Many women including reigning Mrs India Guyana Kristal Inshan have been flaunting some of the exquisite styles created by Burning Desire Designs owned by Nash Narine.
Born Avinash Narine at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, Nash comes from a family of seamstresses including his mother, his aunt and his grandmother from whom he drew his inspiration for designing.
Nash was still a young boy when his parents separated, and he and his younger sister went to live with their grandmother. He found joy sitting on the floor beneath his grandmother’s sewing machine collecting scraps from which he made dresses for his sister’s doll. Nash hand sewed the dresses.
As a boy he attended Latchman Singh Primary, Bush Lot Secondary, and Rosignol Academy. Though he fancied art and fashion, unlike many designers known for their art skills, sketching is definitely not Nash’s forte.
“When I was around 12, I wanted to become a journalist but as I was hitting 13 – 14, I realized my passion for fashion,” said the designer.
Later, he began sewing his own clothes and he always stood out. Prior to taking on designing at a professional level, Nash was in the Bahamas studying design, but he quit after three months, he said, when he realized that he already knew everything he was being taught. That was 13 years ago.
The idea of him designing, he shared, rubbed people differently as some did not think it was right for a man to be designing. According to Nash, every time he walked into an event, people whispered in the corners. This was one of his early challenges.
Being a designer was one problem but being gay posed a much bigger problem. Nash explained that part of the reason people dealt with him differently was because he was secretive about his life, particularly his sexuality. Then one day he grew weary of hiding and made the decision to be bold about who he was.
That decision, he said, changed his life for the better. He is no longer worried about what people think of him. Coming out of the closet, Nash said, gained him much respect. People look at him differently now and he always feels welcome wherever he goes.
Because he is no good at sketching, when clients turn up with their own sketches, this could be a challenge if they are not detailed enough but after 13 years of doing this, he knows exactly what his clients want. Most of the time, however, all of his styles are in his head, Nash explained that by the time he is done creating a picture of what he has in his head to his clients, they almost always agree. Some clients like Mrs India Guyana bring their own fabric.
According to the designer, a lot of the fabric available locally is often better quality than that which clients find online. A lot of the readymade pieces, he added, are not of good quality. Yet to please his clients he would have those fabrics imported if they are not available here. Importing fabric incur an additional cost for both fabric and shipping. When clients cannot pay the cost he would offer discounts. Nash noted that these discounts are always on his workmanship as there are no hidden fees attached in shipping costs. There are times when he is unable to go as low as a customer requires, and therefore cannot get their pieces done. But this is rare, he posited, as he is one of the most affordable designers in Guyana.
Customers are usually satisfied with his work for which he receives great reviews. Early this week, Nash created a design for a birthday girl that impressed her friends so much, he had appointments set up for six of them a few days later. Another woman who was also impressed with Nash’s designs shared that she was getting married and had planned to wear a simple readymade dress but on seeing his work, she began wishing she were walking down the aisle in a Burning Desire Designer piece. She further inquired whether Nash would be able to pull off a wedding dress at short notice. He had a week and today she will walk down the aisle in one of his designs.
Among his many clients are queens in the Miss West Berbice Pageant, Miss Bartica Regatta and Miss Regal International pageant as well as other contestants in other local pageants.
Asked about his favourite design, he shared that it is a fishtail dress adding that while this is an intricate piece and there are about four ways to make it, he loves a challenge.
In fact, he boasted that if given the opportunity, he could make 15 of them in a day. For this design, Nash usually uses spandex, which is also his favourite fabric to work with. There are types that are difficult to work with, Nash said, adding that there is a particular spandex that stretches four ways but the one he likes to use only stretches across.
While the majority of his clients leave satisfied and happy, Nash recalled one particular customer who made a big scene at his store. This was a young woman who had presented him with a sketch and according to Nash, he did exactly what she requested. She was there for a fitting and while she was in the dressing room, a pastor’s wife and daughters entered the store and were enquiring about his services. Suddenly, the client in the dressing room, screamed indignantly using profanity, claiming he did not make the design she had ordered. He then retrieved her sketch and asked her to point out what was different.
Angry, the woman removed the top off and flung it across his store. Nash said he asked where she got her material, promising to purchase the cloth so she could go elsewhere and have her design sewn. She refused, picked up the top and walked out. Nash further shared that he later saw her in photos on Facebook wearing the piece at an event she attended.
That was a lesson, he said, adding that had he gone with his gut and turned her down when she arrived, he would not have had to deal with her abhorrent behaviour. With enough experience in the industry, he can sense when clients might be troublesome and turns them away. Since then he has not had any other similar experiences.
Designing has many advantages, he shared, including meeting incredible people and travelling. During his years as a designer he has attended fashion shows in New York, Trinidad and the Bahamas.
When the pandemic hit last year, business spiralled, but Nash spent time creating lots of face masks. He said business began picking up two months ago.
Most of his clientele are women. He considers men to be frugal adding that while some men want a Burning Desire Designer piece, they are not willing to pay the cost.
Nash has a quote he lives by: ‘There is a rainbow somewhere beyond the sky blue, and when you dare to dream, sometimes they do come true.’ “That’s a quote that inspired me. The first time I learnt it, it pushed me to be a little bolder. I always tell people this quote when they are looking for inspiration,” said Nash.
In his limited free time, this Capricorn loves dabbling in makeup, though he only does makeup on himself or friends and family. He sometimes goes swimming, partying, hanging with friends, exploring and spending time with his family. He is family oriented and would sometimes close his shop for a week and head to Berbice to be with his family.
Some of his favourite dishes are Chicken Alfredo, Tandoori Chicken, Chowmein and curry, particularly, Hassar Curry. The designer enthusiastically added, “not to boast but I make the best curry. My mom says there are two things I do better than her, sewing and cooking curry.” He also loves to eat dal and rice with bunjal shrimp and coconut choka which he only gets to relish whenever he visits Berbice. It was his favourite to have from his grandmother, but she passed on some years ago. The only other person who can cook this almost the same as his grandmother is his sister and he looks forward to these trips so that he could enjoy this dish.
Burning Desire Designs is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and half day on Saturday. It is located at 113-115 Merriman’s Mall, Bourda, opposite Bonny’s Marketing Complex.
Nash can be followed on Instagram @The_Desire_With_A_Dip and @Burning_Desire_Designs; his Facebook pages are Burning Desire Designs or Nash Desire. He can be reached at 686-5400.
