Diarra Bousso from DIARRABLU designs sustainable fashion blending artisanal craftsmanship with algorithms.
Why you should listen
Diarra Bousso is an entrepreneur, creative mathematician and multidisciplinary artist. Born and raised in Dakar, Senegal, she spent part of her youth in Norway and later moved to the United States, where she started her career on Wall Street. She went on to follow her passion for art, mathematics and design, completing her master's degree in mathematics education at Stanford University with stints at Stanford’s graduate school of business and center for computational research in music. She is driven by a passion to integrate the worlds of math, arts and culture to cultivate a multi-disciplinary approach to inclusive and responsible innovation in design, teaching and learning. Bousso’s current mission is to make fashion more sustainable. She founded the fashion tech company DIARRABLU, which focuses on waste reduction and algorithmic design. Her innovative work has been profiled by Forbes, Reuters, CNN and Vogue, among others.
Diarrablu launched a special Spring 2024 collection titled Jigeen, which means woman in her native language. Using AI to design unique patterns and crowdsource interest while drawing from the rich legacy of artisanal lace, this collection is a testament to the brand's commitment to heritage, sustainability and creativity. Each garment is crafted, for the first time, using exclusively sustainable, natural and recycled materials, embodying the essence of modern luxury with a conscience. Bousso is also an occasional guest lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Education where she shares with teachers her innovative approach to mathematics pedagogy drawing from her work as a designer to create unique math lesson plans.
