Black Fiber Cohort

ROOLĒ by Gordon Holliday, is an upcycle and bio-fashion brand focused on reworking natural fibers. ROOLĒ stands at the forefront of sustainable fashion, redefining the industry's landscape through a compelling blend of environmental responsibility and cultural storytelling. Committed to minimizing its ecological footprint, ROOLĒ is a trailblazing brand that harnesses the power of biodegradable materials and upcycled clothing, forging a path toward a greener future. With a distinctive ethos, the brand not only crafts exquisite apparel but also cultivates local communities, fostering a sense of togetherness that transcends borders.

Founded on the principles of mindful creation, ROOLĒ’s designs are a celebration of heritage and identity, with each piece telling a captivating story that weaves through cultural histories. The brand's commitment to preserving and showcasing diverse narratives shines through in every thread and stitch. ROOLĒ’s visionary approach redefines fashion by seamlessly intertwining sustainability, community building, and cultural resonance, setting a compelling example for an industry in transition.

Mahdiyyah Muhammad is a Fabric Alchemist, Zero Waste Designer, Circular Fashion Strategist and Educator who approaches the design process with a perspective akin to nature’s complex ecosystems and practice of resilience. She does this through her brand MAHDIYYAH.

Her process of Fabric Alchemy involves the use of techniques like upcycling and mechanical recycling of discarded, naturally-occurring textiles into mono-material, biodegradable clothing. Her workshops offer participants a bridge to reconnect with their understanding of conscious consumption, natural resources, and ancestral practices of sustainability. She also works within companies and academic settings to design strategies that identify new ways to incorporate a climate focus across a brand's operations, lead companies in successfully adopting material innovations through textile waste reduction, and determines environmentally conscious choices that limit the negative impact in the fashion industry, and on local communities of the global majority leading to the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Kesiena Onosigho is a mixed-media textile artist & natural dyer rooted in NYC. She graduated from Parsons School of Design, with a BFA in fashion design. Upon graduating she worked in New York’s fashion industry, and in 2014 was recruited to join Nike’s Flyknit innovation team at their WHQ in Oregon. Her experiences in the fashion industry gave her deep insight into supply chains and fueled her passion for participating in more regenerative textile systems and championing a wider range of creative & sustainable projects.

Using her artistic practice as a foundation, KESIENA created KEPT STUDIO, a disruptive textile studio, which takes an intentional and inventive approach to fiber and design. Kept Studio approaches textile-making in a holistic and sustainable way by re-imagining the lifecycles of NYC’s notoriously wasteful fashion + floral event industries through innovative and regenerative processes. KEPT STUDIO specializes in concept & ideation, sustainability consulting, natural dyeing, botanical pigments + ink making, and knit design development.

KEPT values collaboration, and believes that workshops can also increase community interest in environmentalism and connectedness to NYC's native landscape. Cultivating connection through hosting natural dye + textile explorations in Brooklyn, Kept Studio participates in community engagement sharing how others can create beauty and inspire in environmentally meaningful ways.

adé Oni is the dynamic creative being behind diẹ̀diẹ̀ textile farm + production studio. dièdiè is a locally-scaled textile farm and raw textile material production space. We provide low-carbon, raw, processed, and value-added cellulose-fiber and natural dye materials and educational experiences to the Piedmont NC bioregion and beyond.

diẹ̀diẹ̀ is interpreted from our native Yorùbá tongue as meaning ‘slow’, ‘gradual’, ‘little by little’ - this is the central principle guiding our work. dièdiè is being designed and developed as a hybrid worker/producer cooperative business that centers regenerative land care, African and Indigenous material culture and craftways, ecological presence, creative expression, and healing justice. We are part of a growing fibershed revival movement that is activating glocal solutions for addressing the severity of damage that our global textile supply patterns have on our daily lives. dièdiè is a locally-rooted commitment to holding generative practice space for the systemic and cultural shifts we need to meet the healing futures we dream of.