Firstly, thank you to everyone that has been purchasing our products, as we are excited about the feedback we have been receiving this far. Friends, family and other people over the course of the past couple months, wanted to know what was the inspiration behind MAKIDADA. Of course, you remember the Swahili word from the iconic "The Color Purple" movie. I grew up watching this film and other legendary films with a great appreciation.
Throughout this site, you'll see reminders of the past and present in a full spectrum of things that just grab you. My days of teaching history at an HBCU helped to influence the Revolutionary Collection. The historian in me will be sharing stories as we progress through this journey together. To kick off the first story, I'll start with my dad. My brothers and I grew up with my parents being advocates for the "nah, you ain't getting that" movement that swept through most of Black America both then and now. In particularly, my parents wasn't hearing anything about the latest fashions as my father would always tell us, that his children will not be walking billboards for folks who don't care nothing about us. At the time, all I knew was that I was tired of wearing KEDS and wanting name brand clothing and shoes. My life of being the only girl and wearing my older brother's hand me downs, of course helped me to bring me to who I am now. Though my father passed years ago when I was a teen, I would very much like to believe that this store and the apparel that it sells, would somehow be approved by him. So I take all the movies that I watched with my dad, and all the books that I read to my mom and put some RESPEK on it the "walking billboard" that the Rev. James himself would be proud of.
With love,
MAKIDADA, A*K*A* The Walking Billboard with some respek