28 Days of Diversity in Design: Day 17
As a product designer I spend a lot of time going to tradeshows, trend forecasts, meetups and networking events and always notice the lack of diversity in the room. For the last few years I have spoken to other designers and even bloggers about why nobody ever does a designer of color spotlight atleast during the month of February. I decided over a week ago to fill the void myself. My inspiration came most recently from following Wayne Sutton and his #28 Days Of Diversity: People Impacting Social Media blog. I have connected and learned about fellow colleagues in social media that I was unfamiliar with and hope to offer the same benefit by introducing you to a few brilliant creatives in the world of design. Sure we are jumping into the beauty of a new month, but history of people of color is happening daily. So lets continue into March, celebrating the color of design.
Day 17: Aida Duplessis
Aida is a textile designer whom I found through a mutual friend that lives in Bamako. She creates her textiles completely chemical free using organic cotton mixed with vetiver (type of grass native to India) and natural dyes. Her goal is to contribute to a “cleaner and more sustainable planet”. Her textiles (tapis) are created for indoor and outdoor use and also creates a contemporary collection of accessories including pillows and throws that are scented. She launched Yeleen Design in 2003 in Burkina Fasu and labels all of her designs as made in Mali. To see more of her gorgeous textiles you can visit her site which is French Yeleen Design.
