Origins Fashion Festival homegrown, backed by huge investment – Tourism Minister

…dismisses “false claims” by Marrisa Wilson NY

Tourism, Industry & Commerce Minister on Friday shut down defamatory claims made by Guyanese-American, New York based fashion designer Marissa Wilson about its ‘Origins’ Guyana Fashion Festival.
The response follows after Wilson took to her social media page to accuse Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond of ripping off her concept completely. In fact, the New York- based fashion designer stated that the event is being politicised.
“Three years ago, I pitched a proposal directly to Guyanese Minister of Tourism, a runway show to celebrate Guyanese culture, to grow the local fashion industry, and to bring tourism to the country…It is designed to support the president’s re-election campaign, not the fashion community.”

“They are using my brand, Marissa Wilson New York, and my name, to suggest credibility while ignoring every actual aspect of the proposals and the strategy that will actually make real impact in the potential of the local Guyanese fashion industry. So, I want to be very crystal clear. I do not support the Origins Guyana Fashion Festival.” Wilson said.
However, on Friday Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond during a live broadcast on her social media page debunked Marissa’s defamatory remarks about the festival.
According to Minister Waldron, the Origins brand was developed by a team of Guyanese industry practitioners and event organisers, assembled by the Ministry to advance the Government’s investment in support of Guyana’s emerging fashion industry.
The Minister revealed that Wilson and her team were contacted by a representative of Alex Graham, who is the Event Director of the inaugural Origins. Mr Graham met virtually with Marrisa and her team on March 13, 2025. In that meeting, the goals of the Origins Guyana Fashion Festival were first shared and there was a meeting of minds on the goals and on a general approach about how Marissa, her brand, and her team could participate.
In an effort to demonstrate how they can participate in the Origins Guyana Fashion Festival (with no scope of participation being settled), Marrisa and her team provided a 3-minute video to be shown at the launch and to have the Origins brand included in some of their images. The images were never used but the video was shown during the launch event.
On March 31, 2025, and based on further conversations, for the first time, Marrisa’s team submitted a proposal, inclusive of costs, outlining how her team could contribute to the inaugural Origins Guyana Fashion Festival.
However, the comprehensive proposal covers some areas that are already being handled by other Guyanese fashion creatives; as a result of these clashes, internal discussions were still ongoing regarding the scope of Marrisa’s participation. It is during these deliberations that Wilson responded with the erroneous and mischievous video that has now been reposted by several others.
In her response, Minister Waldron stated, “Marrisa’s work and achievement are outstanding, and it is therefore disappointing that someone of Guyanese roots, who had an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the industry here, quickly choose to go public with distortions, exaggerations, and lies, in response to our effort to include her and her team.”
She added, “The Government of Guyana is firmly of the view that Guyana is not just a land of natural beauty and economic potential; we are a force in fashion, creativity, and culture. As such, this festival is a visionary initiative, spearheaded by Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, to give our designers a global platform. It is a declaration that Guyana’s fashion industry is ready to shine, and we invite the world to take notice. We will remain committed to the task and continue to work to deliver a world class show in May.”
Serving as a catalyst to propel Guyana’s unique flare and the rise of local designers a new platform—the Origins fashion festival is set to be a transformative experience, promoting couture like never seen before.
Happening May 2–4, 2025 at the historic Railway Courtyard in Georgetown, this landmark three-day fashion event celebrates innovation, heritage, and the future of fashion in Guyana, offering emerging and established talent a high-profile platform to shine on a national and global stage.