vision and we will forever be grateful.

We are not perfect and are still working out the best possible formula. The important thing to note is that we keep moving on and are very determined not to give up. None of us can do it alone, we are stronger together. As they say, team work makes the dream work.
We are the second longest running fashion event in the Caribbean and Guyana ought to be proud of that.

You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination. Ralph Marston

Send us your feedback to beyondtherunway1@gmail.com
Join me every Sunday here for another BEYOND THE RUNWAY article, weekdays at 7:15 on Radio Guyana and our fb page for past episodes as we continue this beautiful Journey called life Beyond The Runway.

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