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Jazz 91.9 WCLK | Membership Matters

The Local Take: Woman Entrepreneur and Textile Designer Rochelle Porter

This week on WCLK's The Local Take(Saturdays 8am), we're continuing our coverage of outstanding women in our community. I reached out to an up-and-coming designer, Rochelle Porter.  Ms. Porter is a textile designer who creates fabrics for use in the home. Her products can be found in home décor shops like West Elm. She has created a lifestyle brand inspired by West African weavers, the Caribbean's beauty, and the magic found in Black Girls. She shares how she learned that the doodles she has been making all her life came to live on fabrics.

Porter shares that her life began in Guyana, South America. Her family moved to Brooklyn, NY, where she grew up. She eventually settled in Atlanta.  

While she didn't have formal design training, she constantly doodled on everything. Nothing was safe. She learned that what she was doing is called "surface pattern design" these are designs that might adorn a product or packaging.  I asked Porter when she knew that this "habit" could be a career and excel in this design arena.

Porter is also part of the 15% PLEDGE started by Aurora James.  This initiative asks retailers to increase the products from Black-Owned businesses to 15% of their overall product offering.  Porter secured a commitment from home décor retailer West Elm. 

I ask Porter where her inspiration comes from and how you turn a "surface pattern design" into fabric. She also shares advice for people interested in becoming a textile designer.

For more information on Rochelle Porter Designs

For more information on the 15% PLEDGE