-keeps growing from strength to strength
HE MADE his debut into the fashion world in 2009 at the tender age of 15 with haute couture pieces fit for a Parisian catwalk; and today, Randy Madray continues to wow audiences.
Last Saturday night, the young designer captured the ‘Best Creative Wear’ and ‘Best Evening Gown’ prizes at the Miss Guyana Talented Teen pageant hosted at the National Cultural Centre.
Madray had won the ‘Young Designer of the Year’ award in the FACTS 3 Design competition, but had slowed down his designing sprint somewhat slightly last year to concentrate on writing CSEC examinations. The busy teen believes he was able to ‘kill two birds with one stone’, because he excelled at his exams even while designing. 
A case in point is that the night before Biology exams, he was showcasing his designs at the Miss Guyana Earth Pageant in 2010.
Noting that he received a lot of support from his alma mater, Queen’s College, the young designer received several awards from his school, including the school’s ‘School Colours’ award, which is given to the student who best represents his school.
This award is even dearer to Randy, given that it is normally awarded for excellence in athletic pursuits. But he is one of the very few students who won the award for creative arts. 
At the ‘FACTS 3’ competition, the brainchild of local fashion designer Michelle Cole-Rose and New York-based artist Natasha Martindale, Randy wowed them with gothic-influenced pieces. One particular piece, ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’, was an absolute product of fashion. It featured a tight bodice and a long satin train made from twenty yards of black tulle.
But avid followers of the competition would remember that ‘Blood Bath’ was the gown that stole the judges’ hearts, scoring the highest in the competition.
Randy explained how he got the idea for the startling piece. At the time, the young designer was listening to ‘Chop Suey’ by rock band, System of a Down. He explained that the gown portrayed a battered girl seeking revenge. This is the meaning, he went on to explain, of the spiked balls that were suspended on chains from the dress — they are her weapons.
The materials used to make the fascinating and dangerous looking balls are surprisingly simple: The base was made of Styrofoam, into which toothpicks were inserted and then sprayed with paint. The designers were tasked two weeks before the event, and were given the option of designing an avant-garde piece meant for the runway only. This was perfectly fine with Randy, since “…you can only do so much with an evening gown.”  
But the designers had other tasks, such as designing physical education outfits for school, and creating their version of the ‘little-black-dress’. 
For the ‘National Dress’ segment, designers were required to do a piece out of natural materials. Randy titled his ‘Revelation of Guyana’s Rich Flora and Fauna’, and it was made from jute bags and real leaves. The leaves were used in their natural fresh state, with no paint, as the young designer believes that if one is do something natural, then one should go all the way.  
No synthetics were used, even for the thread and yarn to stitch the outfit together. The product was finished only two hours before the competition because he’d also had to complete  his SBAs and ‘labs’.  The outfit featured painted designs of macaws, the national flower, golden frog and the harpy eagle.
He got his first taste of designing for an international audience when he designed the gown Imarah Radix wore on the international stage for Miss Guyana World 2009. The gown featured real peacock feathers that were imported, overlapping wraps, a free-flowing skirt, and a high slit and train.  It was further accented by glitter and rhinestones. 
Last May, he presented at the grand FEMINITION fashion show along with some of Guyana’s top designers, including Sonia Noel, Carol Fraser, Derek Moore and Keisha Edwards.
Madray dreams of being the next Tony Bowle. He also has dreams of developing his own website. Madray has two schools in mind at which to further his studies: ‘Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)’ and ‘Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)’. Representatives from SCAD came to QC and encouraged Randy to enroll.

Advice

Randy has plenty of advice for the person who wants to get into the field of fashion designing in Guyana. First and foremost, he says, fashion in Guyana is a risk.
He pointed out that fashion is not the most accommodating industry, and instead requires a lot of hard work, a lot of brainstorming, and a lot of late nights. He concludes that it is best for a person to be himself.  “Your designs must showcase you, what is going on in your head,” he emphasized. Secondly, a designer is an artist, Randy said, pointing out that many people unjustly view designing as something one does only when not qualified to do anything else.
Thirdly, he noted, one does not need to show skin. Randy believes in showing skin only when appropriate.
Next, he noted that designers must pay attention to detail. He warned that you may produce a nice outfit, but when your model goes out with the wrong shoes, hairstyle, accessories, and so on, it can undo everything.
It is an asset to have an artist’s background, paint and draw. “It one of the things that make me stands out”.
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, Randy insists that one should have a backup plan; and in that regard, he stresses the importance of a good education.