Friday, September 14, 2012

MADIA WILLIS -BiriBelle

vintage influence with afro fusion 
do you know about the african goddess? Ok there is  the european goddess,the indian goddess, the asian goddess,the american goddess,  the  african american goddess to name a few.... and then there the the African Goddess. depending on the region there will be variances or differences but there is a characteristic of the African Goddess that is finite. .powerful. you can  reference contemporaries such as  iman, issa rae  les nubians , ngozi odita, dambisa noyo, chimamanda adichie, or you can explore african antiquated goddess such as  nandi zulu, cleopatra, nzingah ,yaa asatewa.  when they strike... they make a mark. this is locally, at war, in politics or in business, when the african goddess is around you will feel her and she will make an impact. Madia Willis born and raised in America by her Liberian parents is one of the next leading emerging Internationally positioned textile designers. She attended Columbia Univercity as a Political Science Major with a concentration in International Relations with the intentions of going to Law School. During her Junior year at Columbia, she studied abroad in Ghana and that is where she cultivated a strong interest in design and transforming materials in her immediate environment into pieces of art. she then decided that she would transition from political science to her love of textiles and design. After graduating Madia took on a job as an admission director for at an elite private school . The income from her position she used to develop her business. She maintained her relationships  in Ghana and began manufacturing her line from the continent. She collaborated with a group of artist and formed a designers collective called Dekka. "A seamstress has more technical skills in the context of measurements, cuts, folds,..." but the designer and seamstress should work well together. I am a designer she informs me not a seamstress. "My first seamstress was from Syria and she was extremely instrumental in assisting me in bringing forth my vision" '...Madia recollects. Her business was growing and expanding. she quit her day job to pursue a masters and "develop a full understanding in regards to the principals of  design."some of the components includes" size, lines,shapes color and texture." madia explains. This summer as a result of her pursuit and demonstration of excellence she was chosen to participate in paid internship with TARGET designing patterns and prints for their women's clothing line. In terms of how Madia defines her own clothing line she would describe it as fusing traditional West African fabrics with vintage and bohemian style. BiriBelle represents" the smart, sophisticated, well traveled, confident, and cultured woman who transcends racial and social barriers."








a dress that Madia was working on for a Ms. Liberia in a college pagent

The above piece explores MADIA WILLIS in Political and artistic form; her interpretation through design of the Trayvone Martin Case... 
"I decided to do a collection of prints centered around the Trayvon Martin Case and what I perceive to be the performative nature of justice in America." My assignment was titled "What's in the air?"

1 comment:

  1. Whoooa! You scored a hot interview here!!
    Where can we get this sistah's designs? They are baddd! And she's conscious. A knockout shout-out. I LOVE your blog. It's exciting and very much in the now. What a service your are doing for all this great talent! YOU are impressive. I want to do something original so you can interview me 'cause you make folks look as good as they really are! LOL

    ReplyDelete