Designer You Ought To Know - Sonia Noel

The Caribbean may be known for sea, sun and fun but it is quickly gaining the reputation as a fashion Mecca showcasing design talent from several Caribbean countries as well as from the international arena. Guyana Lime is proud to feature Sonia Noel; a guyanese born fashion designer that You Ought To Know.

Sonia Noel is fast becoming one of the more recognizable names in the directory of Caribbean designers. She has been shrewd enough to position herself throughout the region at all the noteworthy fashion events and intuitive enough to create a label Mariska’s Designs that is an unique hybrid of Guyanese craftsmanship, Caribbean ingenuity and an all pervasive universal style.

Proudly born in Guyana, she recently opted for a shift to Barbados so as to ready herself for regional and even international possibilities. As a result she has participated in significant fashion weeks throughout the Caribbean – Caribbean Fashion week, St. Kitt’s Fashion Week and Trinidad and Tobago Fashion Week. In addition to these grand expositions she also took part in the Caribbean Gift and Craft show and highlighted her Mariska’s label in St. Vincent, Surinam, Cayenne, Grenada, St. Lucia and Barbados even going further afield in New York, Toronto and London.

Sonia Noel is a peculiar mix of designer powerhouse and savvy businesswoman. By no means is it sheer luck that she has been fortunate to access spreads in many a magazine – Shabeau, She Caribbean, Caribbean Bride, Posh Caribbean, Paramaribo Post, Gem Magazine, Apsara Magazine, Pride (London), Smooth and Sister 2 Sister in New York. These features were a result of a combination of strategic planning, innovative design and moreover a magnetic charming personality. The latter, one sees radiating from her maternal and more so compassionate spirit exuded generously when with her two daughters, Mariska and Shonta.

In 2007 she was a recipient of the Shabeau Magazine award for excellence for her contribution to fashion in the Caribbean. Imbued with a passionate drive for innovation and a nationalistic spirit for promoting her homeland, she utilized her recently garnered skills, contacts and access to launch Guyana Fashion Week 2007. This sense of enterprise she dedicated to invigorating and not so vibrant fashion sector. She saw tourism and fashion as a natural corollary and has assumed as her vocation the promotion of these sectors.

Strong willed and determined, this Leo pioneering C.E.O of G.F.W, who also went on to become the official fashion designer for Barbados Music Awards, has gone on to produce two reality television series in Guyana – Guyana Model Search and Designers Portfolio. As an acknowledgement of her efforts, the government of Guyana commissioned her to head the fashion component of Carifesta X. With the second annual Guyana fashion weekend just concluded, she is all gong-ho about her proposed talk show geared towards empowering her women compatriots, in particular and women folk throughout the region.

Always on the cutting edge she creates and contributes to projects which indulge her humanitarian side. She’s forever donating to a charity and in December 2007 at “Style Mission” she raised funds for single parent families to afford them a more spirited Christmas season.

Sonia recently particpated in the Virgin Islands Fashion Week where she displayed an upbeat collection inspired by the wild life in her homeland. She featured animal prints mixed with earth tones including rich blacks and crisp whites. Ms. Noel also unveiled bustier and halter tops worn with hot shorts or Bermuda shorts, fluid skirts and several daytime dresses. Her oversized accessories; handbags, purses and luggage were traffic stoppers. For men, Ms. Noel brought out the animal instinct in them, sending them out in some super hot boy shorts, airy linen shorts and trousers, shown sometimes with loose caftan style shirts.

Recently, Guyana Lime caught up with Sonia Noel to get to know a little bit more about this successful savvy businesswoman. Read the exlcusive interview with Sonia.

Describe yourself

I am a single mother of two who is down to earth, caring, and sophisticated person who loves God, love life and loves people that love life.

When and how did you get into fashion designing?

I started about ten years ago. Fashion runs in the blood stream and I have always been intrigued in anything that’s creative in enhancing people’s appearance. I designed my first outfit at 11 for a junior pageant and continued to do so my friends and family. Right through my school year I’ve been involved in fashion show as and eventually I owned my own shop and people would always come to the shop complement me on my attire and lamenting about me not having it in the shop, they were my designs, so then I decided to start my own clothing line called Mariska’s Design after my elder daughter.

When did you realize that you had such great talent?

A long time ago because I was well coordinated and always gave good advice to my friends when it came to fashion.

What inspires your designs?

My inspiration varies. Lots of my collections in the past were influenced by the flora, fauna and water waves of my beautiful country Guyana. Sometimes you get inspirations at very strange time for example sitting at the airport, travelling on a boat to Bartica or even reading a book.

What is your design philosophy?

Fashion has more impact in our lives than we realize. You often hear people say ‘I am not a fashion conscious person’ but from the time you wake up in the morning we make a fashion decision from the tie we ware to the footwear we put on. It’s a fashion decision. Fashion is also a very powerful medium to send powerful message, for example, the Saturday night opening of GFW, which was sponsored by Ministry of Human Services, depicted the negative effects of domestic violence was very effective. When you look around you can see many companies and organizations that are using fashion to get their massages over.

Do you try to send out a message or theme in your clothes?

Sometimes, most recently, part of my GFW collection was enhanced by the use of condoms. The Guyana flag was made out of condoms on a black dress. That was my favorite.

What do you think are your strengths and weaknesses in the art of fashion?

I think my strength is that I’m very aggressive and because of that I create opportunities for myself and others in my industry. I believe in myself and in my work and I’m very confident that my work could go to the next level. On the other hand I could be very soft hearted and some people can mistake it for being weak.

What can we expect from Sonia Noel in the next 5 years?

In the next five years Sonia Noel should be a household name in the Caribbean while taking Guyana fashion industry to the next level. I will also be getting into interior designing

If you could do anything else, other than fashion, what would it be and why?

I really cannot imagine myself doing anything other than designing for it runs through my veins. However, if I had to do anything else I could see myself owning a chain of restaurants around the region because I love cooking and fine dining.

Guyana Lime wishes to thank Sonia Noel for taking time out of her busy schedule to particpate in this interview. Having read and seen what Sonia's designs are like, it is clear that she has a passion for fashion and she is certainly a designer with a purpose. Continue making us proud Sonia. If you are interested in any of Sonia's pieces feel free to contact her on
592-642-8129 or 246-252-8924 or email her at sonianoel@gmail.com