0:00:00.869,0:00:05.330
It is often said that the stories[br]of history are written by its victors,

0:00:05.330,0:00:06.665
but if this is true,

0:00:06.665,0:00:08.736
what becomes of the downtrodden,

0:00:08.736,0:00:11.534
and how can they ever hope[br]to aspire for something greater

0:00:11.534,0:00:15.856
if they are never told the stories[br]of their own glorious pasts?

0:00:15.856,0:00:19.676
Ostensibly, I stand before you[br]as a mere maker of clothing,

0:00:19.676,0:00:22.990
but within the folds of ancient fabrics[br]and modern textiles,

0:00:22.990,0:00:25.548
I have found a higher calling.

0:00:25.548,0:00:27.162
Through my work as a designer,

0:00:27.162,0:00:30.136
I've discovered the importance[br]of providing representation

0:00:30.136,0:00:33.237
for the marginalized members[br]of our society,

0:00:33.237,0:00:36.501
and the importance of telling[br]the most vulnerable among us

0:00:36.501,0:00:38.971
that they no longer have[br]to compromise themselves

0:00:38.971,0:00:42.705
just so they can fit in[br]with an uncompromising majority.

0:00:42.705,0:00:44.379
It turns out that fashion,

0:00:44.379,0:00:46.669
a discipline many of us[br]consider to be trivial,

0:00:46.669,0:00:50.166
can actually be a powerful tool[br]for dismantling bias

0:00:50.166,0:00:54.556
and bolstering the self-images[br]of underrepresented populations.

0:00:54.556,0:00:58.318
My interest in using design[br]as a vehicle for social change

0:00:58.318,0:01:00.396
happens to be a personal one.

0:01:00.396,0:01:03.945
As a Nigerian-American,[br]I know how easily the term "African"

0:01:03.945,0:01:06.914
can slip from being[br]an ordinary geographic descriptor

0:01:06.914,0:01:09.886
to becoming a pejorative.

0:01:09.886,0:01:12.495
For those of us from[br]this beautiful continent,

0:01:12.495,0:01:15.463
to be African is to be inspired by culture

0:01:15.463,0:01:18.982
and to be filled with undying[br]hope for the future.

0:01:18.982,0:01:23.452
So in an attempt to shift[br]the misguided perceptions that many have

0:01:23.452,0:01:25.213
about the place of my birth,

0:01:25.213,0:01:27.669
I use design as a means to tell stories,

0:01:27.669,0:01:29.524
stories about joy,

0:01:29.524,0:01:31.100
stories about triumph,

0:01:31.100,0:01:34.780
stories about perseverance[br]all throughout the African diaspora.

0:01:34.780,0:01:36.106
I tell these stories

0:01:36.106,0:01:38.992
as a concerted effort[br]to correct the historical record,

0:01:38.992,0:01:42.380
because, no matter[br]where any of us is from,

0:01:42.380,0:01:44.740
each of us has been touched[br]by the complicated histories

0:01:44.740,0:01:47.578
that brought our families[br]to a foreign land.

0:01:47.578,0:01:50.797
These histories shape[br]the way we view the world,

0:01:50.797,0:01:54.091
and they mold the biases[br]we carry around with us.

0:01:54.091,0:01:55.797
To combat these biases,

0:01:55.797,0:01:58.881
my work draws aesthetics[br]from different parts of the globe

0:01:58.881,0:02:00.746
and crafts a narrative[br]about the importance

0:02:00.746,0:02:02.291
of fighting for inclusivity.

0:02:02.291,0:02:06.299
By refashioning images[br]from classic European art

0:02:06.299,0:02:08.459
and marrying them with African aesthetics,

0:02:08.459,0:02:12.022
I am able to recast people of color[br]in roles of prominence,

0:02:12.022,0:02:13.682
providing them with a degree of dignity

0:02:13.682,0:02:16.636
they didn't have in earlier times.

0:02:16.636,0:02:21.485
This approach subverts the historically[br]accepted narrative of African inferiority,

0:02:21.485,0:02:24.305
and it serves as inspiration[br]for people of color

0:02:24.305,0:02:27.560
who have grown wary of seeing[br]themselves depicted without sophistication

0:02:27.560,0:02:30.272
and without grace.

0:02:30.272,0:02:32.406
Each of these culture-bending tapestries

0:02:32.406,0:02:34.366
becomes a tailored garment

0:02:34.366,0:02:39.528
or a silk scarf, like the one I am[br]very coincidentally wearing right now,

0:02:39.528,0:02:43.233
and even when surrounded[br]in a structure of European classicism,

0:02:43.233,0:02:47.998
these narratives boldly extoll[br]the merits of African empowerment.

0:02:47.998,0:02:50.507
In this way, the tools of the masters

0:02:50.507,0:02:52.895
become masterworks

0:02:52.895,0:02:55.573
to celebrate those[br]who were once subservient.

0:02:57.214,0:02:59.829
This metaphor extends[br]beyond the realm of art

0:02:59.829,0:03:01.314
and out into the real world.

0:03:01.314,0:03:05.180
Whether worn by refugees[br]or world-changing entrepreneurs,

0:03:05.180,0:03:07.751
when people are allowed[br]the freedom to present themselves

0:03:07.751,0:03:10.749
in a manner that celebrates[br]their own unique identities,

0:03:10.749,0:03:12.584
a magical thing happens.

0:03:12.584,0:03:13.908
We stand taller.

0:03:13.908,0:03:15.580
We're more proudly self-aware,

0:03:15.580,0:03:18.884
because we're presenting[br]our true, authentic selves.

0:03:18.884,0:03:22.317
And those of us who are around them[br]in turn become more educated,

0:03:22.317,0:03:26.803
more open, and more tolerant[br]of their different points of view.

0:03:26.803,0:03:29.333
In this way, the clothes that we wear

0:03:29.333,0:03:33.909
can be a great illustration[br]of diplomatic soft power.

0:03:33.909,0:03:35.801
The clothes that we wear[br]can serve as bridges

0:03:35.801,0:03:38.424
between our seemingly disparate cultures.

0:03:38.424,0:03:45.011
And so, yeah, ostensibly I stand[br]before you as a mere maker of clothing.

0:03:45.011,0:03:48.265
But my work has always[br]been about more than fashion.

0:03:48.265,0:03:51.011
It has become my purpose[br]to rewrite the cultural narratives

0:03:51.011,0:03:54.522
so that people of color can be seen[br]in a new and nuanced light,

0:03:54.522,0:03:56.312
and so that we,

0:03:56.312,0:03:58.293
the proud children of Sub-Saharan Africa,

0:03:58.293,0:04:00.107
can traverse the globe

0:04:00.107,0:04:02.999
while carrying ourselves with pride.

0:04:02.999,0:04:05.396
It was indeed true[br]that the stories of history

0:04:05.396,0:04:08.465
were told by its old victors,

0:04:08.465,0:04:11.040
but I am of a new generation.

0:04:11.040,0:04:13.136
My work speaks for those

0:04:13.136,0:04:16.673
who will no longer let their futures[br]be dictated by a troubled past.

0:04:16.673,0:04:19.834
Today, we stand ready[br]to tell our own stories

0:04:19.834,0:04:23.138
without compromise, without apologies,

0:04:23.138,0:04:25.607
but the question still remains:

0:04:25.607,0:04:30.767
are you prepared for what you[br]are about to hear?

0:04:30.767,0:04:34.902
I hope you are, because[br]we are coming regardless.

0:04:34.902,0:04:41.074
(Applause)