Ayani ‘Yanni’ Brumfield: Mode Brut Spotlight
Photo by Rob Williamson
Meet designer and model Ayani ‘Yanni’ Brumfield
Ayana ‘Yanni’ Brumfield is a Black, queer, non-binary, multimedia artist from Oakland, California. They are a community activist, public speaker, and event producer. Many of Brumfield’s works for the Mode Brut collection combine untouched original artworks with prideful design elements.
To create their Mode Brut line, Brumfield partnered with a small group of Black CE artists, all of whom have roots in the Bay Area community. Drawings, paintings and words provided by Joseph “JD” Green, Vincent Jackson, and Gerald Wiggins bring life and heart to streetwear basics designed for queer and non-binary people.
Fierce, with a radical and limitless tone, Brumfield explores themes of identity, freedom of expression, gender non-conformity, and body positivity. The line encourages the act of self-love, proving that you can be any version of yourself and express that in any way you like.
Their collection is a statement on Black queer acceptance and celebration. In creating the collection alongside CE artists Brumfield details, “I have been blown away with the amount of talent at my fingertips that I am able to engage with. The amount of support there is refreshing.”
Brumfield’s installation encourages the viewer to think about what it means to be Black, queer, and visible in today’s America. One wall of their display features a list of names of Black trans people who were victims of crimes. The line and installation encourages reflection while celebrating the power of resilience and the importance of Black queer representation. The artwork by Green, Jackson, and Wiggins fuse seamlessly with Brumfield’s vision for an inclusive fashion line, taking the familiar and making it their own.
Photo by Henrik Kam
Yanni was drawn to work with three of CE’s Black artists and describes their inspiration in working with them:
“Firstly, I was attracted to how intrinsic the artwork was, and detailed. Some of their pieces stuck out to different versions of myself. JD [Joseph “JD” Green] does such a great job at pulling you in and holding not only your attention but your emotions. I knew immediately I wanted to work with him and fell in love with his work.
Vincent [Jackson] reminded me of joy and beauty and how it is perceived. His work gives me a deep feeling of nostalgia in my gut and I knew I had to work with him. Gerald’s [Wiggins] work feels like a classic piece of art to me – so easy to appreciate and you can’t take your eyes off it - you find new meaning every time you look at his work. Overall, these are three Black men, and I wanted to work with Black artists for this project, especially with the revolution that is happening.”
“As an artist I like to examine and explore people who look like me, and I don’t see that as much. ”
Creativity Explored artist Joseph “JD” Green describes the Breonna Taylor leather jacket as one of his favorites from the collaboration. Green was worked with Brumfield to comment on Black identity and police brutality.
The pieces from Brumfield’s Mode Brut collection reflect an intersection between queer, disabled, and Black identities, drawing from their own experiences and from the experiences of CE artists.
Brumfield is the founder of the annual Limitless Queer Fashion Show, which prioritizes increasing representation of queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people in the fashion industry.
Brumflied regularly walks in New York fashion week, have been featured in Teen Vogue, Vogue, Allure, Paper Magazine, among others. Brumfield also curates discussion circles, food drives, and nightlife events; their life’s work is to uplift and to help others find their confidence and live authentically.
See “'Generations of Resistance': San Francisco begins Pride celebrations” on ABC7 to learn about the Limitless Queer Fashion Show and hear more from Brumfield.
To experience Ayana “Yanni” Brumfield’s collection created with CE artists, visit Mode Brut at the Museum of Craft and Design, on view through January 22, 2022. All garments are available for sale, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the artists and CE – download the price list.