SOUTH FLORIDA – BTWN Culture Apparel recently launched a line of playful, illustration and design driven apparel that is all about celebrating the diversity and pride among the people of the African Diaspora.
Every piece in the brand was designed by founder, Kathryn-kay Johnson, a South-Florida based Designer, Illustrator, and Visual Storyteller.
Johnson was born in Jamaica and moved to Lauderhill, Florida when she was very young.
“My family and I had to discover what it means to be black in the United States. I grew up in a space where I was very unsure of who I was. And at the time, there were significantly less diverse representations of black people in mainstream media.
I think that today we’re seeing great new faces and contributions of black people not just in front of the camera, but behind the scenes, writing shows, news, music, and in business. And for the first time in this country, black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the U.S, according to Fortune Magazine.
So I wanted to create this brand as a way to contribute to that growing effort of diverse representation, as well as to explore my own heritage, to express the pride I feel for being a black woman from a family of immigrants, and also to create designs that are fun and contemporary, and that while pulling from pop culture or history, feel new and design-driven.”
One of the designs, “Black Inventors Tee,” features illustrations of 14 inventions of everyday items made by black people.
Another design, “Leading Ladies Tee” features illustrations of 6 of the most prominent black actresses in Hollywood today.
And the “National Dish Collection” consists of a line of T-shirts featuring the name of the national dish of a country within the African Diaspora, Ackee & Saltfish for Jamaica, Griots with Rice and Beans for Haiti, etc.
BTWN Culture Apparel tries to choose ethically-sourced apparel for printing. All designs are printed to order in the US. Discover BTWN Culture Apparel and follow them on Instagram @btwnculture.
