ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Walé Oyéjidé - Designer, writer, musician, lawyer
TED Fellow Walé Oyéjidé combats bias with creative storytelling.

Why you should listen

As the founder of Ikiré Jones, Walé Oyéjidé, Esq. employs fashion design as a vehicle to celebrate the perspectives of marginalized populations.

In addition to his role as the brand's creative director, Walé Oyéjidé designs Ikiré Jones's textiles/accessories and serves as the company's writer. Oyéjidé is a TED Fellow, and his apparel design can be seen in the upcoming Marvel Studios film "Black Panther."

Oyéjidé's design work was part of the "Making Africa" contemporary design exhibit, which was at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, and the HIGH Museum of Art in Atlanta. He was also featured in the "Creative Africa" exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. His work exhibited at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Fowler Museum, UCLA. He has been invited to lecture about his work in Brazil, Ecuador, France and Tanzania. His designs also appeared as part of the "Generation Africa" fashion show at Pitti Uomo 89 in Florence, Italy. 

Oyéjidé's writings include freelance creative copywriting for Airbnb. He is also an attorney, public speaker, and a recording artist/producer that has collaborated with J-Dilla and MF Doom, among others. And for what it's worth, Esquire Magazine noted Oyéjidé as one of the best-dressed men in the United States.

More profile about the speaker
Walé Oyéjidé | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2017

