AS A gentle afternoon breeze caressed their faces on the lawns of the Herdmanston Lodge, patrons were stunned by the designs of local designer Mark Junor and Guyanese-born BVI designer Andrea Wilson at Orange the Runway Vol. 1 last Sunday.

Junor showcased pieces from his recently released “She Killed Death” collection, which he debuted a few months ago at Suriname fashion week. Though Junor has been marketing the pieces online for some time now,that did not take away from the awe of getting to see them live and in person.

The line included chic cocktail dresses and savoury evening gowns. Wilson’s line was all about swimwear with a Caribbean flavour,from her “Islander Swim Suit Collection”.
The show also had pieces from Rhoda Doxa, who debuted pieces from her Royal Collection, which as always stayed true to her mandate to prove that African prints can be used in everyday wear.

Rare Findz boutique had a few of their in-store pieces on display. The curtains came down on the fashion show with pieces from Isaiah Luther’s “Unorthodox Urban Wear” line, where Luther continued to broadcast his romance with maxi pants and broad belts. The line contained a number of pieces that you could definitely see yourself donning, but it was not without its share of unusual pieces that really pushed the envelope.

Celebrated in observance of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Orange the Runway Vol. 1 was a combination of fashion and advocacy.
It was organised by the Heart to Art Foundation which was founded by local model Jamicia Mc Calman. McCalman was very pleased with the execution of the show.

“I am overwhelmed. I am elated by the entire execution from the start to the end. Patrons were happy. I say this with humility: I am proud of the show and I would personally rate it as a success not by the number of persons that came out, but by the support and the responses it received. To hear the responses from individuals and hearing the positive feedback, it was comforting to know your job was done, and persons that you set out to reach you would have accomplished that,” McCalman said in a comment to The Buzz.
McCalman couldn’t have done it without the great help that she had.

“I know that it could not have been possible without the team that I had working with me. Runway coach [Keith] Allicock worked with the models in just two days,” she noted.
Aside from the splendid fashion and wine, the afternoon was also about awards. The event honoured six young people who are activists and advocates championing the cause of women’s issues and fighting against gender-based violence.

International Guyanese model Juanite Bledman was honoured with the last and biggest award of the day, the “Award of Excellence in International Achievement” for her work. Guyanese by birth, Bledman has been living in the United States for the past few years and has been making strides on the international stage, modelling for Sephora and Fenty.
Melissa “Melly Mel” Atwell was flattered as she received the “Trail Blazer Award”. Thirty three-year-old Atwell has been working with juvenile delinquents since the age of 21. She recently created the Melly Mel Foundation and launched the “You Are Not Alone” campaign for persons who have been sexually abused.

Founder of the ASPIRE Youth Network Guyana, Dennis Glasgow received the first award of the day, the “Male Youth Activist of the Year”, while the “Female Youth Activist of the Year” award went to writer, Akola Thompson.

Poet, Renatta Burnette known for her passionate spoken word pieces was honoured with the “Arts Advocate Award”. She gave the audience a taste of her work performing her piece “Silent Screams” which told the story of an abused woman.

Involved in sexual and reproductive health and rights advocacy for more than five years, president of the GRPA’s Youth Advocacy Movement, Kobe Smith was bestowed the “Youth Advocate of the Year” award.