Riaz Baksh designing for UWI grads

For many female graduates of the University of the West Indies however, the stress of getting the perfect white dress may be so overwhelming, it overshadows the big day. One of the simple truths every woman knows is that white is not a colour which is flattering on every form or figure. Then there is the extensive search for a white dress to suit the very petite woman and the very plus sized.

Enter Riaz Baksh, owner and head designer of RyRi designs who has a range of white dresses made specifically for the UWI grad-to-be. This is his first attempt at catering to female UWI graduates but he intends on continuing the line for future graduates. “For the past three years UWI students have been calling and asking for white dresses. Many do not go to graduation because they do not have a dress. Each year I kept saying yes but kept putting it off but this year I did it,” he said.

The process of planning for and designing appropriate dresses for UWI graduates took the designer and his team about eight months. “When we did our feasibility study, a lot of women did not want anything too revealing, too short or too long either. They are in their 20s, 30s and some of them are in their 40s so we have to cater to that wide sector. White is a very unforgiving colour for ladies as it shows up everything so we had to do a lot of work with fabric, a lot of designing and redesigning,” he said.

Baksh said most of the dresses are made with chiffon and taffeta which he said was a lot more “forgiving” than other materials. The designs for the graduate dresses use different forms of camouflage, like ruching or pleats, in areas where most women have issues as the designer puts it. Sizes range from xx-small to xx-large. Clients can also have adjustments made if the dress does not fit just right. This takes about two days so the dress should be purchaseds ahead of time.

Baksh also designs custom make dresses for women who do not fall into these size ranges but they would have to contact the designer at least three months in advance from the occasion. To cater to the UWI graduates, Baksh has set up a temporary location in Carmody Manors located on Carmody Street, located just outside of the St Augustine campus.

The designer takes pride in declaring his dresses are 100 percent locally manufactured, a fact which has shocked many of his past clients who purchase his designs. He is a third generation garment industry insider. “(My) grandparents got into it in the 1960s, manufacturing men’s and boys’ shirts. They passed this on to my parents, uncles and aunts. They got out of manufacturing and into retail. I did not want to get into the family business. I wanted to do something on my own and something to help the economy so I decided to get into girls’ formal wear,” he said.

Baksh explained there was a market for this in Trinidad but no suppliers so he went into it thinking he could work for three months of the year and prosper. He soon found out it was a year round business but he took up the challenge. “When you enjoy doing something, it is not work. Our busiest time is for graduation in June and July, then we do dresses for weddings, then Christmas after which we begin designing for Easter,” he said. He began his business six years ago and now has a full range of children’s dresses from toddlers to preteens. He only began designing and manufacturing dresses for women at the beginning of this year.

“Our dresses are the perfect fit for the Caribbean woman. The Caribbean woman is generally fuller than other women and they like to accentuate their assets. So we have to give them what they want. A lot of times when we brought in clothes from abroad, it would fit closely in certain areas and would not be comfortable for them. We also try to be fashion forward with our designs,” he said.

RyRi designs are available in San Fernando, Baksh’s mother’s clothing store in Trincity Mall, Younger Generations and in Baksh’s own clothing store, Lil Rascals in Arima. He designs and manufactures dresses for wholesale clients as well, providing graduation dresses for about 15 pre-schools in the East West corridor and for bridal parties.

Baksh will also be catering for graduating men. He has pre-packaged shirts, ties and tie pins in the latest colours and styles at a price way below what other clothing retail stores are selling these packages for. He also has men’s shoes manufactured by the local company, Cads. Purchasing a dress or men’s shirt from Baksh not only shows support for the local economy, it also helps the charity, Parentless Infants and Needy Kids (PINK) which Baksh co-founded.

“Every year we help the orphanages in Central Trinidad. There are six orphanages there that are often overlooked. Five percent of profits go towards a fun day we have for the children around Christmas. We also give them gifts of a toy and a dress outfit which last them three to six months,” he said.