MOST persons have a story of perseverance and unwavering commitment to perfecting their craft. This can be said for 25-year-old Rayana Aliya Mohamed, an entrepreneur with a strong vision for her future, and that of her growing business, ‘Quale Exotic Décor and Designs’.

Rayana’s journey into the world of creativity began with sketches and designs at the age of five or six years old.

“I knew from a very tender age that I wanted to be a fashion designer. I wanted to be in the creative industry because I’m very creative with my hands. I can look at something, (you might probably look at leaves), and I’m going to look at that same leaf but I have 10 different things going around in my head that I could possibly use that leaf for,” she told Buzz recently.

While living with her grandmother, a retired seamstress, throughout her primary school days, Rayana said that after school and during the July/ August vacation she would go to the sewing factory her grandmother worked at.

Reflecting, she said: “Being around all those fabrics, and seeing persons sew, it really inspired me.

“My inspiration probably started with my grandmother, and being around all of that fabric. People might be sick of it, but being around it I guess I realised that this is something that I like.”

After graduating from high school, Rayana went into the world of work, and quickly climbed up the ladder of success in the call centre industry, having worked at both Qualfon Guyana, and Arrowhead (now WeSolveCX).

Her experience, while it was good, was not what she felt she could express herself through. “I made the decision that I can’t continue running from something that I had planned out as a child, because should I look back at my younger self, I would feel like to some extent that I disappointed me and I didn’t follow through with my dreams. So, I got up and I resigned and I later started my business of decorating,” she expressed.

In July 2023, Rayana created a gold bra for her birthday, the first one of many. She noted: “I did a gold carnival bra and everything came together so nicely, and I looked at it and I’m like, I wasted my talent. Like for so many years if I had started at that time, if I followed through and I kept that same energy from my younger self then probably more could have been done. But, I’m doing it…”

With newfound hope, in January 2024, she had the idea to create carnival bras for Mashramani.

“At the time I did the bra in July of 2023, I did not know how to bend a bra. But of course, with my customer service skills and sales tactics that I learned from the two companies that I worked with previously, I made a pitch, and persons connected with me,”

The young entrepreneur did not let this mild setback stop her and by faith, took orders for bras. She said that not knowing the first step of making a bra, but making one for herself anyway led to her creating bras for women of all sizes, from ‘A’ cup to ‘G’.

In her moments of doubting whether her craft was good or not, positive feedback from her customers came in. “As time went along, as time progressed, I started improving my craft, I’d say. And, even now, like for persons that know me and they have me on social media and so forth, they would say, ‘I saw your work’, and it means something having people say that without me having to post a client in one of pieces. They can tell me, ‘I saw your work’ and then I can say yes, it was carefully crafted.”

Priding herself in giving customers the perfect fit, Rayana aims to ensure the pieces she does for her customers are carefully handcrafted just for them.

Rayana’s goal is to be able to express herself and her style and creativity, on a large scale.

“I’m hoping that in the near future that I am able to design costumes and pieces for Mashramani. Either for the government ministry bands or private bands, one of those; I’m aiming to do so. I’d really like that opportunity to just showcase myself, to let persons know, hey we still have talent in Guyana, we have a lot that’s going on.

“I think that some persons are comfortable just remaining known in a small space or within a small group of persons. I on the other hand would like to be known and I want to be associated with something big,” Rayana aims to expand her reach beyond Guyana, and to other Caribbean countries.

To see more of what Rayana’s business has to offer and to get in contact with her persons can visit Quale Exotic Décor and Designs on Facebook and WhatsApp her on 592-630-9352 or 592-653-7228.