A discussion on the global eco-design collaboration. Video by Karen Antonelli and Robert Buncher
m.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ygk-7laZU
m.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ygk-7laZU
Photo by Njaimeh Njie, Eleven Stanley Productions
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Tereneh Idia Mosley
Founder and Creative Director Tereneh Mosley is a designer inspired by: Material, manner and meaning. Tereneh graduated as a Top 10 Graduating Senior from Drexel University LeBow College of Business. As a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar she received her MSc in Fashion Design from Kenyatta University. She taught at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Parsons - The New School for Design in New York City and was visiting scholar on global fashion at Yale - National University of Singapore. In 2013 she launched the global eco-design collaboration with OMWA: Olorgesailie Maasai Women Artisans of Kenya; incorporating Indigenous adornment in sustainable textile arts and design. They have exhibited in Paris, New York City, Nairobi and The Residence a Mattress Factory space in Pittsburgh. In 2016, the collaboration expanded to include The Beading Wolves, an Oneida family of artisans. Tereneh is the 2016 Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Emerging Artist awarded by The Heinz Endowments and The Pittsburgh Foundation. Idia is Tereneh's middle name, it means Queen Mother, specifically one Benin Queen Mother who was an advisor and military general during her son's reign as king. The saying goes "No women go into battle, except Idia."
'Dega is short for Diondega the Seneca Native American name for the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Tereneh's hometown. |
A global eco-design collaboration:
How it began....
This is a true collaboration. I went to Olorgesailie and visited the women over several weeks, many times simply sitting in their shop area and observing their work – beading, talking, selling their work to the tourists that come to visit. Most of the women only speak Maa, the Maasai language so we spent a lot of time communicating and learning about each other non-verbally. After several weeks and with some translating when an English speaker was present, the women agreed to begin working on a collection with me. So instead of my 1-3 times a week visits, it meant I had to relocate to Olorgesailie, which also meant living in a hut, with no electricity or running water. Which may sound like a hardship but it actually was a revelation.
Our first day of design brainstorming began with a brief lecture by me. As a former professor at Parsons and visiting scholar at Yale-NUS, creating a presentation and talking is my MO. I began by showing them the images of designs in Paris, Milan, London and NYC inspired by Africa and the Maasai specifically. I was amazed as we moved image by image to see the women point at my laptop screen saying, “Maasai!” They were amazed to see their designs reflected on the runway and glossy magazine page. At the end of the presentation Elizabeth Kilakoi of OMWA said, “We can do that!”
We began by laying out paper and colored pencils on the tables of their studio. At which point most of the members of OMWA began laughing out loud. As a teacher I was used to being laughed at, especially when I am not trying to be funny. When I asked why they were laughing Ms. Kilakoi said, “You see most of us did not attend school and have never even held a pencil.” I stood shocked, I was looking at women ranging in age from 16 to 80, trying to imagine my own life if I had never held a pencil.
After a long pause I said, “Okay ladies, you’re talented, smart and beautiful. Just put the color of the pencil, where you would put a bead.” They laughed again and began to work, though a dozen would huddle around one piece of paper drawing, discussing all together. As the day wore on however, the entire studio was filled with women designing, most drawing and writing for their very first times in their lives. After one week of work, we had so many design ideas, we literally had run out of paper. - Tereneh Mosley
Our first day of design brainstorming began with a brief lecture by me. As a former professor at Parsons and visiting scholar at Yale-NUS, creating a presentation and talking is my MO. I began by showing them the images of designs in Paris, Milan, London and NYC inspired by Africa and the Maasai specifically. I was amazed as we moved image by image to see the women point at my laptop screen saying, “Maasai!” They were amazed to see their designs reflected on the runway and glossy magazine page. At the end of the presentation Elizabeth Kilakoi of OMWA said, “We can do that!”
We began by laying out paper and colored pencils on the tables of their studio. At which point most of the members of OMWA began laughing out loud. As a teacher I was used to being laughed at, especially when I am not trying to be funny. When I asked why they were laughing Ms. Kilakoi said, “You see most of us did not attend school and have never even held a pencil.” I stood shocked, I was looking at women ranging in age from 16 to 80, trying to imagine my own life if I had never held a pencil.
After a long pause I said, “Okay ladies, you’re talented, smart and beautiful. Just put the color of the pencil, where you would put a bead.” They laughed again and began to work, though a dozen would huddle around one piece of paper drawing, discussing all together. As the day wore on however, the entire studio was filled with women designing, most drawing and writing for their very first times in their lives. After one week of work, we had so many design ideas, we literally had run out of paper. - Tereneh Mosley
Esther Mpuyuk, Chairwoman of OMWA and Tereneh Mosley, in Olorgesailie, Kenya.
