_edited.png)
Adornment as Activism
Adornment has never been only about beauty for me.
At PinMe 1913, storytelling sits at the center of the work because I believe stories are meant to do more than preserve memory. Memory matters, deeply. But the purpose of story is also to activate current and future practice. What we carry from the past should shape how we move in the present and what we choose to build next.
That is why every design I create is specific. Every symbol has meaning. Every detail has a reason. And every piece is connected to a story.
My activism is part of my story.
Activism is also part of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated’s lineage.
So when I create adornment that uses Delta-specific symbols, I do not want those symbols to exist only as decoration. I want the adornment to carry something. History. Responsibility. Service. Conviction. A reminder of what those symbols have represented in totality and what they can continue to call us toward.
That is where Adornment as Activism comes from.
It is the idea that what we wear can communicate what we value. That adornment can hold memory while also encouraging action. That a brooch, a pin, a charm, or a symbol can be beautiful and still say something about who we are, what we believe, and how we intend to show up in the world.
For me, that is especially important when working with symbols tied to organizations, communities, histories, and traditions that were never passive to begin with.
The story should remain alive.
The meaning should remain active.
The adornment should do more than decorate.
That philosophy is also at the heart of The Art of Adornment, my forthcoming series exploring the meaning we place on what we wear and the stories those objects carry with them.
Because every piece tells a story.
And sometimes, that story asks something of us.
Comments