Walé Oyéjidé: Fashion that celebrates African strength and spirit

Walé Oyéjidé: A moda que celebra a força e o espírito africano

Filmed:
899,451 views

"Ser africano é ser inspirado pela cultura e estar repleto de eterna esperança no futuro", afirma o estilista e colaborador do TED, Walé Oyéjidé. Com sua marca Ikiré Jones (cujo trabalho aparece no filme da Marvel "Pantera Negra"), ele usa um estilo clássico para demonstrar a elegância e a graça de grupos conhecidamente marginalizados, por meio de suas roupas de belo corte que possuem uma história para contar.
- Designer, writer, musician, lawyer
TED Fellow Walé Oyéjidé combats bias with creative storytelling. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
It is often said that the stories
of history are written by its victors,
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Dizem que a história
foi escrita pelos vencedores,
00:17
but if this is true,
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mas, se isto for verdade,
00:18
what becomes of the downtrodden,
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o que acontece com os oprimidos
00:20
and how can they ever hope
to aspire for something greater
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e como eles podem ter esperança
de almejar algo melhor,
00:23
if they are never told the stories
of their own glorious pasts?
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se jamais puderem contar as histórias
de seu passado glorioso?
00:27
Ostensibly, I stand before you
as a mere maker of clothing,
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Estou aqui perante vocês, aparentemente
como um mero estilista,
00:31
but within the folds of ancient fabrics
and modern textiles,
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mas entre os vincos
de tecidos antigos e novos,
00:34
I have found a higher calling.
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respondi a um chamado maior.
00:37
Through my work as a designer,
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Trabalhando como estilista,
00:38
I've discovered the importance
of providing representation
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descobri a importância de representar
00:42
for the marginalized members
of our society,
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os membros marginalizados
de nossa sociedade,
00:45
and the importance of telling
the most vulnerable among us
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e a importância de dizer
que o mais vulnerável entre nós
00:48
that they no longer have
to compromise themselves
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não precisava mais se ajustar
00:50
just so they can fit in
with an uncompromising majority.
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apenas para se encaixar em uma maioria.
00:54
It turns out that fashion,
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Acontece que a moda,
00:56
a discipline many of us
consider to be trivial,
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uma área que muitos consideram fútil,
00:58
can actually be a powerful tool
for dismantling bias
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pode ser uma ferramenta
poderosa para destruir o preconceito
01:02
and bolstering the self-images
of underrepresented populations.
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e reforçar a autoestima
de grupos sub-representados.
01:06
My interest in using design
as a vehicle for social change
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Meu interesse em usar a moda
como um veículo de mudança social
01:10
happens to be a personal one.
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é bem pessoal.
01:12
As a Nigerian American,
I know how easily the term "African"
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Como nigeriano-americano,
sei facilmente que o termo "africano"
01:15
can slip from being
an ordinary geographic descriptor
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pode deixar de ser
um mero termo geográfico
01:18
to becoming a pejorative.
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para se tornar pejorativo.
01:21
For those of us
from this beautiful continent,
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Para nós, que somos deste belo continente,
01:24
to be African is to be inspired by culture
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ser africano é ser inspirado pela cultura
01:27
and to be filled with undying
hope for the future.
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e estar repleto de eterna
esperança no futuro.
01:30
So in an attempt to shift
the misguided perceptions that many have
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Assim, em uma tentativa de mudar
as percepções inadequadas
que muitos tinham
acerca de meu local de nascimento,
01:35
about the place of my birth,
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01:36
I use design as a means to tell stories,
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passei a usar a moda
para contar histórias,
01:39
stories about joy,
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histórias sobre alegria,
01:41
stories about triumph,
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histórias sobre triunfo,
01:42
stories about perseverance
all throughout the African diaspora.
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histórias sobre perseverança
acerca da diáspora africana.
01:46
I tell these stories
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Conto essas histórias
01:47
as a concerted effort
to correct the historical record,
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como um esforço conjunto
em corrigir um registro histórico,
01:51
because, no matter
where any of us is from,
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pois, não importa de onde viemos,
01:54
each of us has been touched
by the complicated histories
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cada um de nós foi tocado
pelas histórias complexas
01:56
that brought our families
to a foreign land.
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que nossas famílias levaram
para um outro país.
01:59
These histories shape
the way we view the world,
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Essas histórias modelam
a forma como vemos o mundo
02:02
and they mold the biases
we carry around with us.
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e dão forma aos preconceitos
que carregamos conosco.
02:06
To combat these biases,
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Para combater esses preconceitos,
02:07
my work draws aesthetics
from different parts of the globe
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meu trabalho desenha a estética
de várias partes do mundo
02:10
and crafts a narrative
about the importance
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e cria uma narrativa acerca da importância
02:12
of fighting for inclusivity.
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de se lutar pela inclusão.
02:15
By refashioning images
from classic European art
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Remodelando as imagens
da arte clássica europeia
02:18
and marrying them with African aesthetics,
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e unindo-as à estética africana,
02:20
I am able to recast people of color
in roles of prominence,
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sou capaz de recolocar pessoas de cor
em papéis de destaque,
02:23
providing them with a degree of dignity
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dando a elas um grau de dignidade
que não possuíam anteriormente.
02:25
they didn't have in earlier times.
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02:29
This approach subverts the historically
accepted narrative of African inferiority,
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Isto muda a narrativa historicamente
aceita da inferioridade africana
02:33
and it serves as inspiration
for people of color
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e serve de inspiração para pessoas de cor
02:36
who have grown wary of seeing
themselves depicted without sophistication
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que cresceram acostumadas
a se ver representadas sem sofisticação
02:39
and without grace.
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e sem graça.
02:42
Each of these culture-bending tapestries
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Cada uma destas peças
alteradas culturalmente
02:44
becomes a tailored garment
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se torna uma roupa sob medida
02:46
or a silk scarf, like the one I am
very coincidentally wearing right now.
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ou um lenço de seda, como este
que coincidentemente estou usando agora.
02:50
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
02:51
And even when surrounded
in a structure of European classicism,
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E mesmo que estejam imersas
na estrutura do Classicismo europeu,
02:55
these narratives boldly extoll
the merits of African empowerment.
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essas narrativas ousadamente exaltam
os méritos do empoderamento africano.
02:59
In this way, the tools of the masters
become masterworks
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Desta forma, os instrumentos dos mestres
se tornam obras-primas
03:04
to celebrate those
who were once subservient.
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que celebram aqueles
que um dia foram submissos.
03:09
This metaphor extends
beyond the realm of art
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Essa metáfora vai além do domínio da arte
03:11
and out into the real world.
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e entra no mundo real.
03:13
Whether worn by refugees
or world-changing entrepreneurs,
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Seja vestido por um refugiado
ou por um empreendedor social,
03:16
when people are allowed
the freedom to present themselves
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quando as pessoas possuem
a liberdade de se apresentarem
03:19
in a manner that celebrates
their own unique identities,
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de uma forma que celebra
sua identidade única,
03:22
a magical thing happens.
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algo mágico acontece.
03:24
We stand taller.
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Nós crescemos.
03:25
We're more proud and self-aware
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Temos orgulho e consciência
03:27
because we're presenting
our true, authentic selves.
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pois estamos nos apresentando
de forma real, autêntica.
03:30
And those of us who are around them
in turn become more educated,
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E aqueles de nós que estão em volta,
em contrapartida, ficarão mais sensíveis,
03:34
more open and more tolerant
of their different points of view.
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abertos e tolerantes
acerca de seus pontos de vista.
03:38
In this way, the clothes that we wear
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Assim, as roupas que vestimos
03:41
can be a great illustration
of diplomatic soft power.
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podem ser uma grande demonstração
do poder de persuasão diplomático.
03:45
The clothes that we wear
can serve as bridges
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As roupas que usamos
podem servir como pontes
entre nossas culturas
supostamente desiguais.
03:47
between our seemingly disparate cultures.
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03:50
And so, yeah, ostensibly I stand
before you as a mere maker of clothing.
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E assim, claro, estou aqui frente a vocês
aparentemente como um mero estilista.
03:56
But my work has always
been about more than fashion.
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Mas meu trabalho sempre foi além da moda.
04:00
It has become my purpose
to rewrite the cultural narratives
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Ele se tornou um motivo
para reescrever narrativas culturais
04:02
so that people of color can be seen
in a new and nuanced light,
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para que as pessoas de cor
possam ser vistas sob uma nova ótica,
04:06
and so that we,
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e para que assim, nós,
04:08
the proud children of sub-Saharan Africa,
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filhos gloriosos da África subsaariana,
possamos atravessar o globo
04:10
can traverse the globe
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04:11
while carrying ourselves with pride.
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repletos de orgulho.
04:14
It was indeed true
that the stories of history
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Era mesmo verdade
que as histórias da história
04:17
were told by its old victors,
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foram contadas pelos antigos vencedores,
04:20
but I am of a new generation.
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mas eu sou de uma nova geração.
04:23
My work speaks for those
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Meu trabalho fala por aqueles
04:24
who will no longer let their futures
be dictated by a troubled past.
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que não deixarão seus futuros
serem ditados por um passado problemático.
04:28
Today, we stand ready
to tell our own stories
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Hoje, nos mostramos prontos
para contar nossas próprias histórias
04:32
without compromise, without apologies.
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sem acordos, sem desculpas.
04:35
But the question still remains:
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Mas uma pergunta ainda continua:
04:37
are you prepared
for what you are about to hear?
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você está preparado para o que irá ouvir?
04:42
I hope you are, because
we are coming regardless.
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Espero que esteja,
porque contaremos mesmo assim.
04:46
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Viviam Oliveira
Reviewed by Cláudia Sander

