In January, Pamela Fox stumbled upon an old family album hidden between patterns in her studio at her residence in Brickdam, Georgetown, Guyana.
On the first page – sketches of her 1983 stylish denim Frangipani Collection. “I couldn’t stop smiling,” Pamela shared, a few weeks later at a dinner with a close friend in New York City. “I thought I had lost all those designs during the move from Barbados to Guyana in the 1990s.” More than three decades later and she clearly remembers creating the denim pieces in her Barbados studio and the chaotic day of the photo shoot at the Hilton Hotel in Bridgetown. “How can I forget. I was fussing. I wanted everything to be perfect. Denim was hot back then and it was my first denim collection under the Foxxy brand from our Barbados studio. I had dressy pieces, sporty pieces, girly pieces. It was so popular in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and Trinidad and, of course, Barbados.” The conversation at the four-hour dinner was dominated by stories of Pamela’s past collections, memorable runway shows and best sellers, including her sassy, fitted Foxxy Jeans.
No surprise to Pamela, her friend had questions and suggestions. What have you been working on Pamela? When can your friends see new designs? You haven’t done a fashion show in Guyana in years, you should launch your new line in Georgetown. “While I have been doing special orders for devoted clients, I have been away from the fashion scene in Guyana and the Caribbean for a while. My focus for more than a decade has been family, especially my five grandchildren and my love of gardening, but I never stopped sketching, knitting and doing various handwork. Sometimes you need to step back to realise that you do miss it.” At the end of the evening, Pamela decided on three things – she was going to show her new line first in Georgetown, Guyana; cotton would be the fabric of choice and it would be a collection for every woman.
In April, she sketched the first dress of her current collection: Femininity, For Every Woman. “I was thinking about my childhood in the beautiful North West District of Guyana and the one thing that kept popping up was how simple but enjoyable life was back then. So I decided to keep the collection simple but stylish and to do pieces for women of every shape and age.” Pamela was born on a plantation deep in the lush Amazonian heart of Guyana. She has the inspiration of nature’s beauty in her blood and the spirit of adventure in her heart. She was taught traditional weaving and stitch work skills by her mother as a child, Pamela started to infuse her own designs with the breath-taking patterns of the natural world she found in abundance as a child – rare flowers, peaceful springs and black water creeks. For two months, the mother of three steadily worked on her designs. She left New York in May on a trip to the British Virgin Islands, where she showcased her colourful crochet swimsuits at the one year anniversary of Chic Fashion Revolution, organised by Andrea Wilson, Art Executive of London-based media company Green Mango Media.
Pamela has partnered with Green Mango Media for the last year to raise her profile outside of Guyana. “Oh, I enjoyed touring the Virgin Islands. Almost daily I was on the beach sketching and crocheting. I loved it. But I was excited too to return to Guyana.” she says. In her briefcase, thirteen designs. The Femininity Collection was ready for the sewing room. June found an energised Pamela in Guyana. Her workrooms at Regent and King Streets, Georgetown were back in operation. “I had the fabric, I had the designs so I gave myself a month to get the sewing done and secure the shells, fish scales, pepper seeds, Amazonian beads and stones to embellish the line.” She worked on three, sometimes four designs at a time. On her work tables were patterns, sketches, threads, beads and scales. “It’s organised chaos,” Pamela heartily laughs. I like seeing what goes with what when I am cutting and sewing so I can make changes immediately.” The soiree, which also featured artwork by Guyanese artist Ancel Boston, was set for Monday, July 1 at her home in Brickdam. “I must say, I was indeed anxious to hear the feedback from the guests. After all, it has been a while since I hosted a show.” The invitees included the media, close friends, Facebook friends and new faces. Femininity – For Every Woman is a collection inspired by nature – chic casual short dresses and beautiful, flowing evening dresses were paired with handmade Amazonian beads and fish scale jewellery, while her classic shorts and dressy long pants were showcased with fashionable leather sandals. “I couldn’t have asked for a better response. The afternoon was relaxed, the models were great and the pieces looked just right. More importantly, the guests loved the show,” beams the former St Joseph High School pupil. The collection will next be showcased at a private party in New York City and in the British Virgin Islands at the relaunching of Flamboyance Boutique in the shopping district of the capital city Road Town. The boutique will exclusively carry Pamela’s collections, says Amanda Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Green Mango Media. “We met Pamela in 2012 and were extremely impressed with her designs, including her leather sandals and bags. Her yellow collection – cotton dresses and jumpsuits embellished with intricate crochet designs – was a hit. That collection secured her a spot at the November 2012 international fashion show – J Model Management Fashion Show in Paris, France. So we are really excited about promoting the new line, Femininity.” Pamela will spend the next few weeks in Guyana in her Georgetown workroom.