CubaPLUS Magazine

If anything has captured Sonia Noel’s attention since she was a child, it has been design, and she remembers that ever since her childhood in elementary school, she was teaching her friends how to make dolls, clothes and turbans out of newspaper.

That is why this veteran designer believes that fashion is in her DNA, as she was only 11 years old when she designed her first outfit for a contest for girls in her hometown, Bartica, and was first runner-up.

With her mother a seamstress and her aunt a fashionista, Noel points out that her origins set “her journey in the world of fashion”, in which she has been doing outstanding work for a quarter of a century.

In answering a question from this magazine about the themes that motivate her when creating a collection, she expressed, “My motivation comes in many ways in various environments. It could be the people around me, the flora, fauna, waterways, or while praying, reading, writing or listening to something inspiring.

“I created Turquoise while watching the waves after meditating on Bathsheba Beach in Barbados. That collection appeared on the cover of Shabeau magazine (a leading fashion and entertainment publication in the Caribbean). Sometimes I see my collection on the runway in my dreams before I create it and I believe that is a gift from God,” she said.

“My first collection will always have a special meaning for me, because at that time I was not very sure that this was my path, so it was a great achievement,”  although for her all her collections are significant, as she has favorite pieces from each one. She gave as an example, among many others, the transparent black dress worn by Shevon Nieto (former Jamaican athlete) to the Emmy Awards, the black and white dress worn by Leila Lopes (former Ms Universe) and another in black and brown with wooden beads that the designer herself exhibited at the gala in South Africa.

Noel, founder of the Guyana Fashion Week, is currently working on a collection with African influence, motivated by a recent trip she made to that continent. Speaking about it, she commented, “I had read about Africa over the years, but nothing compares to what I experienced during my visit to Cape Town, Durban, Joburg, Accra, Abidjan, Abuja and Lagos. Part of the collection is a fusion of Indo, Afro and indigenous culture. We are a melting pot and that will be reflected in some of the outfits.”

Sonia Noel feels very grateful for the awards and recognitions she has received in the fashion world, and considers them a commitment to continue her work. She added: “I am indebted. If my obligation to harness talent and my duty to engage people in a meaningful way are considered philanthropic, I am blessed. And when I am praised by these basic human responsibilities, I have a new lease of life.”

Speaking about her upcoming projects, she explained that she will be presenting a new collection at the relaunch of Guyana Fashion Week, but added that she is also working on another one that will benefit many people in need, called Bread Basket, belonging to the Sonia Noel Foundation, in which they distribute free bread to needy families and food for the homeless. “This project will be extended to other countries, because I am part of Mother Earth,” said the award-winning designer.