1
00:00:00,869 --> 00:00:05,330
It is often said that the stories
of history are written by its victors,

2
00:00:05,330 --> 00:00:06,665
but if this is true,

3
00:00:06,665 --> 00:00:08,736
what becomes of the downtrodden,

4
00:00:08,736 --> 00:00:11,534
and how can they ever hope
to aspire for something greater

5
00:00:11,534 --> 00:00:15,856
if they are never told the stories
of their own glorious pasts?

6
00:00:15,856 --> 00:00:19,676
Ostensibly, I stand before you
as a mere maker of clothing,

7
00:00:19,676 --> 00:00:22,990
but within the folds of ancient fabrics
and modern textiles,

8
00:00:22,990 --> 00:00:25,548
I have found a higher calling.

9
00:00:25,548 --> 00:00:27,162
Through my work as a designer,

10
00:00:27,162 --> 00:00:30,136
I've discovered the importance
of providing representation

11
00:00:30,136 --> 00:00:33,237
for the marginalized members
of our society,

12
00:00:33,237 --> 00:00:36,501
and the importance of telling
the most vulnerable among us

13
00:00:36,501 --> 00:00:38,971
that they no longer have
to compromise themselves

14
00:00:38,971 --> 00:00:42,705
just so they can fit in
with an uncompromising majority.

15
00:00:42,705 --> 00:00:44,379
It turns out that fashion,

16
00:00:44,379 --> 00:00:46,669
a discipline many of us
consider to be trivial,

17
00:00:46,669 --> 00:00:50,166
can actually be a powerful tool
for dismantling bias

18
00:00:50,166 --> 00:00:54,556
and bolstering the self-images
of underrepresented populations.

19
00:00:54,556 --> 00:00:58,318
My interest in using design
as a vehicle for social change

20
00:00:58,318 --> 00:01:00,396
happens to be a personal one.

21
00:01:00,396 --> 00:01:03,945
As a Nigerian-American,
I know how easily the term "African"

22
00:01:03,945 --> 00:01:06,914
can slip from being
an ordinary geographic descriptor

23
00:01:06,914 --> 00:01:09,886
to becoming a pejorative.

24
00:01:09,886 --> 00:01:12,495
For those of us from
this beautiful continent,

25
00:01:12,495 --> 00:01:15,463
to be African is to be inspired by culture

26
00:01:15,463 --> 00:01:18,982
and to be filled with undying
hope for the future.

27
00:01:18,982 --> 00:01:23,452
So in an attempt to shift
the misguided perceptions that many have

28
00:01:23,452 --> 00:01:25,213
about the place of my birth,

29
00:01:25,213 --> 00:01:27,669
I use design as a means to tell stories,

30
00:01:27,669 --> 00:01:29,524
stories about joy,

31
00:01:29,524 --> 00:01:31,100
stories about triumph,

32
00:01:31,100 --> 00:01:34,780
stories about perseverance
all throughout the African diaspora.

33
00:01:34,780 --> 00:01:36,106
I tell these stories

34
00:01:36,106 --> 00:01:38,992
as a concerted effort
to correct the historical record,

35
00:01:38,992 --> 00:01:42,380
because, no matter
where any of us is from,

36
00:01:42,380 --> 00:01:44,740
each of us has been touched
by the complicated histories

37
00:01:44,740 --> 00:01:47,578
that brought our families
to a foreign land.

38
00:01:47,578 --> 00:01:50,797
These histories shape
the way we view the world,

39
00:01:50,797 --> 00:01:54,091
and they mold the biases
we carry around with us.

40
00:01:54,091 --> 00:01:55,797
To combat these biases,

41
00:01:55,797 --> 00:01:58,881
my work draws aesthetics
from different parts of the globe

42
00:01:58,881 --> 00:02:00,746
and crafts a narrative
about the importance

43
00:02:00,746 --> 00:02:02,291
of fighting for inclusivity.

44
00:02:02,291 --> 00:02:06,299
By refashioning images
from classic European art

45
00:02:06,299 --> 00:02:08,459
and marrying them with African aesthetics,

46
00:02:08,459 --> 00:02:12,022
I am able to recast people of color
in roles of prominence,

47
00:02:12,022 --> 00:02:13,682
providing them with a degree of dignity

48
00:02:13,682 --> 00:02:16,636
they didn't have in earlier times.

