Next Generation Leaders Series: Students of Color Speak on Their Experience
Thursday, April 8, 7:00PM EST
For POWarts second Next Generation Leaders program, we will be joined by Noah Polfliet, current Fashion Studies undergraduate student at Parsons Paris, and Kandace Clifton, a 2020 M.A. Fashion Studies graduate of Parsons Paris and current Item Data Specialist in Atlanta, GA. Facilitated by POWarts Steering Committee member Yseult Polfliet Mukantabana, these speakers will discuss their experiences at educational institutions and how they've navigated an environment that lacks diversity.
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Noah Polfiet is a 19 year old fashion designer born in Brussels, Belgium, now studying at Parsons Paris. Growing up in New Jersey and being from the Rwandan diaspora, Noah aims to continue to pursue his career in fashion design by studying and working in Paris for the next 4 years. CoFounder of the Gender neutral children's clothing line YOAH, Noah and his older sister Yseult launched their clothing line in 2018. Featured in a 2020 issue of British Vogue, YOAH aims to allow children to enjoy clothing and be unapologetically themselves while wearing them.
Kandace Clifton is a 2020 M.A. Fashion Studies graduate of Parsons Paris, an aspiring archivist librarian, and currently works as an Item Data Specialist. She lives in Atlanta but is originally from Gainesville, Florida, where most of her thesis research focused on Fashion within the Black Church. As she continues her research, she hopes to use her library and design background to create a platform aimed at increasing public interest in the hidden histories of African American culture.
Yseult Polfiet Mukantabana is a creative and social advocate from the Rwandan diaspora — Brussels-raised, now New York City resident — who wants to create spaces for tough conversations. Together with her co-founder, Yseult has launched a consultation company that addresses and works on dismantling racism and antisemitism, "The Kinswomen". Originally a podcast that was named top podcast from Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Marie Claire magazines, they work on giving space to BIPOC, and have now evolved into working with individuals and companies to make sustainable and equitable change from within and outward. They do it from a place of love and compassion with a pinch of tough love.