As a teenage girl, Suraya was never interested in design and manufacturing a fashion label but had the flair of a fashionista, It was always a dream of her late mother who was a renowned dressmaker and CMT (cut, make and trim) in her local community that she follow in her mothers’ footsteps.  But after her mother was retrenched in 1984 Suraya secretly scoffed at this Idea and pursued a career in Corporate.  It was only after the passing of her mother which was on her birth date, hence the name Design26 that Suraya discovered her true gift and talent.  Suraya reincarnates a dream and hope to open the first manufacturing plant in Mitchell’s Plain with an in-house skills training centre.

Losing her mother played an enormous role in how Suraya life and appreciate people by sharing her love and passion to inspire other women to be confident and feel good about themselves not just with what they are wearing but how they carry themselves because “She Cares What You Wear” Suraya believes that every women has the right to look and feel beautiful irrespective of her financial status.