WHO would have thought of a 27-year-old starting his own fashion line under the influence of his involvement with Christ since his young days?
This was exactly the opportunity Ratu Penaia Kadavulevu grabbed and never let go of when he found out last year that he had a passion to design clothes inspired by the word of God and motivational quotes from the Bible.
It started during Easter last year at a youth camp in Auckland, New Zealand when he was asked by a fellow church youth member if he could design T-shirts for that Easter youth gathering.
The T-shirts labelled God’s Grace Inspires were the first lot which motivated Ratu, as he was known among peers and friends, to take the bold step and give it a go.
He is the eldest son of Bau chief Ratu Tu’uakitau Cokanauto and Taraivosa Daucakacaka
“It probably was a blessing in disguise when I designed the first lot of T-shirts last year because straight after this, it just came to me that I would love to continue designing clothes but all based on Christian and motivational Bible quotes,” Ratu said.
This was when he decided on naming his brand the Robed Ambition, which was inspired by Genesis 3:21 which basically have the biblical meaning of clothing people with the word of God.
So was the beginning of Robed Ambition — a Christian based clothing brand with a mission to motivate people and spread the Word of God through quality clothing and design.
“My designs are still at grassroots level but I am kind of carrying it on.
“I am hoping to venture into it more, to be involved in textile and clothing design, so now I am entering the Christian clothing market as I want to stay true to my passion.
“I have been designing clothes to help spread the word. I started with T-shirts. When it was cold, I started with hoodies and pants but all the wordings are inspirational and Godly-driven.”
He started with his community in Auckland first before making plans to venture into the outer world.
The designs, according to Ratu Penaia, do not target any particular age group but anyone who is interested or is moved by the Godly messages on the print.
He also explained that the phrases and the wordings used on the designs may take time to think about because he would have to use those that served the purpose of life.
“So far designing has been good, I found that with having Christian clothing design, I have to get into the word more.
“It has helped me in a way with my spiritual life and it is a blessing in disguise for me. It has brought out this hidden talent and the opportunities are endless.”
Nowadays, youths particularly those of Ratu Penaia’s age, are much more involved in worldly things but he believes it is more important that he filters out things that are ungodly and designing has been an unlikely source of blessing for him because it builds up his spiritual life and has brought out the hidden talent in him.
He also said his mother was someone who influenced him a lot when he was younger to be a person who led a Christian life and a life full of love, hard work and perseverance.
“The main influence in my Christian life is my mother. She used to take us to Sunday school and taught us every good thing that moulds a person’s life.”
It may not be an easy journey for Ratu Penaia and as he revealed, there may have been ups and downs but he will stay true to what he values the most — his relationship with God because this is the only way to succeed in life.
He also believes designing is another way of exposing hidden talents in him and while there may be plans in the future to venture into the fashion industry more, Christian clothing would be the way to go for him because the Word of God remains his source of inspiration.
