The tote bag I have created is influenced by my first experience of racism that I can explicitly recall. I was around fourteen years old when I was told by a White boy in front of my ‘friends’, “I would never date a Black girl”.
At that moment, I didn’t want to give the boy power to think he was better or superior to me. Initially, the comment didn’t really impact me other than raising my awareness of racism but I was wrong. I then learned that I wasn’t like other young girls wanting to have a boyfriend or the desire to be popular etc.
My aspiration was, and is, to dedicate my time to becoming successful through making the fashion industry more sustainable, diverse (in terms of race, gender, ability etc.) and reduce harm to animals. I’ve also realised that my race doesn’t define me but it does make me who I am.
Follow Lydiah
