Meet Sonia Noel, CEO/Founder of Guyana Fashion Weekend and the Creator/Designer behind the Fashion Label – Mariska Designs Born in the small mining town of Bartica, Sonia displayed her creativity at a very young age, using newspaper to produce unique designs. She modeled most of her clothes in fashion shows and pageants, finishing runner-up in the 1988 Miss Bartica Regatta pageant. To broaden her horizon and display her work in a larger marketplace, Noel moved to Georgetown in 2001 and opened Mariska Designs, which is her adult product line named after her eldest daughter. She also named a children’s line after younger daughter, Shontay.
A regular participant at fashion events across the Caribbean, Sonia started Guyana Fashion Week in 2007 to increase local designers’ visibility and promote their creativity. Her product line includes crinkled cotton clothing, wraps, accessories and unique hand-painted linen. Carefully crafted with technical acumen her apparel appeals to both the young and old seeking glamor and sophistication.
Sonia has participated in many significant fashion events throughout the Caribbean such as Caribbean Fashion Week, St. Kitts Fashion Week, Fashion Week Trinidad and Tobago, USVI Fashion Week, Antigua Independence Fashion Weekend, and has highlighted her Mariska’s label in St. Vincent, Suriname, Cayenne , Grenada, St. Lucia and Barbados even New York, Toronto and London. She was awarded at the 2011 British Virgin Islands Fashion Weekend the accolade of Caribbean Fashion Ambassador and also received the GMSA Award for her involvement in youth development and cross border promotion of the local fashion industry. She recently launched the Sonia Noel Foundation for the Creative Arts. The mission of SNFCA is to create access for talented individuals, not only in Guyana, its home base, but through the wider Caribbean. I checked out Sonia’s collection at her online store and am in love with many of her pieces.So hard to decide on my favorite. For more information or to purchase Mariska’s Designs visit www.sonianoel.com. This Guyanese Girl Rock!
