Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiana Denine Harris.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
digitalKENTE is an exploration in color and an exploration in culture . . . I am fascinated by the vastness of dark skin on this earth. After living in Southeast Asia for two years, (I taught graphic design in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam), I am deeply convinced, with the number of Mesoamerican Indians, Latinos, Africans, Middle Easterners, Indians, Melanesians, Polynesians, and Aboriginal cultures, dark skin far outnumbers our European counterparts. So why do we (dark-skinned people) still look to Caucasian standards as measurements of our beauty or our worth? Why do we fight for a seat at their table, when we can design and carve our own? This is one of the many questions I challenged within my graphic work earlier in my career through a graphic tee series I called “Caution: Revolution-Walking”.
Each t-shirt worn was a literal “fashion statement”. Through the tapestries I create now for digitalKENTE I am celebrating the colors, textures, in the history of my past, as well as other melanin-rich cultures. Instead of misappropriating the motifs of indigenous people, they are my muse to help me explore the juxtaposition of color and shape. At digitalKENTE we use the power of graphic design to re-mix these ancestral motifs so that each vector-based warp and weft turns into bold digital tapestries that are multi-dimensional, culturally aware, and unapologetically colorful.
I began creating a series of digital tapestries in 2012 for the see.me group exhibit “Art Takes Times Square”. From that time till last year, when I launched digitalkenteshop.com, I sourced a supplier who could take my prints and apply them to a variety of products. We are pleased to provide colorful items useful for the traveling, athletic fashionista. However, we also sell and license our digital prints. In May we made our debut at Surtex [surtex.com], the global market place for designs for any surface. We will continue to build our clientele and work towards being the lead source for African and indigenous inspired prints throughout the fashion, home decor and stationery markets.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The initial struggle with digitalKENTE was understanding what I could do with the digital patterns and figuring out how I could capitalize from my unique talent. Now that I have clarity on the business of surface design, the most challenging aspect of running this business is having to split my time between my corporate position and my creative passion. At digitalKENTE the design team is me, myself, and I. My talented boyfriend is the photographer, and my amazing supportive friends often lend a modeling hand. I also partner with various suppliers, printers, and seamstresses to create the products we sell online and at pop up markets. However the creative concepts, sketches, final iterations all come from me, as well as all the social media marketing. This is rewarding as well, to see what I have been dreaming of finally come into fruition. So the day digitalKENTE provides enough revenue for me to say “good bye” to the 9-to-5 will be another dream come true.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about digitalKENTE – what should we know?
digitalKENTE combines modern craft and ancestral patterns to create one-of-a-kind surface designs for people as vibrant as their color choices. We use the power of graphic design to re-mix indigenous textiles from melanin-rich cultures around the world.
Our bold digital tapestries are multi-dimensional, culturally aware, and unapologetically colorful. We are the only boutique Black-owned surface design studio in the world that carefully and correctly re-mixes the tone of traditional kente cloth motifs as well as other hand-spun motifs in a tasteful contemporary style that is repeat-ready to apply to fashion, home decor or stationery.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My family and friends are my biggest advocates. My boyfriend supports with his creative photography skills, and my dear friends have modeled the digitalKENTE leggings numerous times. I am beyond blessed and thankful for my boyfriend, who helps me stay nimble by challenging me creatively with his keen sense of fashion trends. I am blessed to have positive folks in my life that want to help the business grow and keep me motivated to keep going.
Pricing:
- Made to order Yoga Leggings w/ Hidden Pocket – $75
- Made to order Sports Bras – $55
- Made to order Beach Towel – $35
Contact Info:
- Website: www.digitalkenteshop.com
- Email: info@digitalkente.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalkente/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digitalkente
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/digitalkente
- Other: www.digitalkente.com
Image Credit:
Photo by Austin Ho (121716_digitalkente_105fstudio0172_1000x400.png) http://austinho.com/
Photo by Mr. Ogodo (all other photos) http://www.riotinterstate.com/
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