Guyanese designer reimagines Indo-Caribbean fashion in New York

Narine, owner of L&S Boutique, designs custom Indo-Western garments that merge traditional Indian craftsmanship with contemporary silhouettes, serving a growing diaspora that wants fashion rooted in heritage but styled for today.

“This is not just clothing,” Narine said. “This is identity. This is where we come from.”

Originally from Chesney, Berbice-Corentyne, Narine migrated to the United States at 15. Like many immigrants, her early years in New York were focused on adjustment, survival and building stability. Fashion, she said, came later, not as a dream, but as a return.

“I didn’t grow up thinking I would be a designer,” she said. “It came from life, from marriage, from culture, from becoming more connected to who I am.”

That connection deepened after marriage, where traditional practices, rituals, and ceremonial dress became part of everyday life. Over time, those influences began shaping her creative direction.

“I started to understand the beauty in it, the detail, the meaning, the craftsmanship,” she said. “That’s when I started designing differently.”

L&S Boutique began in her mother’s basement with basic inventory and small sales. But Narine quickly went from only selling ready-made pieces to fully custom designs, working directly with clients to create one-of-a-kind garments for weddings, religious ceremonies and special occasions.

Today, her work includes lehengas, sherwanis, Indo-Western fusion wear, children’s outfits, and fully customized bridal couture. Some designs can take up to four months to complete due to intricate hand embroidery and detailed finishing.

“People see the final outfit and think it’s simple,” she said. “But they don’t see the hours, the handwork, the layers, the skill behind it.”

That gap between perception and process is one of her biggest challenges as a designer.

“One of the hardest parts is educating people,” she said. “They’ll show a picture and want the same thing overnight. But this work is craftsmanship. It takes time to bring it to life.”

Her business now serves clients across the United States and internationally, including Guyana, Canada and the United Kingdom, reflecting the global reach of Indo-Caribbean culture and demand for culturally rooted fashion.

Each piece, she said, carries emotional weight beyond aesthetics.

“When a bride wears one of our outfits, she’s not just wearing fashion,” the designer said. “She’s wearing her culture, her family, her story.”

Narine credits her growth to both resilience and instinct, describing her design process as deeply intuitive.

“I can look at fabric and already see the outfit,” she said. “It’s like I already know what it wants to become.”

Still, balancing entrepreneurship with motherhood and marriage has required discipline and sacrifice. A mother of three, she often works late into the night, coordinating with overseas manufacturers and designers due to time differences.

“I barely sleep,” she said. “But when something is yours, you make it work. You don’t wait for perfect conditions.”

For Narine, preserving culture is not about replicating tradition exactly, it is about evolving it without losing its meaning.

“Culture is not meant to stay frozen,” she said. “It has to grow with us. But we have to make sure we don’t erase where it came from.”

As Indo-Caribbean communities continue to expand across New York, Narine sees fashion as a powerful form of storytelling, one that bridges generations and geography.

“My goal is simple,” she said. “To keep culture alive in a way the next generation can wear it, feel it, and be proud of it.”

In every stitch at L&S Boutique, that mission is already unfolding, quietly, deliberately, and with intention.