https://www.youtube.com/embed/XyrELEVPXVU
GWANYAN BARKER: It's very important to know where you come from, to have a point of reference. All of that is the mixing bowl of who I am. There's a lot of Black Americans that don't know where they come from. And so that's what I want people who wear my jewelry to feel-- feel like this is familiar, like this feels like home. Almost how I felt when I went back to my home country for the first time. My name is Gwanyan Barker. I' first generation Liberian-American. My parents came here about 30 some years ago. The name of my business is Kpelle Design. It is a tribe in Liberia-- and my father's tribe, my tribe, where they are known as agriculturalists, so they work with their hands.
So the fact that I can be able to do that with my own business is really cool. It's almost like an ode to my ancestors, my heritage. I started making that and then it started catching on. Other people were asking me, oh, where'd you get it from? And then the demand got higher. And I was like, oh, OK. Y'all want some more? OK, cool. I'm just like floored. ANNA SOLOMON: Gwanyan has been a long time member of NextFab and was a graduate of our new accelerator program, where you can come in, take classes, learn how to use our tools-- like 3D printers, woodshop, laser cutters. And we're really trying to help build that foundation so people like Gwen can take off and have a really successful sustainable business. GWANYAN BARKER: It brings me such joy to say that this is it. This is it, y'all. This is what I do.
And I'm very excited and passionate about it. There's a future in arts. Look at me. I don't want to sound cheesy, but you can definitely do it as well..
https://howtoplaythedjembedrums.com/african-inspired-jewelry-business-shines-bright/
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