Fashion designer Sonia Noel continues to represent Guyana and the Caribbean with poise and dignity. As a fashion entrepreneur, she has advanced her brand, Sonia Noel Designs, with unparalleled ambition, but beyond this personal achievement is an unprecedented accomplishment, imbued no doubt with national pride, but moreover brimming with regional prestige.
Just back from the Megapolis in Moscow, where the inaugural BRICS+ Fashion Summit has just been concluded, Noel is teeming with renewed energy and a rekindled strategy for creating sustainable opportunities, not only for Guyanese fashion creatives, but for the Caribbean fashion identity as a global brand.
Hailed as “the most representative fashion event of the year”, the BRICS+ Fashion Summit served not only as a showcase of international fashion diversity, but also as a forum for impactful discussions on sustainability, cultural preservation, and the current and future trajectory of the fashion industry the world over.
The BRICS alliance served as a collaborative project, bringing together tremendous consumer markets that are capable of influencing global fashion trends. This mandate went beyond merely adopting trends from developed fashion markets, but further aimed at establishing trends that originate from within the BRICS nations – Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa, as well as countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Noel was honoured to be the only Caribbean fashion designer and speaker at the event, celebrating Guyana’s mark on the regional fashion footprint and claiming a New World relevance and status in the international trade arena and style barometer.
She revelled in her African heritage alongside the key African influencers at the forefront of the Summit.
More than 30 per cent of the nations at the summit came from Africa, highlighting that continent’s impressive presence in the modern global fashion industry.
Moreover, she parlayed her Amerindian identity to create that unique and indelible Guyanese stamp so singular within our Caribbean Aesthetic. This distinctive character served her in good stead to salute one of the missions of the Summit, that of preserving cultural identity through fashion. She was singled out as a global partner to engender global cooperation through fashion, and was identified by Leadership News, a Nigerian newspaper, as a significant player at the event.
“Sonia Noel, a designer from Guyana with African roots, anticipated that new collections from many designers would be inspired by Russian culture post-BRICS+ Fashion Summit. Sonia highlighted that fashion is a universal language, expressing freedom and transcending borders. She emphasized that fashion speaks to ‘love, unity, and peace, always bringing people together.’ Our intrinsic Caribbean-style mosaic appealed to the global call for inclusivity and diversity directives, accessing and targeting selective niche markets beyond our traditional market borders,” a review stated.
A substantive follow-through on this participation at the Summit are the short films, further promoting inclusivity and diversity, which are to follow. The Sonia Noel Designs brand will be featured in these film vignettes circulating globally, not only distinguishing her brand, but commemorating the Caribbean as a distinctive destination with its peculiar design template.
Further, her collection was showcased at Manilla International Fashion Week in the Philippines last weekend, serving to propel our regional identity in the vanguard of world fashion, and cementing a formidable place for Caribbean-styled products in non-traditional, progressive fashion foray.
Over 60 countries participated in this pioneering initiative, and it is indeed a monumental milestone for a CARICOM-based fashion entrepreneur to be recognized, prominently.
Willy Batura, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of Fort Fashion Council in Meydan, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, spoke highly of Noel. He stated, “It was a pleasure meeting Dr Noel during the BRICS+ Fashion Summit. Her knowledge of the industry is beyond words, and we look forward to exploring the Caribbean’s fashion, tourism and cultural industries, and creating extended relationships in Dubai for the Caribbean through their creative and travel industries.”
The BRICS+ Fashion Summit functioned as a catalyst for cultural interchange, fostering global collaboration and facilitating market access. It nurtured a dialogue that surpassed geographical and cultural constraints within the fashion industry. The activities included a massive business-to-business showroom catering to over 125 brands and designers; educational platforms led by more than three dozen lecturers from prestigious universities and global fashion institutions; stellar fashion shows featuring an impressive line-up of lead designers from participating countries; the creation of world fashion short films showcasing the diversity of cultural influences on global fashion; and outstanding business fora comprising over 40 sessions, with more than 200 speakers from all over the world.
It is noteworthy that Guyana was featured in the latter two components through the powerful presentations of Sonia Noel. Her fashions went on to be highlighted in shorts, and she contributed impactfully at the panel – fashion weeks, promoting brands locally and globally – such a landmark for a regional designer and creative entrepreneur.
The Russian Fashion Council, together with Moscow Fashion Week, took the initiative in bolstering and fortifying the concept of an interconnected global fashion industry by taking the lead in staging this phenomenal summit, drawing in fashion industry professionals – designers, buyers, presidents of fashion weeks, journalists – from around the world to synthesise their ambitions and aspirations with the aim of establishing a collective global fashion industry vision that would beneficially impact the lives and livelihoods of practitioners in the fashion realm the world over.
“The highlight for me was the foundation laid for the new BRICS+ Fashion Federation. This isn’t just another organization; it’s a game-changer that promises to redefine how we perceive the global fashion business. It’s thrilling to witness how this federation is poised to champion Africa’s rich cultural heritage, unleashing a wave of innovation and creativity. The BRICS+ Fashion Summit has indeed opened the doors for Africa to shine on the global stage, showcasing its potential to be the next big hub of fashion innovation and creativity. The decades ahead look incredibly promising, and I am excited to be a part of this transformative journey,” CEO of Botswana Exporters & Manufacturers Association and Founder of Botswana Fashion Week, Mmantlha Sankoloba, stated.
In addition, she expressed her excitement about the partnerships and friendships forged. “I certainly look forward to working with Guyana!! We will together transform our fashion industries, and change lives and livelihoods in our countries.”
Meanwhile, Noel expressed sheer exhilaration at seeing the Guyana flag fluttering among the other international flags at the Zaryadye Moscow Concert Hall, and said she felt immensely proud to be holding the torch for the Caribbean region as well as being a stalwart among the representation from the Americas.
It gave her a great sense of honour, filled with conviction, to participate in this trailblazing inaugural international breakthrough enterprise set to institutionally strengthen the infrastructure and integrity of the value chain of global fashion.
With Russia chairing BRICS next year, the aim is to launch the second summit in August-September, before the main BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia in October 2024.
