Made for Guyanese, by Guyanese.
Guyanese Swag brings Guyana’s culture, history and everyday personality into apparel, gifts, accessories, home items and souvenirs. Our products give people different ways to represent where they come from, celebrate someone they love or remember a place that means something to them.
For us, that connection starts with the things Guyanese people recognize: the Golden Arrowhead, a familiar saying, a favorite dish, a landmark or those three numbers—592—that can start a conversation anywhere.
Why we started
Our CEO and co-founder, Lakeshia Singh-McKay, better known as Key, was born in Georgetown, Guyana, and moved to Washington, D.C., at ten years old. On her first day at school, her teacher confused Guyana with Ghana. It was an early experience of having her country and identity misunderstood.
Visits to family in Brooklyn and Queens felt different. Guyanese shops, food and familiar accents were part of everyday life. Later, while attending college in Miami, Key noticed how easily people could find merchandise celebrating other Caribbean countries, while Guyana had much less to choose from.
Those experiences stayed with her. After developing her skills in branding, design and business, she decided to create the Guyana representation she had spent years looking for.
Guyanese Swag launched in 2021, co-founded by Key and her husband, Charles McKay. The first collection featured Key’s original Guyana-inspired artwork across products such as hats, mugs, T-shirts and sweatpants. Family and friends became their first customers.
Our customers helped shape the brand
At pop-ups in the United States and Canada, customers showed us how many different ways people want to express their connection to Guyana. Some loved detailed artwork. Others wanted a bold flag they could spot across a crowd. Familiar words and references brought people over to share stories about their families and where they grew up.
At Caribana in Canada, one man came running toward our booth, dancing and shouting “Guyana!” He had left the country as a child. Seeing it represented there meant enough to stop him in his tracks.
Moments like that changed how Key thought about the company. Guyanese Swag had begun with her creative expression; it needed to grow around the people it was created to serve.
What you’ll find here
Our collections draw from Guyana’s national symbols, places, history, food, language and humor. There is room for a statement shirt, a favorite mug, a useful bag, a piece for your home or a gift that makes someone say, “You know me.”
We create for Guyanese people at home and throughout the diaspora, including the next generation growing up with Guyanese roots. We also welcome travelers, people who have lived or worked in Guyana, friends, family and anyone who loves the country.
The stories matter here, too. The Guyanese Edit explores the food, heritage, people and places behind those connections. You can also read the full story of how Guyanese Swag began.
Wear it. Gift it. Rep it.
Choose something that feels like you, reminds you of home or brings a little Guyana into someone else’s day.
Explore Guyanese apparel, gifts & souvenirs or get in touch with us.
