A place for girls and young women to find positive examples of female role models.
ANYA AYOUNG CHEE
Anya Ayoung Chee has taken fashion and design beyond the Caribbean shores. A graduate of Parsons School of Design and Central St Martins School of Art and Design, Anya began her journey in New York City as a graphic designer and returned to Trinidad in 2007. Anya designed her first women’s label in 2009 and, during 2010, launched the lingerie line, Anya de Rogue, the first of its kind in the Caribbean.
Combining entrepreneurship with her love of the creative arts, Anya has explored various avenues to integrate her love of fashion, design, Trinidadian culture and commerce. Having achieved the success of winning the ninth season of the popular US Television show - Project Runway in 2011 she was determined to use the knowledge and exposure to catapult the local industry. The former Miss Universe disrupted the local market and launched an e-‐‑commerce platform for the sale of embellished swimwear, known locally as Monday Wear branded as ‘cANYAval’.
cANYAval has since evolved into an events production company hosting carnival inspired experiences both in the Caribbean and in the US. Her company also designed and produced carnival costumes for Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, Los Angeles and Toronto. Her boutique Exhibit A and cANYAval intend to provide an online marketplace for Caribbean designers to manage and develop their own online presence. She started another first with her co-working space HOME which is dedicated solely to the creative industry based on the model of creating like-minded communities that can work together to develop a sustainable business model for the industry.
cANYAval, Exhibit A and HOME have all provided platforms for young designers, chefs, event producers, photographers, videographers, and business development professionals to nurture their skills, reach a wider audience, test and experiment with their entrepreneurial efforts and gradually develop their paths toward independent, yet collective, growth. Anya intends to continue to grow and develop the local industry working assiduously to broaden the global reach for local artists and designers. She is dedicated to
“hybridizing” the carnival concept and contributing to the evolution of the art form.
Anya is fully dedicated to the empowerment of women and fully believes that entrepreneurship is key. Anya’s drive to succeed is rooted in her personal need to achieve her best in any endeavor and the desire to continuously learn, grow, improve and reach new heights within herself.
Anya’s chosen charity is The Tallman Foundation, founded by her family in 2004. The foundation is geared toward the transformation of youth through arts education. Through the Anya Ayoung Chee Foundation which was founded in 2014 she hopes to provide annual grants to the most promising designers to further accelerate their growth.
