“Origins Guyana Fashion Festival reignites the fire in me”— Rishma Persaud

…had taken a 3-year hiatus due to illness

More than 34 Guyanese designers had the opportunity to showcase Guyana’s rich creative talent between May 2 and 6, 2025 at an event supported by the Government titled, “Origins Guyana Fashion Festival.”
Over 68 models – both males and females – were tasked with highlighting to the world the dynamics of Guyana’s fashion industry and how it has evolved over the years. From traditional pieces to more western and sophisticated pieces, the models captivated the attention of the audience with the jaw-dropping designs as they walked the runway.
Rishma Persaud, the owner of RP COUTURE, was one of the designers who showcased her pieces at the inaugural event. She told the Guyana Times that it was well planned and executed but more importantly, it exceeded her expectations.
The experience for her was nothing but amazing; one that gave her the opportunity to work with her colleagues and various teams in presenting one of the best shows yet in the fashion arena.
“It reignited that fire in me. It motivated me and reminded me where I belong. For the first time in three years, I felt alive,” she revealed.
Forty-five-year-old Persaud, a single mother of one, formerly of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD) who now resides in Queenstown, Georgetown has been in the business for more than 25 years.
She started off as a designer in the world of pageantry since 2003, and worked with several franchises including the Miss Guyana World, Miss Guyana Universe and Miss India Guyana. On several occasions, her gowns trumped the other designers. From there on, she rocked every event with her designs.
However, in July of 2022, Persaud visited the hospital to undergo a minor procedure. It turned out to be a nightmare – one that saw her putting her designing career on hold.
“It was supposed to be a simple procedure but things went horribly wrong. I ended up having to do four major surgeries within 10 months with a dim chance of survival. It took me even longer to recover both mentally and physically. This resulted in me being away for three long years,” she explained.
Overcoming this tragedy, she explained, wasn’t an easy task, recalling that she cried a lot but she eventually pulled through with the support of her family. “Initially, I cried a lot but after some time, I saw the bigger picture and pushed myself. Felt that I had to do it for the people in my life and as such, I started to take baby steps towards getting back my life back. It was hard, but my personality wouldn’t allow me to be in self-pity for too long.”
Persaud related that the Origins Guyana Fashion Festival was more than a welcome back parade for her in the fashion industry.
“It’s a wonderful initiative. It gave the designers and models a great platform to showcase their talents. I’m thankful to the Ministry of Tourism and the Government of Guyana for this remarkable opportunity to highlight my work.”
On this note she explained, Guyanese designers have a lot of talent and the event was the perfect opportunity to show to the world what they have to offer, despite the little time they had to pull it off.
“Given the time restrictions, it was impeccable. We only had a few months to prepare but the end product came out excellently. I personally was impressed at how well it all came together in such a short time.”
Nevertheless, she noted that moving forward, the organisers can spice things up a bit more by adding booths for food and craft during the evening shows. All-in-all, she noted that the event has succeeded its objectives in many ways, especially bringing out designers who were stuck in the dark for far too long, and it was always about the seasoned ones with the upper hand.
Persaud, after completing her secondary education at the Annandale Secondary and City School, started her designing career by attending Kay’s sewing and fashion designing school.
But she knew she had a knack for designing at an early age. “Since I was a little girl, I had always loved fashion. I started making the most fashionable dresses for my dolls when I was five,” she recalled.
She eventually got married at an early age but not long after, she was a divorcee, raising one daughter who is now her second biggest motivator. Her mother, she stated has been her guiding light and inspiration all her life and took the number one spot.
Over the years, every collection designed by Persaud carried a name such ‘Fashion Fusion’ and ‘Caribbean Trend’ but the one she presented at Origins, was titled “Devine” which carries a personal attachment. To her, being a designer is an expression of one’s self, “to celebrate us. To show our uniqueness and sense of style.”
She added, “I’ve done a lot in my career thus far. For a major part of my career, it was a lot of sacrifices, working long hours and missing out on a lot with my personal life. Now, I want to create a balance between my career and personal life, so I’ll be more selective with what I do.”
In addition, she explained that being a fashion designer comes with its own challenges. “One of most common challenges among designers is the availability of fabric…There are only a few places in Guyana where we can get good fabric and even so it’s very expensive. So, for me personally, sometimes I have to travel overseas to purchase quality fabric.”
She added that quality fabric is what attract the customers but it also brings out the authenticity of one’s creation that matches their brands.
With her career back on the front burner, she intends to impart her knowledge by offering designing classes to those who wish to join the fashion industry. “Matter of fact, I used to offer classes and I enjoyed it, so I planned on doing it back again soon,” she said.
To the young people who want to take up a career in designing, Persaud’s advice is, “It’s a very exciting and rewarding career choice, but it takes a lot of dedication and hard work, and you absolutely need to be passionate about it as only then you can truly put your all into it.”