BERBICIAN Carol Alexis Fraser is a fashion designer and a trained artist; but especially, she is a full time single parent to her beautiful 18-year-old daughter, Bonnie. Asked what inspired her to become a designer, Carol noted thus: “It wasn’t a choice, it was a part of me for as long as I knew myself.” She has been a fashion designer for over 27 years, and an organic designer and trained artist for five years.

Passion for fashion
Interviewed by the Guyana Chronicle, this beautiful designer spoke about her immense passion for fashion, which has been with her ever since she was a child. She said that, as a young girl, she would find herself rearranging the furniture in the house, as well as changing around the curtains. She also enjoyed assisting her mother, who was a seamstress, in activities such as sewing beads onto wedding dresses.
Her role model, Carol unhesitatingly disclosed, is “My mom!” She noted that her mother had the tendency to think ‘outside the box’.
“My mom was always changing her environment; making household articles such as pot holders, holders for matches, and coverings for gas bottles. Whenever she made things for people, she would always try to be different, and I found this very admirable,” Carol said.
One doesn’t aspire to be a designer, according to Carol; that quality needs to be inherent.

Miracle hands
Ms. Carol Fraser is the director of “Miracle Hands Designs”. She has produced clothing lines with themes such as “Go green and Grow” and “Eco-fantasy.” The name of her design company was once “Carol Super fit Garments and Manufacturing”; but, 10 years ago, while she was in church, the name “Miracle Hands Designs” was ministered to her by God.
Carol considers herself a woman of God, and thanks Him every day for preserving her life. She considers her hands her most important design tool, without which she cannot live.
Carol is skilled at making masks, footwear and accessories, and at designing unusual pieces of clothing.

Some Carol Fraser designs from Courts’ ‘Journey to emancipation’ programme this year.

Years of experience
At the tender age of 17, Carol seized the opportunity to design a cocktail dress for a contestant in the New Amsterdam Lions pageant. Her design copped the winning prize, and launched her career in the fashion industry.
Ms. Fraser graduated from the Burrowes School of Art as the best Leather Art student in 2007, and she is a member of the Guyana Women Artist Association. According to her, she was the first interior designer for Courts (Guyana) Limited, and has, for several years, been designing pieces for their annual emancipation programme. She noted that she bases her drive for fashion on an understanding of people’s lifestyles, in order to encompass their personality in the piece.
Carol was very privileged to be the designer for Ashmin’s home makeover, which ran from September 2011 to January 2012. In this year’s Mashramani competition, she designed the costumes and float for the Ministry of Agriculture band, garnering them 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place positions.

Eco-friendly
Ms. Fraser strongly advocates the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), and doesn’t promote the use of synthetic materials in designing. She hopes to someday put Guyana on the international social map through the use of organic materials in her designs.
“Fashion has become one of the largest media for development,” she said.
Earlier this year, Carol displayed a piece made purely from organic materials in the “Islands of the World” fashion show held in the Bahamas. This design was considered the ‘show stopper’, and earned her much recognition.

Overcoming obstacles
The road to success is paved with obstacles, according to a popular adage. There may be many challenges along the way. In Carol’s case, challenge came in the form of discouragement from persons who injected a lot of negativity into her life.
She said many people thought she was moving too quickly, and that she wanted to be something that she couldn’t or shouldn’t be. “At one point in time, my self-esteem was very low, and I was trying to please others. That didn’t work, as I soon realized that, in pleasing others, I was making myself uncomfortable,” she noted.
Carol eventually overcame that obstacle, proving the naysayers wrong. “Today I’m reaping the benefits of being a designer,” she said.

The unknown
What many persons don’t know about this Sagittarius-born designer is that she’s very sensitive when it comes to personal hygiene.
“I have a problem with scent,” she noted. She dislikes the smell of perspiration, and urges persons to take good care of their bodies, in order to minimize this unpleasant odour. Carol is also very conscious about her weight, and works out on a regular basis at the Tower Hotel gym. She loves to socialize with persons who are passionate innovators like herself.

Advice
Asked what advice she would give to upcoming designers, Carol Fraser said they should follow their passion and allow it to have a positive impact on other people’s lives. She also noted that they should surround themselves with persons who would provide them with constructive criticism, and always look for new ways to exhibit their designs.
Ms. Carol Alexis Fraser is certainly a role model for upcoming designers, and will someday become an icon for using organic materials in her designs. She’s currently working on her very own magazine, and wishes to become a well recognized fashion designer in Miami, and in at least two Caribbean countries.
Her current website is www.carolfrasergy.com, and she hopes to have her new website-www.miraclehandsgy.com, up and running by the 20th August, 2012.