The Ngozi Design Group, is the parent company of Ngozi Design Collective, Ngozi Custom Studio and Talking Drum Marketing. Andrea and Leon Carter are owners/partners creating jewelry and clothing and selling online and in small markets and boutiques. The company was launched in Alpharetta, Georgia in 2009 and moved to Durham, North Carolina shortly thereafter. We continued selling in small markets while learning how to run a small boutique. In 2015 we had the opportunity to open our own boutique and we were able to grow a robust custom clothing business, create an in-store consignment shop and collaborate with over 100 artists and designers consigning their hand made products. We were also able to rent space, host receptions and trunk shows, readings and other community events. The Ngozi Design Collective closed its doors in 2019 and continued doing business online with a variety of artists, designers and sewists. Later that same year Ngozi joined the Artists of Golden Belt and created and showcased their first novelty collection named ONI.

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Our collection, ONI - translated as “Sacred Ground” in Yoruba, retraces history and explores possibility by honoring a long tradition of block printing, quilting and unique fashion crafted by Black women and men from West Africa to America. These collections showcase creativity and spirituality through colors, textiles and designs unique to the collective sartorial genius of black men and women here on the continent and in the diaspora. Ngozi Design provides a unique blend of inspirational design and enhanced personal style.  

 

The ONI Collections by Ngozi Design bring bold color and print and fabric combinations inspired by the beautiful textile design of Africa, appliqué techniques first created in Benin and African American Underground Railroad quilt coding.  Most of the garments  are made with hand pieced fabric remnants in memory and celebration centering fashion as a tool to trace history and beauty. Each one of a kind piece is a collection of stories held by the hundreds of fabric remnants sewn together. Our goal is to share information, provoke conversation around some of these stories and celebrate the fashion that is artful and energetic. 

 

Most of the silhouettes that we offer for sale are one-of-a-kind but some can be custom ordered.  More information and a short video about the collections can be found on the gallery and shop product pages

Please visit the following stores for more Ngozi Design purchases

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Nandi Africa - 1018 Mebane Oaks Rd., Mebane, NC. 27302     Call 919-568-0100

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Nashona - 21 W. Hargett St., Raleigh, NC 27601