THE inaugural Origins: Guyana Fashion Festival, an event like no other, marked the beginning of a movement in the local fashion industry as the light shone down on scores of Guyanese designers.

The festival featured the designs of 34 talented designers, and more than 68 models strutting the runway in each piece. The event was held on May 2-4 at the Railway Courtyard on Lamaha Street.
ORIGINS aimed to be the launch of a movement that celebrates, empowers and elevates the local creative identity on the global stage. It set out to bring designers, models, stylists, artisans and visionaries together from Guyana and the diaspora to showcase the richness and range of Guyanese art history.

As it powerfully exhibited the work of brilliant local designers to the rest of the world, each piece told stories of evolution and identity, cementing Guyana’s place in the global fashion world.
While branded as a fashion festival, ORIGINS was not solely about fashion, but also building a community and fostering collaborations, innovations, and entrepreneurship, providing opportunities for young, upcoming and seasoned designers alike.
It represented the government’s investment in the development, growth, and exposure of the fashion and style components of Guyana’s creative industry.

The three-day festival featured workshops and panel discussions, each tailored to specific aspects of fashion.

These included: Fundamentals of Fashion Illustration led by Damian Moore; Casting Call: From Submission to Selection – How to Stand Out, Get Booked, and Own the Runway- That panel included prominent leaders in the fashion industry, Keisha Edwards, Mwanza Glen, Keith Alicock, and Juanita Piere; and Breaking Barriers: Overcoming Challenges in Guyana’s Creative Industry, featuring Keisha Edwards, Randy Madray, Sade Burrowes, Drew Thoven, and Melicia Partab.

Prior to the opening of the event, it was said that ORIGINS would be an inflexion point in the creative journey of our style and fashion designers, models and our makeup artistes.
Alex Graham, who played a part in the execution of the Fashion Festival, said Guyanese designers have consciously or unconsciously drawn inspiration from the deep well of our historical, cultural, social and environmental heritage.

At that time, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame Mc Coy, related that the festival was the brainchild of President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who communicated to the team his vision for the fashion and industry.
McCoy highlighted that there were a number of great initiatives that would be seen flowing out of the fashion festival, which are intended to benefit creatives and ensure Guyanese have the means of being able to bring adoration and transformation in the industry.

Some of the designers featured included work by Kerby JB Young, Sazie Rahaman, Michelle Cole Wagner, Andrea Braithwaite, Kram Ronuj Designs, Anetha’s Elegance, Katia Fitzpatrick, Felicity Sonaram, Sapphire Rose, Kawanaru, and Nachle Designs, among others

Already, the Fashion Festival has announced that people can look forward to the second edition of ORIGINS next year from July 3 to July 5, 2026.