Today we’d like to introduce you to Lilyana Raej
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As long as I can remember fashion and art have been a huge part of my life. Rather it be trips to the Cleveland Museum of Art at an early age, spending hours paining, sculpting or making art with any medium I could get my hands on with my grandparents, or shopping sprees, playing dress up in her closet or doing my hair & makeup at the vanity with my mom; fashion, aesthetics & art have been a huge portion of my life. My grandparents from both sides always nurtured my creative side and that’s something I’ll forever be grateful for and a key part into why I chose to continue a career in those industries today. I always knew since a little girl that I wanted to so something in this world but really didn’t know how to bring it to life until 2020. It’s crazy to type that, I’ve really been taking this serious for 5 years. My first brand was called “She Real Raw.” It was a female streetwear brand playing on the slang word “Raw” which was very popular during the time, and which was also inspired by my finsta name at the moment, I had casted every model, styled, designed every piece and shot with a local female photographer. Launching t-shirts and bikini’s for a summer drop. I realized that didn’t showcase my creativity enough so I scrapped that and relaunched as “Morally Divine’” January 2021. The name can be accredited to my spiritual awakening in a broader sense. My first piece heavily inspired by the brand “Kapital’s” skeleton hoodie, it had gained traction after posting to my tik tok account and accumulated around 21k likes. This is when I knew I could take it somewhere. I had launched and it did very well out of state ! I say that because as I continue to launch other brands or new pieces, the support from my own city is very small. I continued launching a few pieces & some teasers over the course of the following 2 years. But still, I wasn’t connecting with my pieces. My art wasn’t translating how I wanted. I wanted it to be bigger than just things printed or sewn on pieces. I wanted my love & talent for abstract & contemporary art to be able to be showcased through my clothing. I still did mock pieces, kept up with my sketches & continued to paint. I even interned at MOCA Cleveland, in hopes of trying to gain inside knowledge of staging , showcasing , learning new methods and really how to run a gallery, because that’s one of my aspirations. But sadly it was not a good experience for me and I learned little to nothing. That’s when I knew / made the decision that Morally Divine will be bigger that just a streetwear brand, it will be a way of life. It sparked the dream of having my own fashion & art institute for the youth in Cleveland, OH. One where resources are free, you will have the best materials, the most knowledgeable Artists & designers (ones flew in from ateliers in Paris, Milan & Japan) who will be able to teach and nurture these kids interests. I also want it to be free! The art and fashion scene is small in the city and big part of that is because there are such little resources for that. After that I became very selective with who I wanted to work with & really where I wanted to put my time & energy. In 2023 I had shot with the designer Bri from “I Recycle” and she had presented me with he opportunity to be a part of her pop up which showcased local artist’s & designers & allowed the public to observe & shop. Even though I had been not selling or creating for so long. For the first time in forever I was making pieces that I finally felt connected with. I was painting on clothes now instead of just printing & it felt so good ! Long story short I did the pop up and I got an amazing amount of support. I had almost sold out !! Shortly after I had visited Manhattan back to back & fell in love with the city. I felt like for the first time in forever I had felt at home & as if I belonged there. My art was accepted there, I would get praised anywhere I went for my fashion or my style, I became a regular at restaurants, people thought my painting prices were print prices… Life is simple in NY. I also attended and made pieces for NYFW spring edt 2024’. This was my Segway into sourcing & painting on leathers, denim & lace. They were also very well perceived, I then knew that’s where I needed to be if I wanted to seriously start my career. Currently still living in Cleveland, I continue to work on Morally Divine and I also launched my styling company Raej Atelier & my luxury hair extension company Cheveux by Foxy which features Raw Vietnamese & Burmese bundles & tape ins! I plan to relocate to NY soon, to continue to pursue my dreams. Right now, I am working on my Spring 2025 collection “Lovers in Leather” which will be able for purchase March 14th at Bri’s 2n’d pop up!! You will be able to shop morally divine paintings & pieces exclusive from my brand. I am also enrolled in the Parson’s NY x Complex streetwear program. Which is super exciting! Right now I’m just trying to find the balance between school, my regular jobs, my brands & my social life. I never knew I would get this far, but I can’t wait to continue to go farther. Eventually having my galleries, showrooms all over the world & my institute. Working towards it & speaking it all into existence.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
