Guerda Pierre
Guerda immersed herself into fashion at an early age, and was influenced by watching talented women sewing beautiful garments in Haiti. She remembered, feeling, touching and learning about different type of fabrics. Guerda stated that “I inherited the business mindset from my mother who taught me at an early age to believe in myself”. Soon after she migrated to the US and the age of 15 and as fate would have it, her father had and old singer sewing machine in the apartment and never thought of using it until her younger sister Michelle brought home a sewing project. She offered to help her and from that moment the inherent sense of fashion came back to life.
After graduating high school, she pursued her interest in fashion and received an associate degree in fashion design from Newbury College in Boston, MA. Months after her graduation, she moved to South Florida and worked in the fashion industry to gain experience for various design companies while she attended Florida International University in a pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design. Due to personal reasons, Guerda had to put her studies on hold and moved back to Brooklyn, NY
Once again, she indulged herself in the hub of the NY fashion industry which allowed her to continue working on her craft. In 1992, she started her own label under the name of Michoula by Gp and 2 years later, she opened her first boutique in downtown Brooklyn, NY, specialized in bridal, evening gowns and custom. In 1998, she moved back to Miami, FL to raise her two children in a more subdued environment and continued her studies earning a bachelor’s degree in Professional Administration Management and a master’s degree in Education majoring in Technology and TESOL from Barry University that enabled her to be an adjunct professor teaching ESOL for two years. Fashion has always been her love and passion; during her twelve years as a fashion design and merchandise instructor at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale she went back to school and completed another master’s degree in fashion design from The Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA. while running her own design studio in South Florida under the name of Lordana. Her designs have been featured in magazines, news newspaper and fashion shows nationally and internationally. Guerda also wrote a fashionista monthly column for mainstream Press in Miami, FL from 2005 to 2008 to share her knowledge in fashion.
In 2016, Guerda relocated in Brooklyn, NY where she can be closer to the fashion capital and family. She now runs Lordana studio, and manages her ecommerce store and also provides fashion design consulting services. She also finds time to be a textile art instructor, runs a fashionista club to elementary school students in the after school program. Nevertheless, Guerda’s uncompromising style, aesthetics, and love for the art of fashion will surely leave a lasting impression on you for years to come.