Guyana represented at Interior Design Show in Canada

Guyana was well represented at the Interior Design Show (IDS11) in Toronto late last month through the launch and exhibition of “New Caribbean Design: Guyana” home décor and furniture product lines.

All products on display were manufactured by hand in Guyana, and the companies represent a cross-section of the best of the region from furniture manufacturers to the beautiful and rare work of Amerindian communities.

According to a release from the Canadian High Commission, the Trade Facilitation Office of Canada (TFO Canada) Artisan Sector Initiative, under the leadership of design consultant Patty Johnson and in partnership with the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association, was focused on increasing the competitiveness of micro and small-sized artisan enterprises in Guyana through the development of an export-ready craft product collection and the launch and promotion of this collection in the Interior Design Show in Toronto.

The well received booth showed new work by Irene Bacchus-Holder (Amazon Authentics); Sean Carrington (Wifi Handcrafted Leather); Jocelyn Dow (Liana Cane); Sharla Hernandez (Rupununi Weavers); Vanda Radzik (Makushi Embroiderers); Shaun Summerson (Summerson’s Furniture); Richard Winter (Arawak Leather Craft) and Nicholas Young (Rainforest Pottery).

The show was attended by over 50,000 people and the group made many worthwhile contacts, including Amazon.com as well as well-respected retailers like Klaus and Kiosk. Jocelyn Dow’s Liana Chairs will be featured at the upcoming Canada Blooms Show and the entire collection will be shown again at the Salone de Mobile in Milan this April.

The installation was highlighted in the Toronto Star on Saturday, February 5 as one of the outstanding collections seen at the IDS11, and will also be featured in an upcoming issue of Vogue Magazine. The collection won a Design Lines award as one of the picks of the show by the editors of the Canadian design magazine Azure.

Canada has an active history of supporting trade as a means for promoting international development. Over the years, TFO Canada has been supporting the export aspirations of thousands of developing country exporters from all corners of the world, and transferring Canadian trade expertise to strengthen SMEs, bolster trade, and support related institutions in developing countries. Guyana is a beneficiary under TFO Canada’s current three-year project contract, funded by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

The work of TFO Canada in this case is in support of CIDA’s strategy for the Caribbean region, which focuses on sustainable economic growth. TFO partners with Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture Office in Guyana (IICA) and New Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) to implement various trade capacity building and business linkage activities in support of Guyana’s agro, artisanal and packaging sectors.