If I’m being honest, no not at all. Rather if be in childhood, I went to a private catholic school until 7th grade & was one of the only poc. Everyone lived in mansions on the lake while I lived 30 minutes away not in the best side of town. So just use your imagination lol. I never fit in but somewhere I did thrive was art class. I had an amazing art teacher there. We read about artists, recreated their pieces. A few consisted of Van Gogh, Georgia O’keeffe & Monet. I definitely pull from them even with my work now. I eventually moved & got to experience public school I feel like being able to experience both worlds really shaped my view and fashion. I feel like in private school everyone followed the leader, ofc they did that in public school but everyone had their own sense of originality and that’s what I took away from there. I always strayed away and did my own thing. At one point, during high school after moving I started to dislike the school I was attending. They prioritized grades and test scores rather than students mental health. If I’m being fully transparent, I was struggling and they didn’t care. I had my plan and how I was going to execute it, I knew exactly what I wanted and it wasn’t at that school. I was researching schools and different options. Right before Covid I had a meeting with the counselor & my principle at the time. They told me my plan was impossible, that I wouldn’t be able to get into CSA my school of choice at the time. I had went to the nurse’s office the same day & sat there and sent in my application. Shortly after I was accepted & then boom Covid hit. I continued to attend CSA virtually, eventually I started working full time so I started another online school and got my diploma that way. I feel that time really helped me grow as an individual and really experience real life. During all that time I was a student, working full time downtown, and trying to really establish myself and Morally Divine at the time. After I got my degree I interned at MOCA and we had previously touched base on that. I had went into it went into it at the time really hoping to immerse myself in art and gain knowledge that I could take away and use for my potential gallery or career endeavors. The artist I was working under was looking for an assistant and I had been selected for that position. I was supposed to be contacting other artists, film makers and designers so they could showcases their pieces at MOCA for an event we were supposed to be hosting. I also worked and was a part of this program with the artist that was essentially putting the youth on, working together to put on an event, and many more. Safe to say none of that happened during my duration of working under her. The communication was poor and I learned nothing. After that I really started being selective with my time and my energy even with my business ventures. Since then a few years have passed and I feel like the only thing I really struggle with now is procrastination and trying to get my name out there still. I’m in my rebranding era, so this is a new time for me and all my companies / brands. I feel like being selective with your energy and where you go will really help you weed out a lot of struggles, even personal.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Morally Divine is a streetwear & art archive. We were Established in 2021 by Lilyanaraej, a Cleveland, OH Native. We are known for our contemporary & abstract paintings, as well as our ethically sourced and reworked / painted leathers, denim & purses. I feel like what sets us apart from other brands especially locally is there’s originality in my brand. No one in the city right now is doing the exact same thing as me and I love that!! Originality and exclusivity is what sets me and them apart. Everything is hand painted, I spend my time with every piece, sometimes even hours on end. Morally Divine has transformed into something that I know one day is going to bigger than me and will be a legacy for years to come. That’s something I can say I am very proud of! I never saw my brand coming this far, or being in the rooms I would be in now. But here I am & I can’t wait to see what the universe has in store for me.
Currently you can shop all my brands via instagram, my website will be launching soon which will showcase all my brands / services. Which include : @MorallyDivine (streetwear & painting archive) @RaejAtelier (styling & creative direction page) & @CheveuxbyFoxy (luxury raw Vietnamese & Burmese bundles & tape in extensions) & @Lilyanaraej (my personal page).
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I would say the most important lesson I’ve learned along the way especially with my career is DO NOT let anyone try to diminish your vision. Your vision is your vision and if people get it they get it, if they don’t, they don’t & it wasn’t meant for them to understand anyways. Do not spend your years trying to appease the masses, exclusivity is everything.
Pricing:
- Lovers in Leather collection $75-300.00 USD (Purses & clothing)
- Morally Divine Paintings $50-400.00 USD
- Morally Divine Stickers, 1 for $7 2 for $10 3 for $16
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.instagram.com/lilyanaraej/
- Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/morallydivine/
- Other: https://Www.instagram.com/cheveuxbyfoxy/
