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with her best friend Donovan
Pascal. The line featured one-
of-a-kind jackets made from
prayer rugs. Adopting unusual
materials would come to define
her design aesthetic, and the
label reaffirmed her individual-
ism with its slogan “This is me.”
At the same time, she was per-
forming as a singer and dancer
with the exploding UK house-
music scene, wearing her own
uniquely styled and tailored
outfits. She danced with the
band Soul II Soul and was fea-
tured as a silhouette in the video
for the 1989 hit “Back to Life.”
The success brought another
dramatic change; when the
band went to New York City
that year, she went along.
In New York, Wunmi’s
music was heavily influenced
by Afrobeat and particularly
by Fela Kuti, a pioneer in the
genre. Wunmi helped introduce
those elements to the city’s
sound. Popular musicians began
sampling her demos, and she
became a fixture in the creative
community. Her design work
dovetailed with the music; she
started working with influential
choreographers and dance com-
panies. Marlies Yearby, chore-
ographer for Rent, became a
mentor and introduced her to
Brown, who offered Wunmi a
place to stay in exchange for
designing costumes for his
dance company, Evidence.
Thus began a collaboration
that has continued for more“Dressing
was a way
to create
my own
identity.”above (2):
Ronald K. Brown’s
Grace (1999), also com-
missioned for the Alvin
Ailey American Dance
Theater. The costumes
Wunmi designed in
white and red are
intended to evoke the
tension between heav-
enly and earthly realms.american craft aug/sept 19 37