Seonnae Naughton and her ‘talk of the town’ creativity.

Mar 28, 2021 News

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By Sueann Wickham

Kaieteur News – Many have suffered losses from the on-going COVID-19 pandemic that has sent shockwaves through the world, but for Seonnae Destinee Naughton, a 20-year-old aspiring architect and designer, it seems to have been a blessing in disguise. This is according to the young entrepreneur who recently shared her journey to establishing her business, ‘Seonnae Voguish Styles,’ which has been the talk of the town for the creativity which it embraces.

Through her business, Naughton sought to convert old or sizeable clothing into more trendy and stylish fashion pieces. “As much as the pandemic might’ve come across as the worst possible thing that happened in 2020, for me it was a blessing in disguise to the greatest extent. Since persons have been at home with little to nothing to do, they’ve been even more active on social media, which gave me the opportunity to reach more persons than expected,” she testified. But there was much more that led to her launching her business.She expressed that she has always been a lover of the arts and fashion. She attended the Christ Church Secondary School where she completed her secondary education, graduating with eight CSEC subjects and then a year later she opted to pursue her studies at the Government Technical Institute for two years in the field of Architecture. “My creative talent has always been a personal venture for me. At a very young age, I started designing and sewing, starting by changing the wardrobe of my dolls in which I received as Christmas presents and I’d look for every possible piece of discarded garment around the house to make an outfit for them. After a few years of sewing, I was dubbed the seamstress of the house and I was able to truly explore my gift and skills,” Naughton stated. Whenever her siblings had events, they’d show her their outfit ideas and she would immediately begin sewing their garments with just a needle and thread. The pieces she created for them ranged from prom dresses to Christmas costumes and through that, she was able to better her sewing skills. When COVID-19 first hit Guyana and socializing was prohibited, amidst all the challenges, she found comfort in expressing herself through fashion by “discovering a new talent whereas I’d flip old, unstylish and oversized clothing into something more of today’s fashion,” she said. “Whenever I got a new idea, I’d sketch it out on a piece of paper, choose a suitable wear and convert it into what would be more likely to catch the eyes of the public. It never took me longer than a day to come up with my end product,” Naughton said with pride. However, with the establishment of any business, challenges are expected and she was no stranger to such happenings. The 20-year-old recalled that her main challenge was getting the instruments needed to help her get her work done, since she did not own a functioning sewing machine. She remembered being gifted one by a seamstress sometime back to help her pursue her talent but after a few uses, it stopped working. “Due to the lack of finances, I was unable to repair or purchase a new one so I was forced to continue working by hand, which has been very time-consuming as I’d have to do the cutting, sewing and finishing of the clothing on my own and with just the use of a scissors, needle and thread,” she said. However, she knows that there will always be challenges, which she will not permit to hamper her work. She also shared with this publication that when she kick-started her business on March 6 this year, it was the death anniversary of her grandmother. “As much as I put off this act for months, I am grateful for being able to start on the death anniversary of my grandmother who passed away a year ago and would have loved to see how far I’ve gotten,” the young designer shared. This was after she received enough positive feedback and garnered the courage. Naughton has always struggled with her self-confidence but she knew it needed to be conquered to start her business. Her long-term goal is to increase awareness for her brand and to have her name recognized with creative designing, as she is very cognizant that her expressive nature is unique. As it relates to the role young entrepreneurs play in society, Naughton lamented that small businesses are emerging every day and the impact they are having on society is quite evident. “We not only solve the problems of a disintegrating community, but we also offer solutions as we become job creators for not only other young persons aspiring to become entrepreneurs, but also older, qualified and unqualified persons,” she noted. She is overwhelmed to be a part of that community, giving positive impacts on others dreaming of becoming an entrepreneur and later being able to provide jobs for others. She said, “It all starts with a dream and a vision. Once you have that you’ll later on discover how invincible you can be.”

 

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