49
00:02:16,636 --> 00:02:21,485
This approach subverts the historically
accepted narrative of African inferiority,

50
00:02:21,485 --> 00:02:24,305
and it serves as inspiration
for people of color

51
00:02:24,305 --> 00:02:27,560
who have grown wary of seeing
themselves depicted without sophistication

52
00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,272
and without grace.

53
00:02:30,272 --> 00:02:32,406
Each of these culture-bending tapestries

54
00:02:32,406 --> 00:02:34,366
becomes a tailored garment

55
00:02:34,366 --> 00:02:39,528
or a silk scarf, like the one I am
very coincidentally wearing right now,

56
00:02:39,528 --> 00:02:43,233
and even when surrounded
in a structure of European classicism,

57
00:02:43,233 --> 00:02:47,998
these narratives boldly extoll
the merits of African empowerment.

58
00:02:47,998 --> 00:02:50,507
In this way, the tools of the masters

59
00:02:50,507 --> 00:02:52,895
become masterworks

60
00:02:52,895 --> 00:02:55,573
to celebrate those
who were once subservient.

61
00:02:57,214 --> 00:02:59,829
This metaphor extends
beyond the realm of art

62
00:02:59,829 --> 00:03:01,314
and out into the real world.

63
00:03:01,314 --> 00:03:05,180
Whether worn by refugees
or world-changing entrepreneurs,

64
00:03:05,180 --> 00:03:07,751
when people are allowed
the freedom to present themselves

65
00:03:07,751 --> 00:03:10,749
in a manner that celebrates
their own unique identities,

66
00:03:10,749 --> 00:03:12,584
a magical thing happens.

67
00:03:12,584 --> 00:03:13,908
We stand taller.

68
00:03:13,908 --> 00:03:15,580
We're more proudly self-aware,

69
00:03:15,580 --> 00:03:18,884
because we're presenting
our true, authentic selves.

70
00:03:18,884 --> 00:03:22,317
And those of us who are around them
in turn become more educated,

71
00:03:22,317 --> 00:03:26,803
more open, and more tolerant
of their different points of view.

72
00:03:26,803 --> 00:03:29,333
In this way, the clothes that we wear

73
00:03:29,333 --> 00:03:33,909
can be a great illustration
of diplomatic soft power.

74
00:03:33,909 --> 00:03:35,801
The clothes that we wear
can serve as bridges

75
00:03:35,801 --> 00:03:38,424
between our seemingly disparate cultures.

76
00:03:38,424 --> 00:03:45,011
And so, yeah, ostensibly I stand
before you as a mere maker of clothing.

77
00:03:45,011 --> 00:03:48,265
But my work has always
been about more than fashion.

78
00:03:48,265 --> 00:03:51,011
It has become my purpose
to rewrite the cultural narratives

79
00:03:51,011 --> 00:03:54,522
so that people of color can be seen
in a new and nuanced light,

80
00:03:54,522 --> 00:03:56,312
and so that we,

81
00:03:56,312 --> 00:03:58,293
the proud children of Sub-Saharan Africa,

82
00:03:58,293 --> 00:04:00,107
can traverse the globe

83
00:04:00,107 --> 00:04:02,999
while carrying ourselves with pride.

84
00:04:02,999 --> 00:04:05,396
It was indeed true
that the stories of history

85
00:04:05,396 --> 00:04:08,465
were told by its old victors,

86
00:04:08,465 --> 00:04:11,040
but I am of a new generation.

87
00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:13,136
My work speaks for those

88
00:04:13,136 --> 00:04:16,673
who will no longer let their futures
be dictated by a troubled past.

89
00:04:16,673 --> 00:04:19,834
Today, we stand ready
to tell our own stories

90
00:04:19,834 --> 00:04:23,138
without compromise, without apologies,

91
00:04:23,138 --> 00:04:25,607
but the question still remains:

92
00:04:25,607 --> 00:04:30,767
are you prepared for what you
are about to hear?

93
00:04:30,767 --> 00:04:34,902
I hope you are, because
we are coming regardless.

94
00:04:34,902 --> 00:04:41,074
(Applause)