First shows for this year have been instructive and creative. Durham Hayti Heritage Center favorite was my Vibrantceutical 24 Essential Oil formula Spirit Mist. Essential Oils are high vibration elementals in a vapor to fragrantly and vibrationally enhance your atmosphere. My 24 Essential Oils formula helps you to feel good and light. They are cooling and soothing to the body and mind like a wonderful hot tea, No wonder they are such a hit.

American Craft Council- Ahh, what a giant creative and friendly stimulus. It is always wonderful to see the creative depth we humans can achieve. There was so much beauty at this show I see why folks pay $14 just to come and view. It was like hundreds of art galleries in one place. You should check out americancraft.org to see the line up for Baltimore 2007. I enjoyed and I will apply for next year. I look forward to the American Craft Council Charlotte in November or December.

Well,
I’m Back to Bloggin’. This year has been phenomenal, learning how to be a wife and artist living with a southern man in harmony, wow. Well check this out I am planning for 07 to be the break out year for Spirit Culture, now that I got the harmony. I wanna create some more great work at a much lower cost to my retail clients by restructuring my business to grow grow grow. I want to reach more and more clients so our prices will be going lower and lower. Yes, I want to involve more seamstresses, and stlll get funkier than ever. Tell me your favorite designs. Call me if you would like to invest in Spirit Culture LLC and Let’s Spread a Culture of Spirit.

I Want to begin to talk about Spirit Culture and how I define it. My business has had many names over the last 22 years. Ancestral Visions, Visions Artwear, and now I am settling on Spirit Culture because I realize the wholistic nature of the artwear that I create. This artwear is part of spawning a culture born out of “Self Determination” the great slogan of the sixties.

Several years ago I read Malidoma Some’s “Of Water and The Spirit”. In the early chapter when he talked about being captured by the Catholic Missionaries the first thing they did to the children was to change their clothing and disallow their village language to be spoken. With this forced stripping the childrens physical and emotional trauma deepened and the complete cultural deprivation began to break their spiritual connection to home. “The visible reflects the Invisible”.

Clothing is a behavior and cultural statement. With clothing and how we wear it we express style. Style is both internal and externally motivated. My friend Litina and I have gotten dressed knowing that the way we put ourselves together that morning we were acting as healers to all who beheld us that day. I have a friend Anukhet who says “a Queen is a Queen 24 hours a day”, so she always dresses royally.

Style is Intentional. Style is Deliberate Creation. Style comes from Feeling! STYLE is CONNECTION with YOUR GARMENTS, your body’s (dance) movement, your conversation, the food you are cookin, the house you are cleaning, the errand you are running, the guest you are being or the guest you are serving. Spirit Culture is about style. Style is Connection. To Connect is Eros. Eros is the root for Erotic.

I create clothing that I feel a connection to the fabric, the cut, and the flattering design and color. My beginning was to create designs flattering to all body types. Well, that was over twenty years ago and now there is a new generation of designers that have caught on to this trend and my designs. Now, refinement is the design key currently.

I will continue this conversation on Spirit Culture. I must break for Gratitude Card creation. Peace and Love, Akiba

I am joining this wonderful group of women in Charlotte known as Sibella founded by a vivacious sister named Sybil. I love these ladies, my new sisters because they are artsy spiritual “one mind”, networking spiritual girls in Charlotte. The organization is going global so if you are a woman ready to realize your fulfilling dream Sibella is a great non-invasive easy support vortex of nonjudgemental non sectarian beauty lovin… Check us out at sibellaonline.org

I love what I see in me as I unwrap.

I love the summer cause we dress and move with vibrancy and vitality. Lots of skin with lots of fabric to stay fresh and fluttery. I love the dance of the cloth with the slightest movement of our bodies. I love the lightness of the cloth depicting our delicate nature. I love the vibrant colors and the greatness and majesty of white that comes across as clear light around our bodies.

What goes with the clothes can be much fun. The sun brings out a sense of celebration and relaxation. The sun brings us out of our wrappings internally and externally. It is great to unwrap ourselves to see what’s real.

This summer is my first early summer in Charlotte. I have a lot going on. The Show at Nnenna Freelon’s is June 23rd. I will be reestablishing the studio in July, and the National Black Arts Festival begins July 14th and ends the 23rd. I will be showing the last 5 days.

My friend Jackie Kakembo is going to Niger in a week for six weeks with Operations Crossroads Africa, and I will send some tee shirts for her to give to my artisan friends there to batik for Spirit Culture. They will be ready for Chicago Festival of the Arts Labor Day Weekend. They are great collectibles!

Silk screening is in my blood I know it. I will be creating some Spirit Culture products you’ll see them by this winter in the Collections Page of my website

I will be delighted to connect with a design partner here in Charlotte cause as I unwrap I find that I like to collaborate, I like partnership. I would love a partner to do yoga and meditation with and then embark upon our creative production work. So many ideas need to be crystalized and manifested. Yeah, it will be great to create and environment of gratitude and creative fulfilment with a partner.

