Being in a room amongst marginalized women who are honest about their origins, their creative journeys, and beyond was the root of Guzangs‘ recent gathering. Hosted at the Crosby Hotel in lower Manhattan on Friday, the evening spearheaded by the platform was well attended by women who are lauded in their chosen career path. Actress Arsema Thomas, designer Tia Adeola, entrepreneur Diarrha Ndiaye-Mbayer, founder of Ami Colé were just a few faces who attended. Thomas and Adeola appeared on panels entitled HERitage which pointed to their rises in Hollywood and fashion.
Guzangs, while new to those stateside already has a robust global following, especially on Instagram. The platform centers around highlighting and affirming African designers and creatives. It was fitting that the evening featured varying discussions, tasty champagne by Armand de Brignac, and cocktails by Woodford Reserve. The overall elegance and beauty of the space provided a comfortable environment for attendees including myself to open up to our respective peers.
Thomas and Harvard alum and content creator Eni Popoola had a wide ranging discussion. The actress divulged the lived experiences that led to her breakout role in Bridgerton. They impressively touched on their career and accomplishments ahead of leaning into acting: multiple advanced degrees, living abroad, all while earnestly following a path that the actress felt perhaps wasn’t fitting for their expansiveness. Acting and attending a drama school in Paris led to a pivotal shift for the rising star. Bridgerton to them was eye-opening and allowed them to understand the machine that encompasses Netflix.
Thomas and Popoola’s conversation was inspiring. They also discussed the varying degrees of pressures placed on African woman who are the first ones in their families to seek enjoyment outside of what society says is seen as success. This portion of their panel was compelling and also interesting.
Separately, during the HERitage panel that Tia Adeola was featured on, the designer was able to fixate on what it’s like to create a legacy in her own right. Ndiaye-Mbaye, and music executive Tolu Ayeni also offered their take on preserving their African heritage in addition to more insights on their rise. Teen Vogue’s Dani Kwateng moderated this discussion.
Guests at the affair included fashion editor Anire Ikomi, Irene Ojo-Felix of models.com, Next in Fashion’s Amari Carter, author Ehime Ora, stylist Peju Famojure, Liberty Imhoff of Manic Metallic, and countless others.
With this event Guzangs founder Idelle Taye is staking her claim stateside while providing unique opportunities for women of African descent to gather, share common ground, and perhaps leave with lasting relationships (all under the guise of fostering shared experiences.)
