Raisa Rebecca Varki grew up amidst a labyrinth of colors and patterns. Her late mother, Latha, ran a children’s boutique near Raj Bhavan, and later a boutique-cum-tailoring unit at their house in Kanjirampara. Raisa recalls stealing into the tailoring unit after hours, to pick up leftover material. She loved the feel of the fabrics between her hands and the way she could turn them into endless combinations of styles. However, back then, the patterns she created were modelled by her Barbie dolls. Now, years later, the 27-year-old designs clothes for young girls.
Raisa who runs Rare Boutique, an online store for girls’ wear, is busy stitching rosettes onto a red dress with a thick chequered border when I meet her at her residence near Infosys. A Christening dress in off white lace and two layer tulle lies by her side. “I have received quite a few orders for baptisms and for summer wear and am busy completing them,” she says.
Her clientele come from both near and far, the farthest being the United States. Her designs are posted on her Facebook page, Rare Boutique, where briefs about the materials used and about the designs, are provided.
Customers can either select their favourite from the images Raisa has posted on the Facebook page or send images of the pattern of their choice. While some provide her the material to work with, others rely on Raisa’s innate taste for mixing colours and fabric. “Most of my clients don’t want designs and colours that are over the top. They want something that is simple yet classy.”
An electrical engineer who did a stint as a software engineer, Raisa’s interest in designing comes from her mother. “While my mom taught me embroidery, I learnt how to use a sewing machine by stitching dresses for my Barbie dolls.”
However, as work took up most of her time, she had to put her ambitions on hold. Raisa finally decided to follow her heart three years ago when her elder son turned six months old.
“My cousins and I were pregnant with our kids around the same time. While pregnant, I designed a few baby wear for each of them. After Johan was born, I posted a few pictures of my designs online and soon friends and family were sending me requests for something similar. Both my father and my husband encouraged me to pursue my passion.”
The demands were mostly for girl’s wear and that is how she decided to cater to them.
The stitching of the outfits is done in the tailoring unit at Kanjirampara while the embellishments are done by Raisa at her apartment. Customers, says Raisa, order dresses with nets, tuille, embroidery… A cupboard holds neatly folded dresses in different patterns and colours. The folded outfits are for those who drop by for gifts for young tots. “I only store clothes for newborns and girls under the age of three. I design and stitch outfits for those aged four and above only on order.”
Business she says is good as most people are tired of the run-in-the-mill outfits available in stores. “Most parents want their child to stand out from the crowd. That is why I don’t replicate my designs unless the customer asks me to.”