I am experimenting with a spirit skirt/dress in mustardy color linen. The waist band rolls over for skirt and stands up to cover breasts for dress.

Thank you Gilles and Amshatar my angels.

I am getting anxious to be at Festival in Atlanta and Chicago. Festival is such an Amazing Experience. To see beautiful young families strolling with looks of hope and Black Joyousness. To see the elders walking with pride and smiles. To feel the prosperity and reciprocity of artist and clients. The atmosphere at festival is loaded with beautiful artwork that old friends and new friends have created. To holla and catch up with fellow artist and friends does so much for my heart.
Here is a snapshot of a Linen Spirit Dress that is “Celery Creme”.
I also promised photos of Amina’s Taureg Purses. These bags have long enough strap to hang across the body and hang at the hip. Price $45

I am currently building a line of Linen Spirit Dresses. They epitomize “Dressing Herbal” as a friend Sam Anderson once described my clothing. I have Spirit dresses in Vanilla Linen with Oat Linen panels. There is Avocado, Green Cabbage, and Lime Creme Lines. There is a Lemon Lime with Olive with real Bay Leaves in the Pocket. I have a beautiful cotton organdy Spirit Dress with all kind of intricate embroidery and raised cutwork. I will also make a pant that can be worn with the dresses for a longer leaner look. i know you want to see them so I will have pictures next week. Also I will have photos of the Taureg Purses from Amina in Niger, they are only $45 and super super cute. I have one and folk have been begging for one so I am so glad Amina got them to me.

Well, its taken over ten years and here on the last days of the first Lunar cycle of Spring AkibaSpiritCulture.com beams out in full radiance. Perfect Time. I think it is LOVELY, and I love the look of this Blog. Thank you Liya Kebede (my web designer), I knew that your beauty instincts and technical brilliance were the proper match for Spirit Culture. The five months of our friendship I refuse to let go of. Keep me posted on the best teas of the world, the haute couture fashion world, your ambassadorship to the World Health Organization, and your little ones.

I’ve been thinking about my Models throughout the years and my “new girls” in Charlotte. You sisters have given of your time and bodies so generously. I pray that the time we spent together in photo sessions have been fun and rewarding for you as well. Thank you for making my site BLING with your vibrance.

Thank you Jermaine and the AfroAmerican Cultural Center of Charlotte for being there for me. Photos from my first fashion show in Charlotte can be seen online at Photosouthpro.com, photographer Wayne Jernigan. And T. Ortega Gaines photographer for Charlotte Post November 4, 2005, I like what you did for me.

Thank you to my Photographers through the ages, most recently Ron Wilkins, and Moye.

Everyone Enjoy and Shop!

It was so invigorating to be in the company of my newborn granddaughter Raina Moriah, my youngest son Kamari, my daughter inlove Katie, and two year old grand daughter Mya just a few weeks ago. My baby Raina embodies Pure Spirit, that special feeling of newborns resonated so deep when I allowed myself to just be.

I told Katie, she has a dream husband. This boy has chef skills, cleans the kitchen, and happily bakes cookies from scratch. And oh yeah, every morning before he left for work at 6am he would write and leave for me a positive affirmation about how much God loves and supports me. I will post photos of this family in the days to come.

My Girls in Atlanta really took care of me in a real special way. Aba, Doris, Densua, Gwen, Atsede, Susan, Sandye and Alexis. These Sista Mama friends infused me with some ENERGY I needed. Especially Atsede and Densua. To feel these sisters handling their moment business was a vibe I needed to be in I just know that since I have been there I have become pretty again. I create my Vibration and I attract more of that vibration. GratitudeThe Photos were taken at my Trunk Show in Densua’s African Treasures at Macy’s Atlanta April 1, 2006. Mr. Wonderful Cheo and James gave us a wonderful Gumbo Meal to seal the evening. And Sandye thanks for your order.

How our work is finished is the real measure of quality.

I am so happy to enter spring 2006 with a website chiefly designed by Liya Kebede who is a super supermodel almost finished. Liya is super because she is a sista a mother and a humanitarian first and she has skills to take me to cyberspace in the style befitting Spirit Culture.

This site is a long journey that promises lots of beauty, great vibes, style, grace, joy and successful creative service to the world. Let me know how we can improve this website to serve you better.

I think the world is ready for festive urban couture online.

At my site you can buy online. Please call to inquire on one of a kind items and custom orders.

I am working on a series of Linen Spirit Dresses inspired by the Nomads of Niger, particularly the Taureg. I hope to learn to upload photos as I get them to allow you to experience a trunk show online.

Make sure and check my Tour schedule so that you can see when you can attend a live trunk show, or cal me if you would like to sponsor a private showing in your town.