Baker By Shawn
Products inspired by Josephine - the Icon
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Why Jo? Our Inspiration
Who We Are
Years ago, as a young girl growing up in Washington D.C., I was exposed to the art galleries and all of the cultural events the city has to offer. My Father who was a gifted artist inspired me. My Mother also helped to cultivate my talent by enrolling me in art classes at the Corcoran School of Art in the Summer. Being a proud Black woman, she made sure I always had Black dolls as a reflection of myself.
That instilled in me positive self awareness and identity.
As I got older I noticed that the women on the magazine covers and on products were mostly depictions of the European standard. There was not much representation of women of color.
Since I didn't see any images of Black women, I decided to create some of my own.
I completed a certificate program in Fashion Illustration at Ardis School of Fashion design, obtained an undergraduate degree in Electronic Studio (Computer Graphics) and the Master of Fine Arts Degree in Design at Howard University.
My thesis was titled -
"Josephine Baker - Creating An American Icon through a Framework of Social Identity Theory."
The next progression in my journey was to create the products and
BBS - Baker By Shawn was born!
Read more about Josephine's history on our ABOUT JOSEPHINE page and check out the famous video of her in motion. Stop back by our site often for events and lectures. Don't forget to shop for items in our STORE!
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