Categories: FashionFeatures

…”I didn’t tell anyone I was doing it until I started getting emails from friends”…Ivie Omenai

Fashion designer and retail entrepreneur – Ivie Omenai , the brain behind the exquisite fashion accessory brand – Raya , is on our personality radar today .

Her designs of clusters of beautiful stones in bold colors and unique shapes have created an identity for themselves over time – hence  you can easily spot a Raya piece from a distance without going wrong . So, who is behind these exquisite  jewelry every IT girl seems to be wearing?

THE JOURNEY

After  having worked in Paris, New York and now, Lagos, Ivie started Raya from noticing how few jewellery brands  offered on trend luxury that was well packaged and affordable and this discovery coincided with her trip to India where she saw  beautiful semi precious stones being used to create jewellery. According to her in an interview, …..“Why should a Nigerian have to wait for a brand like Swarovski to come to Nigeria? Why not start it ourselves!

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THE SOURCE
Raya is the second half of Ivie’s little sister’s name, Saraya. Her favourite colour is yellow and hence the little package yellow boxes were born.

THE FASHION BACKGROUND

With a degree in fashion manufacturing,  Ivie  got a job as a handbag designer and fell in love with accessories as she did not  have to think about sizing and fit- this was so much more straight forward. This also meant her creative eye is constantly at work thinking “oh nice jumpsuit, is that bag a grain leather?” or “I wonder if those earrings are heavy?”

INSPIRATION & DESIGN PROCESS

Drawn from her immediate environment , personal moods, experimental shapes and  re-modelling of popular designs or even customer feedback, is what helps for a collection. Culture also plays a role in influencing the designs, especially in Nigeria where we have a rich culture of people and styles. As Ivie pus it ….“I design piece that reflect who i think my customer wants to be. This means that in a cosmopolitan city like Lagos, almost anything goes. There are expatriates who love the simple stud designs, and Nigerians that love the bigger bolder pieces. This leaves a lot of room to play! With a collection of 10 , each design, usually 2 per colour, the Raya brand keeps the design process consistent and fresh.

Playful, Bold, Statement best describe the Raya pieces . With a long term plan and voted as one of the most sought after Nigerian fashion accessories , Ivie says” ….My vision for the brand is for it to supersede me. I want it to have its own identity and for people to recognise it on sight. When I first started I didn’t tell anyone I was doing it until I started getting emails from friends asking about a bracelet etc. I loved this because that was when I knew the brand could stand in its own two feet. I hope to build on that in the future with Raya becoming a household name and the go to accessories brand for women to buy  for – themselves, birthday presents, bridesmaids. Eventually a flagship store would be great- nothing too classy of course- fun and colourful just like Raya.

@tribeandelan

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