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Introducing the WGSN Future Makers: Danielle Bryant

The Future Makers Mentorship Programme

Launching back in July, the WGSN Future Makers programme partners 26 individuals with mentors from WGSN, from design to sales, HR to content, we’ve drawn on our global pool of knowledge to match everyone with the mentor that can help them the most. We’ve been introducing our mentees over the past few weeks. Meet them on the Insider blog. 

Introducing the WGSN Future Makers: Danielle Bryant

We caught up with Danielle, a UI/UX designer who aspires to fuse these skills with her love of illustration. We caught up with Danielle to talk about where her love of fashion comes from, and what she loves to listen to while she works.

Firstly, what is your biggest inspiration when designing?

Women in my image. I admire how we have collectively come to love  ourselves in a world that constantly tells us we’re not worthy of love.  Additionally, I’m inspired by brightly coloured, maximalist prints and patterns like Ankara prints and art that have a more organic feel.

And is there anyone in the industry you admire?

Definitely. Recho Omondi’s overall approach to fashion has been amazing to watch. I  appreciate her brutal honesty as she voices her experiences as a Black woman in the fashion industry. My mouth was agape when I listened to the  introduction to her podcast, The Cutting Room Floor. I couldn’t believe how identical her experience was to mine. Nevertheless, she persists to disrupt  the status quo. Her aesthetic is beautiful, modern, and sophisticated. 

Do you remember the moment you realised you wanted to pursue a career in fashion?

I was 13 years old. My family and I came back to the US after my mom was stationed in Naples, Italy for 3 years. She was in the Air Force and finally retired. We stayed with my grandmother while my parents searched for new  jobs and a place to settle. In Italy we didn’t have cable TV, so I would binge watch music videos after school. At the time, Patti Labelle had a music video with young people dancing around her. A dancer in the video had a top that I thought looked so cool and I randomly felt compelled to draw it. I haven’t stopped drawing clothes since. In that moment I fell in love with fashion illustrations and knew I wanted to be a fashion designer.

Finally, do you have any podcast recommendations for us?

First of all, I’ve gotta shout out a podcast by my good friend, Spring Nguyen and her podcast partner, Danny Chung, called Drag and Drop (what a name!). I  also like The Read, Switch Pivot or Quit. 

Danielle is mentored by Emily Schneider, Head of Content Design at WGSN. Emily leads a global team of creatives specialising in content and advisory-solutions design across WGSN. The team designs over 5,000 pieces of content per year in six languages, along with producing weekly and monthly client-advisory projects.

Head back to the Insider Blog  to meet our other future makers

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