Meet Nyah Ginwright

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nyah Ginwright.

Nyah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in Oakland, CA and when I was younger my mom put me in every after school activity imaginable; ballet, softball, circus, theatre…and this list goes on. Unfortunately for her, none of them stuck and she was still burdened with the task to find out what I liked.

One day, she put me in a sewing class and I fell in love with it. The idea of making a garment out of a flat piece of fabric was magical to me, so in high school I decided to pursue it. I went to an arts high school called Oakland School for the Arts and there, I was taught more about fashion and the sculptural aspect of it. I really enjoyed participating in the fashion shows but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to fully pursue fashion. I definitely doubted my abilities until I was in my senior year of high school. My fashion design instructor told me something that has stuck with me till this day, “Take up space.”

To me this meant taking risks and that was when I started experimenting and having fun with fashion. My first year of college was also a huge catalyst for my pursuing fashion. After just focusing on school it felt like something was missing, so I started creating pieces and costuming shows. That is when it clicked that I needed to create in order to be fulfilled. Each experience I have had since I first started sewing has been fuel to make me a better artist. Each project should top the last and in many ways creating these wearable sculptures have developed who I am as a person as well as who I am as an artist.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t think anything could ever be smooth, that is just not the nature of life. Though I have not had any physical barriers I have definitely had to deal with self-doubt. Asking myself If I am a good enough designer or even If I am a good enough person. I find that when I doubt myself in making a piece thats the exact reason why I should create it, creating it scares me and as a human if I’m stuck in my comfort, I can’t grow. So, though I have had that challenge and continue to, It’s important for me to push through it.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a fashion designer who uses fabrics and silhouettes to humanize communities that have been historically marginalized as well as communities that have done the marginalizing. I use fashion to tell stories that heal both myself and people who choose to engage with it. Fashion has given me a platform to grow as an artist and a person and I can only hope that my art does the same for other people. Creating fashion for me gives me a sense of true freedom that isn’t bound by any societal pressures or even personal barriers. I’m not creating clothing, I’m creating wearable sculpture that incorporates this idea of freedom and sonder.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I intend to create my art with a foundation of activism, so right now I’m getting more familiar with activism happening in communities in LA as well as all over the world. I also noticed that since coming to LA for school I have solely released my work online, however I want to do more live shows. Whether those shows be fashion galleries or runway shows, requiring people to physically show up to the event will allow them to engage with my work further than social media would. So for my future plans, I intend to research more activism happening in my communities that could inform my own art as well as create more work that gets shown live! I am also looking to do collaborations with different types of artists like musicians or visual artists so if that opportunity comes, I will definitely pursue that. And of course, If there are any stylist or costume designer who are interested in any of my pieces, they can email me if they wanna pull my work!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nyahginwright.com
• Email: nyahginwright@yahoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nyahsprofile/

Image Credit:
For all photos, Wanye’

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