FourCornersphoto:^Pierre^Wachholder/^ Sketchphotos(^2):^ Paulette^Youngbetter known as Wunmi, a sing-
er, songwriter, performer, and
fashion designer. Born in Lon-
don and raised in Lagos, Nige-
ria, the 54-year-old, who now
lives in Brooklyn, sees dress
and style as integral to identity.
From an early age, she learned
the transformative power of art,
be it music, dance, or dress.
“My parents were working and
living in London, so I grew up
with my nan [grandmother] in
Lagos, but very much on my
own,” she remembers. “I cre-
ated my own world of pretend,
of dress-up. I was dressing my
own love and need. This
became a way of being.” That
ethos – of clothing as a crucial
element of sound, of movement,
and of life – has remained a con-
stant in her creative career.
At 14, Wunmi returned to
London to live with her dad,
who ran a pretty strict house-
hold. She found her creative
outlet in dance and style.
“Dressing was a way to create
my own identity,” she says.
“I wore weird, different outfits,
and I sewed my own clothes.”
At the time, she didn’t think
of pursuing design profession-
ally – “I was creating myself”
she says – but teachers took
notice of her talents and per-
suaded her to attend the Lon-
don College of Fashion.
While in college in the 1980s,
Wunmi started her first fashion
line, Revolution With Love,
above (2):
Four Corners, a 2013
dance by Ronald K.
Brown for the Alvin
Ailey American Dance
Theater, features cos-
tumes by Wunmi. “I
chose a gray that is
warmed with the forth-
coming morning light.
The characters emerge
and fade like the colors
of the palette,” she says.36 american craft aug/sept 19