What is Collective Drift?
In this episode of Collective Drift we sat down with Asanyah Davidson, child of the world, Fashion Designer, and educator. Asanyah is Jamaican born, American raised, and has lived in West Africa. She is the founding director at the Miami Fashion Institute at Miami Dade College, she has her own fashion line Circa24. We had a really fun conversation on a wide range of topics from being Jamaican, being vegan, living in West Africa, the influence of her Scottish fashion teacher, mentoring and more.
During part one of our conversation with Asanyah she speaks about what it means to her to be Jamaican including a look at cultural norms and stereotypes. She discusses growing up in Jamaica while being raised by her very strong and caring grandmother who was her primary role model when it comes to being a woman. We discuss how it’s possible to be Jamaican and vegan. Asanyah talks about moving to California with a mom she was really just getting to know. She later relocated to Miami, North Miami specifically where she met the majority of her friends that are Haitian Americans. She learned about and participated in many aspects of Haitian culture that even encouraged her to learn to cook Jamaican food. Asanyah compares and contrasts cultural norms when it comes to women and men relationship dynamics in Haitian and Jamaican communities. She developed such close friends with within the Haitian community that she is now considered an “honorary Haitian”. Then we wrap it up with Asanyah’s journey into becoming a vegan and the importance of having sister friends support you in transitions.
In part two of How to Transform Your Life by Experiencing Other Cultures with Asanyah Davidson the conversation gets even more interesting. Asanyah talks about the importance of having a diverse group of mentors, living in West Africa and how that influenced her as a designer, her viewpoint on cultural appropriation and more!
Fact check: So is marijuana legal in Jamaica? According to WikiLeaf.com recreational marijuana has been decriminalized in Jamaica and medical marijuana is legal. https://www.wikileaf.com/thestash/mar...
Where to find Erica and Collective Drift: Instagram: @CollectiveDrift Facebook.com/CollectiveDrift facebook.com/groups/CollectiveDrift/ collectivedrift.com
Get in touch with Asanyah: Circa 24 http://www.circa24forever.com/
Miami Fashion Institute at Miami Dade College https://www.mdc.edu/fashion/
Instagram: @Circa24Forever
Restaurants with vegan options mentioned:
Screaming Carrots https://screamingcarrots.com/
826 W Hallandale Beach Blvd, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009, United States
Vannucchi Brothers Pizza https://www.vannucchibrotherspizza.com/
2725-A Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, FL 33020
Holistic Health Consultant Mentioned: Nzingah Oniwosan yesbabyilikeitraw.com
Instagram @yesbabyilikeitraw
Erica Vernet Knowles, is a Miami native, an international traveler, and a culture enthusiast. Erica is the creator and producer of Collective Drift. With over 20 years of climbing America’s corporate ladder, Erica found her niche in the media industry serving as an executive director, publisher, and editor-in-chief for 5 publications. However, she grew up watching her grandmother travel the world, experiencing the arts, and taking international trips with her family. So, Erica has always had a calling for the arts, culture and travel. In the summer of 2011 Erica began her journey abroad spending a vast amount of time in Lima and Bangkok. She has had the amazing opportunity to visit 30+ countries. Erica's journey has widened her viewpoint of self in relation to others around the world. Furthermore, she gained true friends that are like family around the world and an enhanced appreciation of their culture. It is the bonds with the women she has met while traveling that has inspired Collective Drift.