1. I have the privilege of owning two of your one of a kind designs.  What inspires your creations?
   In a nutshell – life experiences! The worldview I’ve been blessed to gain, through all of the wonderful opportunities in my life to travel to different countries, take up unique sports and interesting hobbies, visit museums and attend theatre performances, work across a spectrum of career fields, form part of interesting community-based projects; and meet an intriguing network of fellow world citizens across the globe; all of which has broadened my perspective of the world and the people in it.
   
   People-Places-Culture-Humanity…This is what inspires my creations. In turn, my artwear creations are the vessels for telling this story and expressing who I am and what I believe in as a result of having lived these experiences.
   
   I started out designing for myself, because I couldn’t quite find elements of fashion that accurately represented my style…so I created my own. And now, it’s evolved into helping others dress to express themselves.
   
   At this point in my life, one of my strongest beliefs is in advocating for a more unified global community, while not forgetting to pay tribute to our vast diversity and uniqueness. To me, the two are not opposites, but rather go hand-in-hand. This is why many of Kindred’s pieces are both fusion and one-of-a-kind simultaneously, allowing those who purchase our artwear to put forth a unique display of harmony-amidst-diversity.
   
   
2. As you know Naturi Beauty embraces the experiences of women with natural hair, what has been your experience as a natural, living in Panama?
   Well, prior to coming to Panama for the first time, I had already made the transformation to natural hair. In college, I gave up the perm to go natural, mixing it up between braids, cornrows, afro-puffs, and headwraps. None of it seemed out-of-this-world, because on a college campus in the middle of West Philly, there were plenty of others doing the same, so it felt like a community of naturals, celebrating and supporting each other throughout the process. Funnily enough, it wasn’t until I visited Panama for the first time for a study abroad program, and fell in love, that I decided to loc my hair.
   
   Ironically, at that time, Panama wasn’t yet ready to bring back the “natural hair movement” that had once reigned among the Black community during the 60s and 70s. So, everywhere I walked, people would stare incessantly. I’m sure many of the stares were out of sheer curiosity, because people were simply not accustomed to seeing someone with locs, certainly not often in Panama City (maybe in Colon where there’s a majority Black population). But, whatever the reason, the stares bothered me immensely, because back in Philly or my home state of New York, I never had that problem; I simply fit right into the urban scene. So, everywhere I went and everything I did - whether it was walking to the grocery store or walking into the classroom on the first day of teaching a university-level course, I had to first find a way to jump over that initial hurdle of people staring or students prejudging me and questioning my abilities to teach them because they had immediately put me into a “category”. It was difficult.
   
   More recently, with the influx of tourists, study abroad students, missionaries, Panamanians previously living abroad, expats, and other “foreigners” (although I don’t really care for this term), coming to Panama to visit, study, or live, it is becoming more common to walk the streets and see natural hair in its many forms. Funny this happens now that I’ve finally grown into my own and can walk around the city or into a classroom freely and proudly amidst the lingering stares and occasional glimpse of prejudgment, whether my locs are cascading all the way down my back or wrapped atop my head like Nefertiti!
   
   
3. Kindred’s charge is Celebrating Diversity, Embracing One Humankind.  How does your clothing line reflect the diversity in our oneness?
   Through the fabrics we select, the designs we create, and the messages we promote.
   
   One of my favorite parts of the artwear design process is selecting the fabrics. There are so many beautiful fabrics; many hand-dyed, hand-woven, or hand-painted; many by indigenous communities; and many that tell a story by the colors and symbols used, like the Panamanian mola or African mudcloth. It’s fascinating! And it’s the first step to bringing in the diversity aspect of the designs.
   
   Once we’ve selected the fabrics, we find creative ways to combine them, along with different fashion styles throughout the eras, so that each piece results in a fusion of at least two diverse elements; whether it be two fabrics from different regions of the world, or a fabric from one region of the world, and a style from another; or a traditional garb flipped out into a modern version. For instance, some of our most popular designs are the “Kente Kimono” which blends the traditional Japanese kimono or kimono-style blouse with the most traditional fabric in western African – the Kente cloth. Or the “Fusion Guayabera”, which takes the traditional guayabera made popular throughout Latin America to the next level by incorporating African or other ethnic fabrics as accents. Or our modern “Ethnic Denim”, which brings the traditional Panamanian mola, African mudcloth, Andean woven print, or Indian batik print into the modern-era of fashion jeans…
   
   Finally, and more literally, on our tees, we print inspiring messages for positive change. Most bear messages of diversity-meets-unity.
   
   
4. It’s wonderful that you use socially conscious principles to govern your business practices, what principles do you use to govern your personal life and help you find balance.
   In my personal life, I am an avid fan of the cultural arts, and as such, I try to absorb as much as I can from other cultures – their histories, their customs, and their traditions. And instead of focusing on the differences, I try to find the similarities among us; because I find there is always a common thread!
   
   Another key principle for me is to truly see the world as my home. I consider myself a world citizen, and try to instill that in as many others as possible. In lieu of promoting national pride or racial pride, what better time than the present to embrace and advocate for global pride!
   
   I also make it a point to put myself in other people’s shoes whenever I can. I am of the belief that we might not be able to feel the exact emotion that someone else feels, but we can at least give it our all in an attempt; it’s the least we can all do as fellow human beings, in my opinion. It speaks to the very consideration that I believe we should all have with one another…how much better would the world be if we did this one simple task and shed some of the “me, myself, and I” attitude, for one that implores us to step into the shoes of others and really gain some perspective!
   
   And finally, two things I’ve learned more recently, and that I am still learning as I go along, that help keep me “balanced” are that:
   
   1. Life is not always black and white….there’s a lot of gray area in between (especially after you’ve graduated from college and get thrust into the “real world”!!!). To me, it is a continual process learning not to judge others off the bat, because circumstances are often much deeper than the surface in ways that only the person or people experiencing them can feel. For this reason, I think it behooves us to be a little more understanding (not necessarily accepting, but at least understanding) of different lifestyles that we initially frown upon simply because we may not be accustomed to it based on our upbringing.
   
   
   2. You’ve got to LIVE IN THE MOMENT. More and more, I consider myself a free spirit, one who will not allow herself to be defined by one thing. I don’t’ fit into categories, I re-define myself every day that passes, because each new day brings a new experience that helps us to grow. I’ve learned not to dwell too long on the negatives and obstacles that arise, and in turn, to put a positive spin on things and truly cherish the happy moments in life and try to multiple those as much as possible.
      
      I believe all of the above helps to form a worldview conducive to celebrating our diversity and uniqueness as individuals and communities, while not losing sight of the fact that we all form part of the broader community of humankind…
   
   
   
5. The Naturi Beauty charge is to Nourish, Nurture and Grow.  Please share with our readers how Kari of Kindred is a Naturi Beauty everyday! 
   
   • Staying true to myself.
   • Wearing my roots and culture with my head held high.
   • Not giving in to society’s conformist ways.
   • Whether it’s going to the beach, or going to a job interview, I’m going to dress the way I want, wear my hair the way I want, and simply be who I was meant to be…ME; take it or leave it!