The Life and
Fashions of
Style
Therapist
Shirah Ray
By Kimmie Tubre
Born in Kenner, Louisiana, Shirah
moved to St John the Baptist Parish
when she was about seven years old.
She attended East St. John High School
where she spent her teen years focusing
on theater programs and singing. Shirah
knew from a young age that her dynamic
personality would be likely to take her
places in life.
“I was very involved in my high
school,” she said. "I just knew that I was
going to be in the entertainment industry
someday.”
Holding that feeling all the way to
college, Shirah enrolled in the theater
How to live your best life? Well, everyone will
answer this question differently. But, with all of the
pessimism in the world, it is always refreshing to see positive
and energetic people actually doing what they love to do and living
their best life.
Take Shirah Ray for example. As a free-thinking style therapist, she
exudes a love for her career that is rare. With one of her mottos being,
“If you look good, you feel good,” you know for sure that fashion has
always been an important part of her life.
“My dad was a really sharp dresser,” Shirah recalled, as she spoke
about the man whose name inspired her brand. “For me fashion is
innate.”
“Growing up, both of my parents were very fashionable,” she said.
Because of that, it only made sense for them to encourage and support
her appreciation for style.
Shirah is the oldest sister of three boys and was always the show doll
of the family. “My mom really enjoyed dressing me up,” said Shirah.
“But don’t get it twisted; as the oldest, I still had many responsibilities.”
program at Dillard University. “During
that time, I thought that that’s what I
wanted, but my life seemed to be moving
in another direction,” she recalled.
Shirah was a young woman in college
when she found out that she was
expecting her daughter, Tyrah. “Things
changed a little bit,” said Shirah. Then,
with a laugh, she quickly corrected her
statement: “Actually, it changed ‘a lot of
bits.’”
Shortly after becoming a mother,
Shirah’s significant other died in a car
accident. “It was a sad time,” she said.
“But I’m so blessed that his family is still
a huge part of Tyrah’s life,” she added.
Determined to be great, Shirah
decided to enroll at Southern University
at New Orleans. “I persevered, finished
my degree and then I realized, OK, I’m
not famous,” she said. After getting
a degree in Business Administration,
Shirah sought guidance from her mother.
While her mother, Elizabeth, wasn't a
business owner, she and her late husband
were very business savvy and owned
several rental properties. Her mother
continued in real estate investment and
was excited to see her daughter take the
entrepreneurial leap.
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