Deborah Kehinde or ‘Dara’ as she is nicknamed is a designer who concentrates strictly on African fashion. Since she is Nigerian by birth, this is by no means accidental. As she said, from the minute she was born she was swaddled in Ankara (fabric) as it is called.
“The way you guys wear African wear is mainly for occasions but back in Nigeria it’s an everyday thing. Most of the African print here are not of quality. Some doesn’t have the right texture or print,” Dara said. She has her fabric shipped from Nigeria.
Dara, who moved to Guyana some 3½ years ago to study medicine, launched her first collection ‘Fumilayo’ under the line ‘Rhoda Doxa’ here in October, 2014. ‘Fumilayo’ translates to ‘Give me joy’ and also refers to Fumilayo Kuti who was the first woman to have driven in Nigeria. So far Dara’s line caters for women only, at least for now.
According to the designer, her pieces can be dressed down or up to suit either a casual or formal occasion.
Currently, she is working on a new collection called ‘Odunayo’ meaning ‘Year of joy’. In fact, Odunayo is one of Dara’s names, given to her by her parents because she was born on January 6, the “beginning of a new year,” she said. She thought the name best suited her collection because she was really sick for some time and according to the humble young woman, it is because God has given her good health that she can get back to designing. She believes this year is her Odunayo!
Fashion, she said, is much bigger in Nigeria than it is here in Guyana and though that may be a reason why Dara is so fascinated with the industry, it doesn’t tell why she’s such a natural at what she does. That, in fact, is so because her mother, Mrs R O Kehinde is a designer back in Nigeria. Dara was always with her mother, who also sells African print. When cutting lengths for customers, she would cut small pieces for little Dara. “Instead of playing with dolls like other girls, I preferred to play with African print and doing random stuff with my pieces,” the designer said.
Years later her first piece, a pencil skirt and a cape would be sold in Nigeria to a “professional woman”, a time, which she said stood out for her. “I am a confident person but that day I was so nervous or maybe it was excitement but I will always remember then.”
For four years before coming to Guyana, Dara, although she did not have a collection, was already designing and selling her pieces. Designing, she had said, eventually taught her how to interact with people from all walks of life. “[Designing] makes me happy. I’m always happy when people appreciate my clothing.
It makes my day; it gives me that zest. ”
To get a piece ready for a customer it takes Deborah about a week to get the measurements, the right design and of course the sewing. Her prices are pocket friendly when you consider the lengths to which she goes to have her materials imported.
Apart from designing, Dara is a med student at the Texila American University and hopes to become a paediatrician soon. Her presence there has its genesis in a sad story. “I lost my younger brother,” she said, “he was less than a week old. The fault came from the paediatrician. I don’t want any family to lose a baby again. I was six years old then. It was about the same time that I started designing, but I just want to be a paediatric doctor for him.”
But following a dream can be difficult sometimes, she said, especially when your loved ones are far away. “It’s not easy being far away from your family and loved ones but I am here in Guyana to be an outstanding success in both areas of medicine and fashion,” said the determined 21-year-old.
She added, “Being a designer can be challenging when you’re in med school and you have a few pieces to get done.” As if that’s not enough to take on, Dara hopes that the next five years will see her line all across Guyana and the Caribbean as well and not just her line but she hopes to have a few stores as well.
Her inspiration comes from former Vogue editor and famed fashionista Andre Leon Talley.
When asked how she plans on juggling medicine and fashion, she said that God has so far been her strength and the rest is left up to Him.
Dara attended St Bernadette Primary, Roshallom International Secondary and Osun State University (Nigeria) before coming here.
She attends the First Assembly of God Church in Guyana but her church back home is the Calvary Atonement Church where her father, G H O Kehinde pastors.
Dara loves reading, travelling and preaching. Her favourite book is the Bible. She loves eating pounded yam, Egusi (melon seeds) soup, Amala (yam), Gbegiri (bean soup) and Ewadu (Jute leaves soup). She is bound to be caught in her favourite colour, white, every now and again and in her favourite outfit, a pencil skirt with one of her pieces.
Her pet peeves are lateness and jealousy.
Dara leaves a tip for aspiring designers, “Pray always, be hard working and creative.”
Her new collection, Odunayo, is expected to be launched come August 13 at St Stanislaus College when BowJay celebrates its fifth anniversary; a number of other designers will be launching their collections too.
Check out her blog at Rhodadoxa.blogspot.com. She can also be reached on Instagram: Darakaie; on Facebook: Dara Kehinde and by phone: 652-1833.
