Why I founded Quietly Glorious - Ellena Rayes (17 yrs)
Why I Started Quietly Glorious
By Ellena Jessica Rayes - 17 yrs
I started Quietly Glorious because I couldn’t see myself anywhere.Every brand felt loud. Perfect. Filtered.Built for people who already had confidence, money, followers… or all three. But that’s not most of us. Most of us are trying. Most of us are tired. Most of us are doing our best in the background — with no audience and no applause and I thought: why doesn’t that count for something?
Quietly Glorious is for the 99%
It’s for the student revising at 1am, telling themselves just one more page. For the mum who holds everything together without ever asking for credit. For the dad who shows up even when the day’s beaten him down. For the teen trying to figure out who they are without losing who they’ve been.
This brand exists to say: you don’t have to be extraordinary to be worthy. You already are.
How It Started
Quietly Glorious didn’t start with a plan. It started with me — a teenager — sketching designs at our kitchen table.I was studying A-Level Art, Photography, Business and Marketing, and I couldn’t shake one thought: Average people deserve a brand too. Not a label that tells them who to be — but one that reflects who they already are.I didn’t want to build “fashion.” I wanted to build a feeling. Something honest. Something real. Something you could put on and feel understood. No filters. No perfection. No pretending. Just effort. Honesty. And the quiet strength we all carry but rarely talk about.That’s when I became EJay — Founder & Creative Director of Quietly Glorious.
The Family Behind ItBehind me is a very real, slightly chaotic, fully committed family team:
- Me (EJay) – vision, design, direction
- Dad (Andy) – business brain, website builder, financial firefighter
- Mum (Nicci) – quality control, product testing, keeper of standards
- My sister Isabelle (15) – sport range ideas, youth lens, socials
Why Supporting QG Matters
When you support Quietly Glorious, you’re not just buying a hoodie, you’re backing a young founder who decided to try. You’re supporting a family building something from nothing. You’re standing behind a message that says effort matters — even when nobody’s watching. This brand grows through people, not ads. Through belief, not hype.
How You Can Be Part of It
- Wear it – represent the 99% who keep showing up
- Share it – someone you know needs this message
- Follow it – help a young founder grow
- Tell your “why” – your story becomes part of ours
- Pass it on – Quietly Glorious spreads through real people
We’re building this quietly. Brick by brick. Mistake by mistake. Win by win. But we’re building it together.
Quietly Glorious:
Born from a teenager’s belief. Kept alive by a family. Made for people who show up — even when no one’s watching.
Love EJay