By Malik Peay for Travel Noire
Widny Bazile came to the United States from her native country, Haiti, when she was only 12-years-old. Since then, she has created her own successful arts collective self-titled, Widnystudios. Now, the 24-year-old model, photographer, and creative director has made her way through New York and resides in Los Angeles where she is focusing primarily on building out her own handcrafted premium furniture line.
Widny Bazile left her small village in Haiti to find more opportunities in North America, leaving her father behind whom she calls frequently. Bazile took the cultural knowledge she learned from her native roots and used her expertise in braiding to build her own business.
She has an innate talent with her crafty hands and creative thinking to put together the most extravagant hair masterpieces which she has used on herself for campaigns, on models for editorial shoots, and now, is constructing mid-century furniture pieces that incorporate the hair-braiding techniques she learned from her upbringing in Haiti.
“The move to America from Haiti for me was exciting but nerve-wracking at the same time,” Widny Bazile told Travel Noire. “I was excited because I was about to make a life shift that was very important to me, but also I was nervous because I didn’t speak the English language. This is a whole different country with different people, different roles, and different laws. I kind of had to put myself in a little tiny box in a way to kind of fit in and adapt, so I could learn my way around.”Continue reading