Stitches by Rena: From adversity to success

Life is filled with trials and tribulations, but the lucky and the brave overcome them in the end. Designer and dressmaker Rena Brahim has lived the story.

The 44-year-old is the owner and manager of the fashion house Stitches by Rena, a studio and shop on Drayton Street, San Fernando. Among her clients are Nisha Bissambhar from the band Karma and the wives of a number of politicians, business owners and other dignitaries in San Fernando.

Her road to success was a rocky one, but she succeeded through perseverance and hard work.

“I grew up in a village called Riversdale in Williamsville and I am the fifth of six children. We were very poor, even though both our parents worked," she told WMN.

It was there that she taught herself the skills that supported her and her family and have brought her a flourishing business.

"I remember my elder sister Rita owned a sewing machine that worked when you peddled. It made a loud noise on the wooden floor of our house.

"But I loved that machine and every moment I have, I would try to stitch something. Hence the reason for the name of my shop,” she said, smiling.

At 12 she would rip apart her mother’s dresses to make outfits for herself.

“My mother encouraged me to sew. She did not mind me taking her dresses apart, because we did not have enough money to purchase material for me to practise stitching.”

But at 18 she went a bit off course. She fell in love with a young man she knew from secondary school, and by her 19th birthday she was pregnant.

“In those days, being pregnant before marriage was unheard of and therefore I had to get married to avoid bringing shame to my family,” she said.

Pregnant and naïve, the young Brahim began a rollercoaster married life. Her husband was a man on the move, working at odd jobs.

“We were always borrowing money to purchase food and to pay rent. Many times we – my husband, child and myself – hid from landlords to avoid paying rent, and we moved around a lot. It was living life in the fast lane,” she said.

But life eventually slowed down when the police arrested her husband for car theft. At the same time, she learned she was pregnant with her second child and returned to her parents’ home, as she was no longer able to keep up with her husband.

“When these things happen to you in life, you know you cannot depend on anyone but yourself. I would say every woman or man must be independent. One cannot go through life expecting anything from anyone,” Brahim said.

She said people looked down on her for being a married woman living with her parents when they felt she should have been with her in-laws.

“Back in those days there were no cell phones and internet, but people knew everything about you,” she chuckled.

The young mother started a business sewing clothes for people in the village. Work was slow at first, but while she felt the people were not very fond of her, they loved the clothes she made.

When her second child was born, Brahim returned to her husband after he pleaded with her and promised their life would be different.

“Life was better for a couple of months and then my husband was out late every night.

“During this time I remember having nothing to eat, and nothing to give my children. I woke up one morning and was crying and begging God to help me. When I looked at my firstborn child, she was on her knees and praying for her daddy to return home and bring her food.”

Brahim described this as one of the saddest times in her life. She borrowed money from relatives to buy her first sewing machine – but her husband gave it to someone to whom he owed money. Again she was living like a fugitive, running from the landlord.

Brahim eventually left her husband, and with help from Rita she was able to buy a new sewing machine. She made a fresh start as a single mother, sewing and taking care of her children. The next time she saw her husband he was dead: she was asked to identify his body after he was murdered, in 2005.

Today Brahim is one of the most sought-after designers in south Trinidad.

She remarried three years ago and has "adopted" and employs several young women who are interested in fashion designs and dressmaking. Her daughters are on their way to being successful career women in the beauty culture field.

Brahim spends up to 14 hours a day meeting the needs of her customers.

“When someone walks into my studio they expect service. They want to look their best for special occasions like weddings, graduations, birthdays and anniversaries. It is my duty to provide designs in clothing, the colour of the fabric and the option of materials that can be used to create their given styles for customers,” she said.

The foundation on which her success is built is very simple.

“There are no recipes for success," she said, "but hard work, dedication and investment of time and energy in your career.”