Designer Sonia Noel – Search Guyana Fashion Week and Guyana Models & The Great Power Behind the Designer Portfolio – Talk to Gisele Laronde West about her journey
sOnia Elizabeth Noel has built fashion for 28 years. First named Mariska’s Design (named after her eldest daughter), then Sonia Noel’s design, producing an exclusive line with bright Caribbean flavours and international charm for both men and women. Her multipurpose design concepts flatter all body types, adorning bamboo and wooden beads, ranging from tie-dying to hand-painted Guyana plants, fauna and important historical sites (such as Kaietour Falls).
The distinctive style and distinctive feature of the Sonia Noel brand is her lattice motif, inspired by the architecture of Guyana during the Colonial era. Noel, a tailor’s child, grew up in Bartica, a small mining town in Guyana. There, her passion for fashion began when she began making clothes for the dolls. She soon realized that she preferred to design concepts over sewing, and in elementary school she will teach children how to make clothes and headlights for dolls from newspapers.
When Noel was sharing her dreams in his class becoming a designer, her economics teacher confessed that she felt sorry for her, not that small mining town, because she thought she couldn’t surpass her dreams. But with consistent faith, determination, focus, discipline, and despite his lack of formal training, Noel has proven that his dreams can be realized.
Noel mainly designs her clothes and has samples made for her approval. “If I had to sew all day, I wouldn’t achieve anything,” she laughs. The work is sold in Guyana and the Caribbean (guadeloupe and St. Vincent shops carry her designs), as well as in the US and Canada.
Most of the clothing is produced at the Denmore Clothing Factory in Guyana, and she works with a private tailor for more complex pieces. She decides to paint images, beads, and draw some pieces herself, but most are done by the painter Brian Beckles, who has worked with her for 20 years.
Noel has now designed jewelry and created several necklaces made from fabric and bamboo beads for her personal use. They caught the eye of her clients and she decided to create a collection. “The versatile bamboo handband that converts into necklaces and belts is one of my bestsellers,” she says.
She had to create her own platform as emerging designers rarely had the opportunity to showcase her work. That’s why he has produced many fashion shows in both Guyana and overseas over the past 20 years. “A great fashion show is more than just clothes on the runway. It’s a combination of creativity, craftsmanship and performance to create an immersive experience that’s truly unforgettable,” she says.
She held her first major show – It’s simply attractive – In Pegasus in Guyana. She partnered with orphanage Joshua House to donate some of the sold-out events. In 2007, Noel launched Guyana Fashion Week (later Guyana Fashion Week). The following year, she launched with the help of Richard Young of Trinidad. Guyana Model Search & Designer Portfolio.
Noel’s designs have been featured at fashion shows across the region, including Haiti, the British Virgin Islands, the US Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Belize, and several cities in the US and Canada. They have also been featured in Moscow, Manila, Nimbo and Beijing.
Noel closed the pre-studio pandemic and felt he was pulled in a different direction. She has already published seven books on Amazon, launched the Women in Business Expo and launched a program called Confidence Bely You. When Covid was hit, she was able to steal the book sales, program her confidence online, and host several virtual writers’ retreats (also known as Richard Young and Claudia Vital).
She recently lost two of her inspirations. “Nottheless, 2025 will be an incredible year for me,” she says. In addition to receiving the outstanding humanitarian award at the 69th session of the United Nations Committee on Women’s Status (CSW69), she plans to reboot Guyana Fashion Week in August with her team. Explore business opportunities in Africa. and expand her charity.
I asked her to give advice to an emerging designer. “You shouldn’t choose this career because of its appeal,” she says. “If your passion is authentic, you will have the willingness to endure through inevitable tasks. Like many Caribbean designers, I am self-taught.
