DESIGNERS Deborah Mathias and Roger Evelyn are a dynamic duo who can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. In their hands, the humblest of materials become sophisticated pieces that can be worn to the most glamorous of soirees.

My first encounter with the mother-and-son team goes way back to 2009, when they were displaying their Mashramani costumes at the Mash Secretariat; and we will have a closer look at their offerings for Mash 2014 later. But for now, we will focus on the fabulous jewellery pieces that the ‘Rave’ brand has to offer.
Roger stressed that the brand uses all local materials; for example, local silver, stones, leather, seeds, and so on. Even the braided leather straps from which the stones dangle are local. The leather is purchased from a local supplier, and then finished by Deborah herself. Roger says ‘Rave’ is exploring the use of other local stones in its designs.
The pair started designing together after Deborah, who was active in the Craft Association, asked Roger to do some pieces and he obliged. There has since been no looking back, and Roger’s engineering background helps him to design large and complex pieces, such as Mashramani floats.
He explained that since the projects require dexterity and skill, his engineering background gives him ‘a structural foot’ to stand on. Deborah herself got her designing instincts from her mother, Carol Gonsalves, who was a seamstress and homemaker. One day, she simply suggested to Deborah that she should start doing some costumes.
What’s a typical day like in the life of a jewellery designer? Well, the pair works at home, where they have set up a workshop. “Our workshop is basically a mess, because, as a creative person, you may get the urge to work at midnight without knowing exactly what you want to do,” Roger says. “Sometimes you can work for three days, and then redo what you have produced.”
He says the way he and his mother work produces a better quality of product in the end. They also test their pieces for quality. She points out the leather backing on one of her intricate beadwork chains which is stitched on, not glued on, and would last the wearer for a lifetime.
And ‘Rave’ is not limited to what they have in their collection. The duo creates custom-made pieces for people who have “vivid” ideas of what they want, says Roger. Not one to back down from a challenge, he says, “Hey! You can come and test us! Something that nobody else can do, we would like to try our hands, and you would be surprised at the solutions that we give you to challenges.”

Incredibly, two of the most striking pieces of the collection also didn’t make it for the show, which was a part of the recently concluded Guyana Fashion Week, where I first saw the jewellery collection. The pieces are two elegantly-tiered necklaces made from coconut, with each ‘gem’ smoothed to perfection, and gleaming with a high sheen, which resembles those of the stones.
Deborah says that while making selections for another show, “Kiss My Heart”, she debated whether she should bring the coconut pieces. She eventually decided to show the pieces, and was “really surprised” at the response they elicited. She got the idea after looking at the “dowdy dark colour” of the natural coconut, and wondering how she could make it stand out.
Roger noted that people don’t mind their jewellery being made from coconut, as long as it looks good. His dream is for every Guyanese to have a piece of jewellery that is essentially Guyanese; something that they can take pride in, and that says “This is a statement of my culture”.
He says, “A lot of the time, when you purchase things, you don’t get that option. Coconut is used by other Caribbean designers, but we have Guyanese leather and Tibisiri. When you are finished, it is a Guyanese product; and it represents your culture. If you have one piece in your closet that’s Guyanese, you make a proud statement when you wear it. We want people to have some patriotism; there is a spot that we want people to fit in.”
Roger hinted that ‘Rave’ has more products in the pipeline that are equally as impressive as the coconut pieces. Men are not excluded, as there are, in the collection for men, necklaces that are distinctly masculine. The pair loves to experiment, and their materials are garnered from some of the most unlikely sources, which can lead to some humorous moments.
For example, when they ask someone to raid their ‘Velvet tree’ for the special seeds, the people ‘look at them funny’. As well, when they are buying fruits at the market, people want to know what they are doing with the rotten ones. “We don’t want to eat it; we just want the seeds,” Roger explains.
Deborah says their intention is to keep coming up with new products, not just replicating the old products on the market. For Christmas, the pair expects to put on a collaborative show with other designers; but this would be done at a venue to be announced later.
That show would group creative people who have their own ideas. Interested persons can contact ‘Rave’ by telephone @: (592) 270-4018, (592) 641-0920, or by email: quintexadvert@yahoo.com.