Bolanle Dahunsi first started sewing at age 12 or 13, helped by her mother who owned a sewing business in Nigeria. After discovering a career in banking wasn’t the right fit for her, Bolanle attended a fashion institute and started her own fashion design business, creating custom clothing for clients.
Today, Bolanle is completing her PhD in apparel design at the University of Minnesota, where she recently taught “Cultural Influences and the Nigerian Fashion Industry.” Bolanle developed the course for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) through its partnership with Culture Corps.
A program of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), Culture Corps supports international students who develop projects and initiatives that bring global perspectives to campus.
“Designing a course from scratch for OLLI was an invaluable experience,” Bolanle said. “It gave me what I was missing—developing coursework, slides, and a syllabus.”
Read the rest of Bolanle’s story in The Culture of Fashion.
Photo courtesy Bolanle Dahunsi
