Hekima Hapa, an artist and fashion designer who lives and works in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, learned to sew from her mother, who made all the family’s clothes as well as the curtains and quilts in their Florida home.
But when Ms. Hapa, 52, decided to teach her own older daughter to sew over a decade ago, she couldn’t find inspirational photos of Black girls making things of their own with a needle and thread.
“There were Black women doing hair weaves and working in garment factories, but nothing that showed a mom and daughter sewing together,” she said.
So she founded the nonprofit Black Girls Sew and co-wrote a book of the same name. She now offers classes and a summer day camp in a storefront she rents from a local church. Girls she has taught have gone on to attend the High School of Fashion Industries and the Fashion Institute of Technology, both in Manhattan.
But Ms. Hapa has also sought to reach a broader demographic, teaching classes for men and women on Sundays and welcoming people of all races. Steering clear of formal patterns and finicky rules, she aims to present sewing as a means of empowerment, self-expression, sustainability — and fun.
“There’s no right or wrong way to mend,” she said.
Ms. Hapa’s older daughter, Zinga, now 19, has been helping her with Black Girls Sew while taking a break from college. Her younger children — Queen, 15; Biko, 12; and Garvey, 9 — do their part, too. On Sundays, they often travel as a pack.
SLEEPING IN During the week I wake up at 4 a.m. That’s the only way I can get everything done. On Sunday that might move back to 8 or 9, depending on whether I’m teaching a class. The children are going to rise later, too. I might have some ginger tea; it’s enjoyable and a bit medicinal. It helps with that reset.
ALL ABOARD I pack everybody up in the car and move out. Class starts at 10, but I like to arrive an hour early. I might light some incense, do a little Swiffering. The kids are getting sewing machines out, putting electric cords on them. Sometimes they’re doing homework. If someone had a terrible week at school, maybe they just need to put their headphones on and play a game. There’s a cozy area in the front to hang out.
ADULT CLASSES Every month we do a series consisting of two classes of four hours each. I teach you how to thread a sewing machine, how to put in elastic, hem pants. You learn enough to make a basic shirt.
KALE SALAD At 12, I give everyone time to grab a bagel. I always keep salad at the studio. Sometimes I throw on some protein — maybe there’s beans, maybe tuna, a lot of time it’s chickpeas. If I’ve made kale salad ahead of time, the kids are in.
RELAX We might grab bikes and head to Prospect Park. Sometimes we bring a blanket. Between 2 and 4 we get on a Zoom call with my siblings and their children.
STAYING CONNECTED I’m one of 12 children. I’m the youngest. We do a family reunion every two years, but the call is a way for us to be connected in between. Sometimes my sister in Texas, she’s in her break room at her job. Most of my family are still in Florida.
COMING NORTH I wanted to be a fashion designer and went to Florida State University. I always thrifted and made a lot of my clothes. I met a young man who wanted to be a rapper. He had lived in New York most of his childhood. He said I belonged in New York. We ended up marrying and coming here.
CAREER SPARK I worked at Daffy’s as a merchandiser but was bored out of my mind. That was not what I came to New York to do. One day, I came across a street fair at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. A designer named Brenda Brunson-Bey had a booth, and the quality of her clothing was like something you find in SoHo but, like, African attire. I thought, I want to do this. I quit my job, used money from my 401(k) to buy fabric and spent the next year making clothes.
KIMONO FOR WHOOPI GOLDBERG I sell clothes on my website; I do a lot of work with upcycled denim. One day someone I made a denim kimono for was wearing it at an event and met someone else who was wearing one of my kimonos. The stylist for Whoopi Goldberg was also there and wanted to get one for her. So I customized one for Whoopi.
PREPPING FOR THE WEEK After the park we might go to Trader Joe’s. We end up back home, where I turn the most into a mom. I make sure everybody has their homework, see what permission slips need to be signed. I like to cook once on Sunday: If we made a big thing of rice and beans earlier it turns into burritos later in the day.
WINDING DOWN The 9-year-old goes to bed at 9; the 12-year-old gets to stay up to 10. My 15-year-old can use her own discretion. The 19-year-old has her own social life and is out. I like to put on Yoruba chants, burn a little sage, set an intention. I’m usually so tired, by the time my head hits the pillow it’s over.
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