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Walé Oyéjidé - Designer, writer, musician, lawyer
TED Fellow Walé Oyéjidé combats bias with creative storytelling.

Why you should listen

As the founder of Ikiré Jones, Walé Oyéjidé, Esq. employs fashion design as a vehicle to celebrate the perspectives of marginalized populations.

In addition to his role as the brand's creative director, Walé Oyéjidé designs Ikiré Jones's textiles/accessories and serves as the company's writer. Oyéjidé is a TED Fellow, and his apparel design can be seen in the upcoming Marvel Studios film "Black Panther."

Oyéjidé's design work was part of the "Making Africa" contemporary design exhibit, which was at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, and the HIGH Museum of Art in Atlanta. He was also featured in the "Creative Africa" exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. His work exhibited at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Fowler Museum, UCLA. He has been invited to lecture about his work in Brazil, Ecuador, France and Tanzania. His designs also appeared as part of the "Generation Africa" fashion show at Pitti Uomo 89 in Florence, Italy. 

Oyéjidé's writings include freelance creative copywriting for Airbnb. He is also an attorney, public speaker, and a recording artist/producer that has collaborated with J-Dilla and MF Doom, among others. And for what it's worth, Esquire Magazine noted Oyéjidé as one of the best-dressed men in the United States.

More profile about the speaker
Walé Oyéjidé | Speaker | TED.com

Data provided by TED.

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