Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Diarra.
Hi Grace, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Since elementary school, I’ve been obsessed with Harajuku, avatar customization mobile games, making my videogame characters and their spaces colorful, literally anything and everything surrounding colorful worlds. I discovered Kandi when I was about 11 years old and never stopped making it since then. I jumped from single bracelets into masks and skirts. Fast forward to when I was 17, I discovered and did deep dives on the backgrounds of powerhouse creatives like Virgil Abloh, Pharrell, Takashi Murakami, and Mr. to name a couple. I felt like I had so many ideas and bubbling potential to do great & creative things to just be doing nothing. Eventually, I made the decision to start posting, and that literally changed my brain chemistry. One day I was scrolling and came across Mezmerism Fashion Show in Houston, Texas. What really grabbed my attention wasn’t just the creatives I saw all across the page, but that $1000 prize. I didn’t know how to sew and make clothes. But for some reason I decided to sign up as a designer. I pitched a Scene Raver Kandi Girl collection and got accepted! After months of procrastination and 2 sleepless weeks leading up to the show, I took the bus from Austin to Houston with a Suitcase stuffed with my collection. I ended up losing one model, so I only dressed 3 instead of 4. It was so cool to see pieces I’ve been making since I was 12 on models. I actually ended up winning that show, the crowd absolutely loved it, and I was flooded with so many inspiring words. That inspired me to start a fashion brand called KANDi KiD. I joined my second Mezmerism in July and won again! So crazy.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all. When it came to posting, I was either struggling with not liking the way I looked on camera or just not feeling like I was able to make a video. Editing and consistency were another monster that I still deal with. With building runway collections for KANDi KiD, since each beaded piece and accessory is handmade and could take on average 4 hrs to complete just 1, it’s hard to do that and balance all the other activities I’m doing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m GRACE (gracecreateditt), a creative director, photographer, director, graphic designer, fashion designer, content creator, and so much more. I just call myself a creative at this point. I specialize in world-building and am known for my colorful, eye-catching work. At the moment, I’m most proud of just being able to call myself all these things; it was truly a process. What sets me apart from others is that I literally do everything, and I do it well.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
A lot of people don’t know that I started doing all of this at 17 in high school. When I won the $1k from the Mezmerism fashion show, I still had class that Monday. I was doing track, powerlifting, multiple advanced classes, along with the other creative work I did in Austin. I still don’t know how I did it. Definitely couldn’t have done it without God and prayer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kandi1kid.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracecreateditt/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gracecreateditt
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@gracecreateditt
