From sketchbook to Starbucks: The story behind the newest artist collaboration merch
Meet artist Shadé Akanbi, the print and textile designer behind Starbucks latest merchandise collaboration, available in U.S. Starbucks stores starting July 8.
Shadé Akanbi found herself in a creative rut during the midst of the pandemic. As a print and textile designer who draws inspiration from global travel, she found the confinement of COVID creatively stifling. She started a “Pattern of the Dae” daily art practice and posted each one to her followers on social media.
“So much of what I create comes from my cultural background and my travels,” Akanbi said. “During quarantine, I needed to keep my creative muscles toned and moving.”
She gave herself three rules:
- Once I start sketching, I have to finish.
- I do one every day.
- There are no mistakes.
“Art has always been my anchor. It was a grounding exercise.”
Shadé Akanbi
Each day, Akanbi opened a new page of her sketchbook. She would start with a ruler for geometric patterns but would often just keep going freehand – filling both sides with colorful patterns using paint pens, gouache and markers.
“People got really into it and started tagging me with their own patterns,” she said. “It created a community.”
Akanbi, who is second-generation Nigerian American, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in a home filled with colorful textiles and patterns. Her first trip to Nigeria as a teenager was transformative, and she has returned to the continent time and time again.
I love going back to the [African] continent – I’ve traveled to the west, east, north and south,” she said. “We’re more alike than different, and art connects us.”
With every visit, she spent time in markets and workshops and saw textile weavers and beaders at work. She watched as they created patterns that go back hundreds of years, passed down over the generations by conversation and connection.
“In my art, there are so many little pieces of me and stories of places I’ve been. I hope this collection sparks the curiosity to travel more or taps into a memory, like it does for me,” she said.
Akanbi’s collection of drinkware is available at participating U.S. stores for a limited time, while supplies last.
Berber Diamond, 24-ounce plastic cold cup
Akanbi’s Berber Diamond cold cup is inspired by traditional handmade rugs in Morocco, in North Africa. The charm that adorns the straw is modeled after batik bone beads made by West African and Kenyan tribes.
“Batik beads originated in Ghana and Kenya but have traveled globally – I love that they’re nomadic,” Akanbi said. “There’s so much history and love in these handmade goods.”
Kente Stripe, 12-ounce tumbler
The Kente Stripe tumbler was based on one of her patterns of the day – inspired by Kente cloth, a Ghanian woven cloth made from strips of silk and cotton.
“I’m very earthy, but I love a good pop of color,” Akabi said. “It’s warm, inviting and energizing. The color can carry the print.”
Batik Beads, 24-ounce stainless steel cold cup
Akanbi’s stainless steel cold cup features swirling strings of batik beads against a bronze backdrop.
“I have these batik beads that hang on my desk and I wanted to make something that says ‘me,’” she said. “The bronze anchor color came from my love of copper jewelry. I’ve collected copper jewelry from Senegal, Mexico, Kenya. This feels personal and beautiful. I hope people connect with it.”
