– plans to expand Adriano Braga clothing line

WELL-KNOWN Guyanese designer, Dorian Obermuller, celebrated a big step in his career when he graduated Magna Cum Laude in fine arts-fashion design from the Caribbean Academy of Fashion Design (CAFD) at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) in December 2021.

The accomplishment marked a successful end to a trying four years for the founder of the Adriano Braga clothing line. He said his pursuit of the bachelor’s degree programme was “not walk in the park.”

“I remember failing all my courses one semester due to the stress and anxiety of both school work and outside-of-school matters. I swore I was going to give up then, but with the push from God and my support force I was able to pull through. My belief in God was the number one factor of my success. He placed the right people and opportunities in my life,” the 33 year old shared in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

Always one to stand out rather than fit in, most Guyanese would remember Obermuller from his performance in the 2013 GTT Song and Jingle competition. His voice and outfits made him a crowd favourite. He made it to the semi-final round of the competition.

He may also be remembered for copping the “Best Stylist” title in fashion icon, Sonia Noel’s Model Search/Designer Portfolio/Stylist competition in 2009.

Obermuller’s dressing style as well as his work as a costume designer and illustrator has caused him to stand out. He has done several pieces for Guyana’s Mashramani celebration and carnival in Brazil.

With most of his work over the years revolving around costume designing and illustrating, it was his desire to branch into clothing designing and to sharpen his skills that led him to UTT.

“The need to be a better craftsman at what I loved to do was always one of the driving forces behind qualifying myself,” he explained
He told this publication that: “Studying in Trinidad, however, was not a plan. I actually went there for vacation and met people who were very much interested in supporting my ambition to qualify myself, after they were exposed to my work in Trinidad during Carnival 2015.”

Of a multiracial ethnicity, which includes Amerindian and Afro-Guyanese, the former Annandale Secondary School student said his multicultural background is one of the biggest inspirations for his designs.

“I am very driven by my cultural make up. I come from a multicultural, multi-ethnic background, so there were always much differences and yet similarities to celebrate, and I have heritage from these different countries. I have relatives in Trinidad, Brazil, Venezuela, South Africa, Barbados, and in Germany as well. So, I have this vast scope for inspiration to play with,” he added.

It was his background that got him involved in fashion in the first place. While visiting relatives in Brazil at the age of 10, he fell in love with the designs that he saw at the carnival.

When he returned home, he began testing his creative skills by drawing illustrations. He would later develop those skills while in secondary school by helping to design costumes for Mashramani. His family has also been an eternal source of support. His sisters allowed him to design outfits for them to wear and his parents have embraced his gift.

“I wasn’t always appreciated outside of my home for my talent and I was always different from the other children on every weird level, but my mother, especially, encouraged me to be myself,” he shared.

Obermuller spent most of his childhood days with his parents and five siblings at Melanie, East Coast Demerara.

“We were not rich, and didn’t always have the best of everything, but my parents were and still are very hard working. They made magic happen for their children by the sweat of their brows,” he recalled.

The financial and mental support received from his family gave Obermuller the drive he needed to never give up on his dreams to finish his degree and to be a designer.

For his final year project, he decided to pay homage to his family and culture by designing a collection called “Black Renaissance.”

“It is a collection of six garments and [it] is called ‘Black Renaissance,’ which delves into specific aspects of South African – Zulu traditions and royal characters. The use of Zulu colours can be seen throughout the collection, and prints of the zebra which is traditionally my animal spirit,” he noted.

Now that he has completed his studies, his African heritage will influence how he moves forward with his designing career. He has major hopes to tap into the Caribbean and African markets with his Adriano Braga brand.

“I’m not one to count my chickens before they hatch but I do want to establish myself as a qualified designer, doing garments. I still love costumes but it’s not my priority. I’m more focused on quality garment production, garments that can be a limited edition that people will not see a lot of other people wearing.” he told the Guyana Chronicle.