DiarraBlu - Where Math Meets Fashion
According to the African Development Bank, less than 25% of African higher education students are in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Despite the continent boasting a youthful population, with approximately 60% of the population under 25 years of age, and making up 19% of the global population of 15 to 24 year olds, the low investment in STEM education serves as a missed opportunity.
Now that you have the numbers, we would like to ask you something different. Use your imagination. Imagine a world in which learning numbers, algebra, arithmetic, and geometry is the best part of any child’s day; a world in which the most complex mathematical notions imbue our everyday lives to find innovative solutions to everyday problems. Imagine your children becoming math whizzes by learning through unconventional means. Shapes, figures, and lines are all very astute ways to teach and learn arithmetic, geometry, calculus and trigonometry. Now imagine pairing that learning with art. Not so hard to imagine… After all, Michelangelo is considered one of the greatest artists of all time, yet he was an architect by trade. Often compared to him, was Leonardo da Vinci, who combined engineering, architecture, and sculpture to his polymath profile with, of course, painting; for which he is most renowned.
That was then, in Italy. Today Senegal has produced Mame Diarra Bousso Gueye. We ask you to imagine our continent with Math at its center. That world is at our doorstep, and all we have to do is open the door. Luckily, Diarra has a key. But who is she? Let’s start with “what is she”? To answer that simply:
Diarra is more.
More than just a designer. More than just an educator. More than just an artist, mathematician, serial-entrepreneur, creator, leader...take your pick. She does all of those on a daily basis, excels at each, and continues to evolve everyday that she draws breath on this green earth.
If this short article is your first time hearing about Diarra, we are truly flattered, but most importantly, we implore you to take a break from the rock you’ve been living under, and take a second to know who this unrivaled creator is.
CNN, Jeune Afrique, VOGUE, The New York Times, ELLE, and many other media outlets’ pages have been graced by her presence in their midst over the past seven years, during which she has launched Diarra Blu.
For the sake of being thorough, let’s start with her education.
Stellar Student
Diarra holds a Masters of Arts in Mathematics from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts, with the highest distinction – Summa Cum Laude, in Applied Mathematics, Economics, and Statistics from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. As a polyglot with native fluency in Wolof, English, French, and Spanish, Diarra has worked for Citi Group in Senegal and Credit Suisse in New York holding roles as a Trader Analyst, for which she completed rigorous financial industry regulatory exams to obtain Series 7, Series 3, and Series 63 licenses. Yes, we are still talking about the same person. Stay with us.
Passionate about Design
Diarra merges her background and training in mathematics with her passion for Fashion. This combination guides her role as the Founder and Chief Creative Mathematician at DIARRABLU which was founded in 2013 followed by a clothing line launch in 2015. As a full-time high-school math teacher in California, and having been a Mathematics Specialist at the International School of Dakar (ISD), Diarra’s creative approach to mathematics could prove to be a strategy that, when replicated, can contribute to more African students interested and engaged in Mathematics and the STEM fields.
“A lot of my girl teenagers are getting more excited about STEM when the fashion is involved and I am super excited to work on it more. It makes girls feel like they belong in math class, which is vital. [...] If you feel that way, you’re not going to fail because you believe that you should get it. You should understand. You should be there. You should belong. Changing that mindset took about nine months (for one of my students), but she’s like a different person. If I can have that impact on students and community, it’s amazing. They can grow up and do anything.”
Diarra basking in a mosaic of geometrical intricacies. A great place for her to be! (Mame Diarra Bousso Gueye | Ama Elle)
What is DiarraBlu?
“DIARRABLU is a high contemporary lifestyle brand founded by Diarra Bousso. The brand’s mission is to iterate for sustainability while highlighting the African continent’s rich colors and unique patterns through practical and versatile pieces designed using mathematical concepts or algorithms.
Through a sartorial merger of tradition and technology, artisans and algorithms, the collections are marked by strong structural cuts, bold prints, colorful accents and sustainable solids. The brand’s design process is the result of innovative creative mathematics through the use of algebraic graphs and geometric transformations to create iconic prints.
The majority of the pieces are produced in Dakar, Senegal and the brand’s ethos is focused on sustainability, wanderlust, tradition and algorithms. The pieces are known for being convertible, adjustable and wearable across various sizes for a prolonged lifecycle”
Diarra has shared with CNN that her dresses, swimsuits, and kimonos bear designs inspired by digitally generated mathematical equations. The seashell print dresses above are borne from a class on exponential and quadratic functions. Diarra names her designs after important things in her life, like this one, named after Joal Fadiouth, a coastal town in Senegal.
Now are this boss-lady’s creations extraordinary, original and inspiring? Absolutely! What has touched us even more at Djellibah is her journey. Success did not come to Diarra overnight. Her personal challenges and her willingness to embark in a creator’s dream have compelled us to share her story with our beloved readers.
With the support of her family and using art as a medium for healing, after a life-changing event, Diarra was able to build resolve to pursue what truly resonated with her. Her sheer will, resilience, and determination are to be admired and a force to reckon with. Diarra sought to prove to her parents that she could make a lucrative career by pursuing art and fashion. In no time at all, and with her mother as her muse, Diarra worked with local artisans to bring her design creations to life. It was only after she went back to school, to pursue her graduate studies in mathematics, that it dawned on her that she could integrate the knowledge she was amassing in her coursework, as well as her culture and art, into her fashion designs.
What we like to take out of Diarra’s journey is that she did not let a tragedy define her life. On the very contrary, she took matters into her own hands and followed her dreams, and continued to be motivated by her passions to thrive, create and teach. She is a commendable example for anyone out there having doubts about the career they should pursue. Diarra has this to say to anyone wondering about their own journey:
“I would say just go for it. I was painting in the spring of 2020 to cope with anxiety when the entire world went on lockdown. Little did I know that six months later my work would end up on Forbes or in so many people’s homes. Express your art with authenticity and your audience will naturally resonate with your work. I never think about business or sales when I create but rather explore the best way to tell my story and it ends up being more exciting for me.”
New Collection
DiarraBlu’s DALL Collection was launched earlier this month with stunning designs and motifs.
Diarra shared the inspiration behind her new collection with our Djellibah Team:
Designed in a time of social distancing and political unrest,
DALL iS…
An Escape. A feeling. A destination. A daydream
PAUSE
An escape in time. A retreat in space. #athome
A STORY ABOUT LOVE
…
SUSTAINABLE SOLIDS
In eco-friendly lyocell fabric from the natural cellulose found in wood pulp in a warm color pallette of olive green, navy blue, rich rust and evening noir.
BOLD PRINTS
Inspired by moments, mindful moments, from sunrise to Sunset, in Malinke, in Wolof, in English, in Hindi. The motifs, exploring Tanzania’s Serengeti are created from mathematics and art, deriving from a beautiful merger between the automatic and the authentic to celebrate the oxymoron beauty of stillness in movement.
