Indigenous Imaginations III features traditional stories told through art, fashion

Sep 07, 2025 News

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Kaieteur News – Indigenous imaginations III, the annual fashion showcase featured art and fashion by local native designers including Vanda Allicock is an indigenous woman from the Makushi and Arawak nations, Tasha Creative Designs, Courtney Mathium Douglas and Aneeza Douglas, MATAPEE and Heritage by Lethem Exclusive Apparel.

The fashion show held last month ahead of the heritage activities gave a glimpse into the stories of the designers and their labels.  In keeping with the commemoration of Amerindian Heritage celebrations, this publication will be highlighting a snippet from the work of these talented native designers.  Their stories are as follows:

 

VANDA DESIGNS

Vanda Allicock is an indigenous woman from the Makushi and Arawak nations. She’s from a village called Surama, in the Rupununi, Guyana. Vanda is a massage therapist but has a passion for being creative and learning new things about her culture. Helping and healing has brought her to creating Vanda Designs.

Her line is inspired by the ancient Guyanese legend of fire and creation, this collection honors the spirit of the land, the wisdom of its people, and the power of balance between nature and man. “Hau, Guyana,” see the land, wear the story.

TASHA CREATIVE DESIGNS

The designer of Tasha’s Creative Designer, simply known as Natasha is a proud indigenous designer who is of the Warrau nation.

She is ranked amongst the best indigenous designers in Guyana and the Caribbean.

Natasha started her career creating beautiful dresses from banana leaves for dolls in 2007.

In 2009, she participated in Guyana Fashion week creating a full collection for the first time. This runway provided her with the platform to be recognized.

Her creative mind did not allow her to stop there and she went on to create the most amazing jewellery collection and indigenous costumes.  Tasha’s Creative Design is known as a brand with unique merchandise that sets her apart from others.

Her work is featured in magazines, newspapers and Expos in Guyana including (Women in Business Expo), the Caribbean and the USA. Natasha is proud of her indigenous culture and believes in giving back and has facilitated many workshops teaching the banana leaf designs and the art of jewelry making.

 

MATAPEE

The Matapee collection features Indigenous patterns by Katia Fitzpatrick, a dentist by profession, discovered her true passion for fashion through storytelling and creation.

Katia is of  Patamona and Macusi heritage, she blends her Indigenous roots with modern design. Her work empowers other Indigenous women to create, thrive, and celebrate their culture with pride. Through MATAPEE, Katia brings tradition to the runway—bold, meaningful, and deeply personal.

MATT AND ANNIE’S ART

Courtney Mathium Douglas and  Aneeza Douglas is a husband and wife team that specializes in portrait painting and drawing, cartoon animation, mural, backdrop painting, hand painted clothing, tailoring and alteration.   Their clothing is made from cotton material and hand painted using fabric paints.

 JELINA DASILVA AND SELINA PHILLIPS LEWIS

Jelina Dasilva and Selina Phillips are mother and daughter who hails from Karrau creek an Arawak village in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni region.

Selina started crocheting from a young age. This was a skill she learnt in school and over the years it became a hobby.

With this she Collaborated with her daughter to create “Oyo Kena Oto.

They draw inspiration from Guyana’s rich cultural heritage creating unique and meaningful designs that blend traditional with modern style promoting culture through fashion and design.

KAWANARU

Darcy, Daryl and Dolly Chambers, are three visionary sisters from Paruima Village, the only Arekuna community in Guyana. Though each sister pursues a different profession; Darcy, a licensed Aircraft Engineer, Daryl a registered Optometrist, and Dolly a Junior Architect, the sisters have always shared a deep love for creativity and KAWANARU has become their shared space for expression.

KAWANARU is an indigenous boutique dedicated to blending modern/ trendy fashion with traditional wear, while honoring and preserving indigenous heritage, ensuring indigenous culture remains vibrant and alive.

 CROCHET CANOPY BY MANICY

Manicy Allicock is a young indigenous designer of Makushi, Wapishana and Arawak descent, 26 years old from Surama Village in the North Rupununi.

Manicy started practicing fashion with crochet as a way of slowing down and expressing herself. It all began as a hobby that turned into a passion for making unique wearable Art (dresses,skirts, tops, shirts etc.). Creating with threads has always been her happy place and she loves sharing it with others.

Crochet Canopy by Manicy (soft threads, strong roots) was inspired to create handmade crochet pieces that reflect cultural pride and individuality. With every piece created is a small tribute to the strength and creativity of her heritage. This reminds us that we all deserve to feel seen, valued and beautiful.

Marcella Allicock is a talented indigenous artist & designer, specialized in hand painting of wearable cotton shirts. All of her designs are inspired by the wildlife and plants of the rainforest and indigenous motifs. Every painting tells a story, rooted in traditions. Her pieces are made to be worn by anyone who values handmade beauty and cultural connections.

LETHEM EXCLUSIVE APPAREL AND NIIX BUTLER

The heritage line is a collaboration between Lea and Niix Butler who have woven their expertise and skills in producing traditional artwork into contemporary wear.  The line seeks to highlight indigenous art while at the same time promoting the use and preservation of indigenous languages. In this line we can find the warrau, lokono, arecuna, makushi, wapichan and akawaio languages displayed along with the designs.

The design features a frog is displayed in a petroglyphic format with the word ekonaekan tok which is translated from the arecuna language to mean transformation. Frogs are known for their amphibious ability to live in water and land. They teach lessons of transformation that can be emulated when challenges arise.

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• CROCHET CANOPY, Imaginations, Indigenous, MATAPEE, Tasha Creative Designs

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