Wakenaam-born model Abeena Gomes has been strutting the runway for two years professionally, but fashion, entertainment and art are nothing new as she has been doing these things since she was a child, including modelling at numerous school events.
Abeena recently flaunted a fiery Randy Madray’s piece at the Miss World Guyana 2019 Coronation and shared that he has become her favourite designer as she finds that his pieces accentuate her 5’ 7” frame best.
The former Queen’s College student began her academic life at Arthurville Nursery in Wakenaam before transferring to Cornelia Ida on the West Coast. Abeena also attended Leonora Primary, stating that all of these schools prepared her to express herself on stage and inspired her to embrace her passion for fashion.
Now a second-year Computer Science student at the University of Guyana, Abeena has participated in some ten shows, most through Traits Model Management. Her first runway was at the same model agency’s famous Strut 2 fashion show. And she related how it almost did not happen.
“… We had to audition. I hadn’t walked in heels for a long period and here I was in heels trying to get in,” she told The Scene. After I got the call, we did rehearsed training with Keith Allicock. In the [run up to the show] I had fitted for three or four designers. Then the night of the show, one designer said she wasn’t able to finish the piece. I said, okay, one down, two more to go, but then everything kept falling out of place. I kept asking myself, am I going to walk tonight? Is this going to be my first show?
“I was standing in the corner talking to the other models and smiling when designer Mwanza Glen brought this piece. It was a lace top and black skirt with the detailing on the skirt. He was like ‘okay, you’re going to wear this’. When I actually tried the piece on, I asked where are the nipple covers and was just getting them on when Mwanza approached me and said, ‘it doesn’t go with the dress sweetie, you have to take them off’. I was like, what am I going to do now! I wanted to walk but my mother was in the audience. I was thinking she was going to kill me if I walked out there then I said, you know what, you only live once, and I strutted out onto that runway as slow and as sultry as possible. It was my first show and definitely a show to remember.
“After the show, my mother said, ‘You’re not doing that again’, that’s all she said, and it was a while before I chose to audition for any other shows… I was also the only model whose breasts were [visible] during the show. There were lots of photographers and videographers including E-Networks. I remember when I did see them air the show, they actually did a slow-motion of my walk. It was like a slap in the face. You see that was not how my mother raised me and though she had given me the freedom to choose she expected me to know my boundaries. It was certainly a learning experience.
“After that I learned to say no. I am open to modelling almost any piece, but I have my preferences now and I don’t model designs that will expose my privates.”
Asked whether she can see herself sharing such an experience with her grandchildren down the road, Abeena replied that she does and intends on using the storyline to teach them to step out of their comfort zone when trying new activities but to also at the same time, to do so sparingly.
Being a model sometimes goes beyond the runway she further shared and was a lesson for her. The show, Abeena said, was slated for late in the day. However, the models were asked to be there in the morning to perfect their routines. While she and some of the models already there waited on the others to arrive, final touches were being done to the venue, and the models were asked to help. Together they assisted in ensuring that all the chairs were where they should be, adding bottles and whatever else was needed. They were volunteers, event decorators and models, all in one. Of course, they were all tired by the time they were needed for the catwalk, but she was amazed to see that they could have stepped out of their professional zone and work together to make the event a success.
Modelling, the UG student said, has aided her in improving her networking ability, improving her posture and has made it easier for her to adapt to her surroundings as well as being a bit more extroverted specifically when it comes to greeting others. Models are pushed to stay fit and be hygienic as physical appearance is important.
Abeena noted that at one time she did not worry about having a proper diet as she never gained weight, but she has come to understand that not because one looks healthy on the outside necessarily means one is on the inside. One of the beverages she has cut back on is soda, specifically Coca cola, so as to avoid caffeine. She used to be addicted to the drink. She stays away from coffee also. To remain toned, Abeena takes care to work out at least 30 minutes every day. She rarely wears makeup unless she is doing a show and when she does, Abeena remembers to take it off before bed.
Turning to negative notions attached to models, she related that there are some men, 
who, because of such notions, would prey on models especially the ones new to the industry. According to the young woman, her circle of people includes only those she can trust and when she has to deal with persons outside of this circle, she ensures to keep the venue public and in a safe environment so as to avoid any such incidents. Out of an abundance of caution, she is careful to try not to do anything that would send anyone the wrong message, though she was quick to add that she was not saying that girls who were victims of abuse had done so. Asked whether she has had to deal with any such incidents, particularly after her first fashion show, Abeena said she did not, but had kept to herself after the event avoiding interactions.
Her best experience in the industry, the model said, was at the first ever Guyana Fashion Showcase on May 24, when she opened as a model for a Bahamian designer. It was her first time opening for a designer at a show of that magnitude and it made her feel accomplished. The show brought Guyanese and international designers to the same runway. Abeena modelled for four designers at this event.
When it comes to people within the industry who inspire her, Abeena listed Clinton Duncan, Delesa Archer, Shonette from Traits Model Management and Jamicia Mc Calman. “Internationally, I admire Naomi Campbell for her walk and Tyra for how she is unapologetically herself. She wasn’t exactly the skinniest and she’s still very positive and accepting of who she is and she’s like ‘you need to accept me as I am’ and she’s not changing to please anybody.” Abeena’s role model is Maya Angelou.
Sadly, Abeena said, not a large percentage of Guyanese are appreciative of modelling and do not hold it in high esteem. More can be done to change this, she said, and hopes that it is in the near future. She wishes also that Guyana had its own modelling school where models and aspiring models could visit a few times a week to learn new techniques and keep on point with their skills so that in the run-up to fashion shows they are not in a hustle to learn routines.
Considering her journey so far, Abeena admonishes models to respect themselves, to be sure of who they are and what their goals are. “Work on both your emotional and physical health and just be warm and open and let your light shine,” she advised.
Speaking of letting one’s light shine, Abeena is hoping to do exactly that at the Miss World Guyana 2020 Competition. “I chose this competition because I consider it to be the most prestigious competition worldwide and I get the opportunity to showcase both beauty and purpose. I do feel like it is the right fit for me,” she said.
“The Shine Your Light Initiative was launched in May and we worked with the Visionary Leaders of Tomorrow (a Wakenaam youth group). The first session that I went to I did ‘The Power of I Am’ with them. They were really excited about the session and we have decided to do this the last Saturday in every month.
“The second session we partnered with GRPA to work on sexual literacy and we’ll be going in with some leadership training next, and we’ll talk about emotional intelligence… We’ll be talking about career options as well. We are looking to have the UG Robotics Club be a part of this as well. The focus is to use topics on the mind, body and spirit, helping them to understand themselves holistically.”
The creative Abeena is also a poet and has written more than 100 poems to date. She finds that poetry, like modelling, helps her to express herself and though she hasn’t yet recited any publicly, she has made plans to visit her first poetry night later this month. She hopes that this exposure will encourage her to take the stage soon.
On a lighter note, the Scorpio-born model likes the colours black and blue though persons have told her that red is her colour. She spends her free time with her family or wading in the water, not swimming, because she has not yet learned to swim.
She is employed with Scotch Bonnet Ltd as a solutions manager.
Abeena can be followed on Facebook at Abeena Gomes and on Instagram @abeenagomesx.
