Featured photo: Swayla Marie of Afrikana Creations will be in Flint to sell her custom-designed products on April 20 and 21 at the First Bloom Art Fair.
All photos courtesy of Swayla Marie/Afrikana Creations
Written by L.M. Land
Would you like clothing and accessories made of African fabrics made with American styling?
Swayla Marie of Afrikana Creations designs clothes and accessories made of African cloth, designed for everyday wear. She will be in Flint at the First Bloom Art Fair on April 20-21, 2024 at the Flint Cultural Center Academy (FCCA) located on Robert T. Longway at I-475.
Swayla Marie designs and sews her own products.
“I do use African fabric in everything I do, but I do it with a western flair,” she said. “People want what they normally wear every day. I do make some traditional pieces, but for the most part I’m making trousers, blazers, dresses…this is what makes me different.”
She also designs and makes bags, head bands, back packs, coin purses and more.
“I listen to what people ask for.” Swayla explained.
Many items were designed because so many people asked for them, like the zippered coin purses, head bands, fanny packs and her new product, a concert sized purse. Her price ranges will accommodate every budget.
Swayla also makes custom or traditional designs for special occasions such as weddings.
Swayla Marie is a lifelong resident of the Oak Park area near Detroit, and has a chemistry degree from Lawrence Technological University. She became interested in sewing in her middle school home economics class, but she never did much with it.
The chemistry degree has come in handy, as Swayla develops skin care products for dry skin, eczema and more. She will be bringing small sample sizes for people to buy so they can see if the product works for their particular skin before making a large investment.
After college, “I opened up a real estate company for 18 years. I kind of went into burnout mode because it was stressful dealing with all these interesting people all the time after the market crashed. So, I started getting back to sewing as a release. I found that I really needed it and I actually hated real estate. It’s the truth. I was making a lot of money but I honestly hated it. I think everyone reaches that point in time that they have to do something that is fulfilling for them, and the more I got back into my fashion design, it was a release for me.
“I would take trips over to West Africa all the time. I spent more and more time there. I would go to Nigeria and Ghana. In 2015, I really got serious about it. I was looking for an out. I really didn’t want to be in real estate any more, and started doing runway shows. I was working two full time jobs, doing my real estate, but I was really doing my fashion design full time as well.
“And then COVID happened. I got stuck in Ghana for 11 months because COVID came. In October of 2019, I went to buy fabric in Ghana, and I got sick” (not with COVID).
She used this time to sew and design.
This was not an easy time, however.
“I was an American citizen stuck abroad. Thank God I had a house over there. I had to help a lot of Americans who were stuck too. There are not civil services, no welfare, no food banks [in Ghana], and the hotels put them [stranded people] out. So as Americans, stuck there, we had a Facebook group and we worked within that group to look out for each other…I had kids at home who were teenagers. I had to watch my son’s graduation on FaceTime because I was stuck. We had to wash our clothes by hand. We had situations when there’s no power.”
Swayla chooses her own fabric. The fabric is not as heavy as some West African fabrics, and are not a high wax content fabric.
“I know the feel I am looking for, I don’t like the cheap Chinese knock-offs, there’s so many that I don’t like…I’m real particular.”
“With me, it’s just introducing people to all the beautiful colors and fabrics of West Africa and allowing them to fall in love like I did.”
“To be able to actually create something out of my mind, that’s what I love. I love what I do. Color makes me happy,” concluded Swayla Marie.
Two Black Flint artists will be at the show also, namely Rhonda Willingham of Sista Girl Greetings, and Regina Dunn whose abstract paintings and products printed with the designs will be available. Please come out and support these artistic independent Black businesswomen!
Get free admission to First Bloom Art Fair if you mention The Flint Courier News! Otherwise, there is a $5 entry fee.
