MODA: How does each new collection begin?
BUSAYO OLUPONA: We always start with the print. New prints can be inspired by so many things, from a strange condensation pattern to a metal grating or stained glass in a church. I love surrealism, and I draw a lot of inspiration from art movements. Once I have a sense of the prints, I start thinking about colors. It’s only after that that we start thinking about silhouettes.
MODA: You haven’t always worked in fashion. What do you love about it?
BO: Fashion is so connected with how we show up in the world and how we want to express ourselves and be seen. The opportunity to be part of someone’s way of speaking to the world about who they are gets me really excited. Busayo means “added to our joy” in Yoruba and it really does embody what I hope we bring to our customer. With regards to the industry, I have been encouraged by the changes that have happened in the last two years and the widening of the tent.
“At the core, I am a seeker and a teacher [...] What I have come to learn is that we have more in common than we have differences.”
MODA: You describe textiles as “a rich medium to connect the past with the present.” What do you mean by this?
BO: We have a saying in our culture: “Aso lan ki, ki ato ki eniyan,” which means we greet the clothes before we greet the person. So much significance lies in what you wear to specific occasions. It is the medium through which we connote relationships between family members.
MODA: You’ve said the Busayo brand is about “global Blackness across the Diaspora.” Can you expand on this?
BO: The Black experience globally is complex—we are spread as a people across continents due to slavery in some cases and voluntary migration in other cases. The fissures that physical distance have created can feel deep and permanent, but what I have learned through my work is the Black Diaspora has so many threads of culture, spirituality, language, movement, and fashion that weave us together. I want to tell stories that remind us of these threads. Through the sands of time, we are still a people connected by what we wear, how we style our hair, how we worship, how we raise our children, and how we have survived.
BUSAYO OLUPONA: We always start with the print. New prints can be inspired by so many things, from a strange condensation pattern to a metal grating or stained glass in a church. I love surrealism, and I draw a lot of inspiration from art movements. Once I have a sense of the prints, I start thinking about colors. It’s only after that that we start thinking about silhouettes.
MODA: You haven’t always worked in fashion. What do you love about it?
BO: Fashion is so connected with how we show up in the world and how we want to express ourselves and be seen. The opportunity to be part of someone’s way of speaking to the world about who they are gets me really excited. Busayo means “added to our joy” in Yoruba and it really does embody what I hope we bring to our customer. With regards to the industry, I have been encouraged by the changes that have happened in the last two years and the widening of the tent.
“At the core, I am a seeker and a teacher [...] What I have come to learn is that we have more in common than we have differences.”
MODA: You describe textiles as “a rich medium to connect the past with the present.” What do you mean by this?
BO: We have a saying in our culture: “Aso lan ki, ki ato ki eniyan,” which means we greet the clothes before we greet the person. So much significance lies in what you wear to specific occasions. It is the medium through which we connote relationships between family members.
MODA: You’ve said the Busayo brand is about “global Blackness across the Diaspora.” Can you expand on this?
BO: The Black experience globally is complex—we are spread as a people across continents due to slavery in some cases and voluntary migration in other cases. The fissures that physical distance have created can feel deep and permanent, but what I have learned through my work is the Black Diaspora has so many threads of culture, spirituality, language, movement, and fashion that weave us together. I want to tell stories that remind us of these threads. Through the sands of time, we are still a people connected by what we wear, how we style our hair, how we worship, how we raise our children, and how we have survived.
MODA: Has your career as a lawyer collided with your design work in unexpected ways?
BO: The worlds and the work have always spoken to each other. I am grateful to my colleagues in my early days who bought and championed the brand. One of my current colleagues was a former fashion editor at a major magazine and has been so helpful in connecting me with folks in the media space. In my current role as an attorney, I do some work on fashion projects which is very exciting.
“Our clothes are not for everyone. Women who are drawn to Busayo tend to be adventurous.”
MODA: In addition to art, literature inspires your work. What are your favorite books?
BO: I am deeply inspired by Michael A. Singer’s “The Untethered Soul,” which radically changed my life and finally made me a regular meditator. “Another Country” by James Baldwin is a constant source of inspiration. It’s such a juicy steak of a book and celebrates the artistic process and energy of art-making. That book grounds me. I encourage folks to dive into Baldwin’s fictions that are centered on artists and the artistic experience and journey: “Just Above My Head” and “Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone.”
MODA: Who are you designing for?
BO: Women who LOVE prints and color and who are artistically driven in their self-expression. She is not afraid of trying something new or standing out. I love meeting our customers, as they are such dynamic, creative, and interesting women. Our clothes are not for everyone. They are not quiet, so women who are drawn to Busayo tend to be adventurous with respect to their fashion.
BO: The worlds and the work have always spoken to each other. I am grateful to my colleagues in my early days who bought and championed the brand. One of my current colleagues was a former fashion editor at a major magazine and has been so helpful in connecting me with folks in the media space. In my current role as an attorney, I do some work on fashion projects which is very exciting.
“Our clothes are not for everyone. Women who are drawn to Busayo tend to be adventurous.”
MODA: In addition to art, literature inspires your work. What are your favorite books?
BO: I am deeply inspired by Michael A. Singer’s “The Untethered Soul,” which radically changed my life and finally made me a regular meditator. “Another Country” by James Baldwin is a constant source of inspiration. It’s such a juicy steak of a book and celebrates the artistic process and energy of art-making. That book grounds me. I encourage folks to dive into Baldwin’s fictions that are centered on artists and the artistic experience and journey: “Just Above My Head” and “Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone.”
MODA: Who are you designing for?
BO: Women who LOVE prints and color and who are artistically driven in their self-expression. She is not afraid of trying something new or standing out. I love meeting our customers, as they are such dynamic, creative, and interesting women. Our clothes are not for everyone. They are not quiet, so women who are drawn to Busayo tend to be adventurous with respect to their fashion.