Local fashion industry protégé and upcoming Guyanese designer, Sandra Debbie Sammy is a ‘Special Person’

Feb 06, 2022 News

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Sewing her own clothes from the age of nine…

“Sewing for one of Guyana’s best designers including Moore, also being able to sew for local and international pageant constants as well as sewing wedding gowns for both local and international clients, is a privilege.”

By Rehanna Ramsay

Kaieteur News – “Necessity is the mother of all inventions” is a common saying but for local fashion industry protégé and upcoming Guyanese designer, Sandra Debbie Sammy, those words are more than a phrase. For her, necessity is what led her to a purposeful career in the world of clothing design.
Sammy started making her own clothing at the age of nine and as she puts it, she has never stopped sewing. Since then, her craft is mostly self-taught and has opened the door for her to work with numerous renowned designers.

This week’s ‘Special Person’ has spent more than two decades in a supporting role; working alongside the established names in the local fashion industry. In today’s feature, the 31-year old aspiring designer shares her journey to gaining a place in the fashion arena and why she believes the time is right for her to step out of the shadows into her own. Sammy is convinced that after years of plowing the proverbial field of fashion and experimenting with different ideas, she has something special to offer the industry.
The Madewini, East Bank Demerara native told Kaieteur News of her humble beginning which she said helped her maintain a modest demeanor for most of her life. The married mother of two shared that she grew up in a Christian home which created the foundation that helped her stay grounded in her faith as she transitioned through her life, purpose, and career.

 

SELF-TAUGHT
She reflected that growing up, “We had very little but were able to stretch things to make ends meet. Since we were far from being financially stable nearly all of my clothing were short. They were handed down from my older sisters who were shorter than I was, even at that age.”
According to Sammy, a defining moment came when she was scolded by an elderly woman for wearing a blouse that was too short for her size. She decided that she wanted to learn how to sew to make her own clothing.

“I remember being scolded for wearing a top that was too short by an elderly woman from my church when I was nine years old…that day I got on my mother’s sewing machine, having never been on one before…I tried nevertheless and figured it out and used my mother’s dress to make a top… I have been redesigning all the dresses and shirts that mostly belonged to my parents so that I’ll have decent clothing to wear from that day onward,” she said.
At that time, the mostly self-taught seamstress never imagined sewing for anyone else.
She explained, “I was self-taught and didn’t think my work was good enough. But then I remember sewing my high school uniform and that’s the first thing that people realised I sew and were very impressed to the point that they did not believe it was my work.”
She said that after people in her village confirmed it was her work, sewing orders started to come in and it never stopped.

DESIGN PROTÉGÉ
Fast forward more than a decade afterward and Sammy has sewed and designed for the likes of Guyana’s Parliament, Republic Bank and even did interior decorations for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport during the Christmas season, working along with local designers and fashion industry labels.
She recalled that her most memorable experience was working alongside Guyanese designer Derek Moore in the early 2000s. According to Sammy, Moore was one of the top designers in the country at the time. According to her, she learned so much about design from him.

“I have always admired him and he would encourage me and give me pointers on how to design my pieces. He sort of mentored me into the design world,” Sammy said.
She added, “Sewing for one of Guyana’s best designers including Moore, also being able to sew for local and international pageant contestants as well as sewing wedding gowns for both local and international clients, is a privilege.”
Sammy said that being able to have her designs featured in the Brooklyn Fashion week last year was definitely a career highlight moment for her. She noted that while circumstances beyond her control prevented her from being there in person, she basks in the fact that her designs made a splash at the event.

STEPPING OUT ON HER OWN
Prior to that, Sammy had spent years working and developing her craft. She told this newspaper that she had become comfortable sewing and working for other designers until a close friend encouraged her to step out on her own. She decided to take a leap of faith two years after an opportunity opened up for her to design clothing for the New York Fashion week.

She revealed, “I was always being encouraged by family members and many customers over the years to go public with my designs and work but it was only after being invited to the New York Fashion Week two years ago that I decided to gradually get out on my own.”
A couple of years prior to this, Sammy had registered her fashion label but she never really got around to marketing her brand. The local label, Debbie’s Handmade Designs was officially started and registered on March 24, 2015.
Under her brand, Sammy offers designs and sews all types of dresses; casual, formal, cocktail wedding, and evening gowns as well. She says that gowns are especially a favourite area of design for her but her company is not limited to making dresses.
She revealed, “We’re also designing and sewing drapes and curtains, face masks and making scrunchies with my eight-year-old daughter, Michaela Sammy.”

 

CONSTANT MOTIVATION
Reflecting on her years of labour, she said that she draws constant motivation from watching her designs come to life on clients— from the designs on a child with a simple dress — to the intricate designs on evening gowns both locally and internationally.
Sammy said that it would be remiss of her if she had not mentioned the crown source of her inspiration, her mother, Doreen Alexander.
According to the seamstress, having lost her mother who was very dear to her and who always encouraged her to “keep doing what I do no matter what” constantly pushes her to keep going.
“…I hold my mother’s words close to me and thank God for his grace to wake up each new day to do what I love with my family, the people I love, not far away from me,” she said.
As it relates to striking a balance between her work and personal life, Sammy said it is a challenge since she is always packed with work.

She told Kaieteur News, “I’m learning to make time since I work on my own. I try to stop sewing at 5pm now, but before sometimes I would go as late as 11pm or even 4am…”
Sammy noted nevertheless that her husband, Michael, and mother-in-law, Evadney, are a great blessing and help a lot, since they take care of the kids and even help with her work.
“When I need extra help my sister, who is also a seamstress, would assist with the sewing and my eight-year-old Michaela and three-year-old Micah,” she added.
Besides working to develop her brand and being wife and mother, Sammy also participates in the work of her community church. “I’m part of the youth leadership team and a dance teacher at the Elim Timehri Christian Fellowship Church,” she shared.
But if she should measure between her revolving roles which are most rewarding, Sammy said that she would not trade anything for being a mother to her adoring children. She said, “Motherhood, though tough at times, has been a very eye-opening and rewarding experience for me…It has taught me so much and I thank God for that experience.”
Even as she enjoys her role as a mom, she has her sights on becoming a more established designer and a household name, in Guyana, at least, for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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