Did you catch our Finale event of our Cultivate Awards Year II? Did you hear who took home the title and grand prize of our event? It is none other than
the creator of Barkwood and Pinecone Row, Charniece White!
What are the Cultivate Awards, you ask?
Well… let us catch you up! Last year, we debuted a program to help nurture and cultivate the foundation for plus size designers. One thing we have noticed over these past 13 years of The Curvy Fashionista, is that these indie plus size designers have literally been the lifeblood of style, the innovators of fashion, and the audacious ones who challenge societal norms of what plus size people want…
And as plus size fashion has grown, it has become even more important to support the indie designer ecosystem, bring awareness, and celebrate those who are pushing the envelope! Also? We’ve long been calling for the mainstream plus size retailers to do collabs with indie designers… we have!
So, when this opportunity presented itself, we knew that we had a chance to help provide various resources to them, and this is when The Cultivate Awards was born! With the support of Eloquii, we just debuted the collection from year one’s winner, Melissa Mercedes. Did you check it out?
Well, for year II of The Cultivate Awards, the finalists gave us range! We had contemporary, eveningwear, chic and sophisticated, as well as boho luxe options. Thanks to our mentor GabiFresh and esteemed Judges Susan Moses, Gwen DeVoe, and Yesenia Torres, we have our 2022 winner!
Meet Charniece White from Barkwood and Pinecone Row!
Born in Baltimore and raised in Howard County, Maryland, Charniece White (she/her) is an economist, curator, pattern maker, and full-package technical designer. She is NOT new to this, y’all!
Currently residing in Los Angeles, this indie designer has won it all! A $10,000 award, a capsule collection with Eloquii, and the title of 2022 Cultivate Awards Winner! In addition to the grand prize, she will also enjoy a new bed from Big Fig Mattress and Mentorship from VC friends of the brand!
“I really like juxtaposition and nostalgia. I love a good old/new, hard/soft, light/dark moment. I pull inspiration from my mother, aunts, grandmothers, and ancestors. I love to blend that aesthetic with the principles/elements of design that are most prevalent and of the moment, oftentimes in pop culture.”
Charniece White, Founder of Barkwood
Leathers, plaids, and prints- oh my!
Charniece is steadfast on creating pieces that are both versatile and thoughtful. She understands that “most women have things to do during the day, so they need to be comfortable, but also want to look fly and express themselves and their personalities through their clothing.”
“We’re so thrilled to be a part of this event for the second year now. Propelling diverse, up-and-coming talent in the plus-size fashion industry is a priority at ELOQUII. We have been so inspired by all four finalists this year, and we are really looking forward to working with grand prize winner, Charniece White to bring her collection to life and elevate her business.”
Yesenia Torres, Creative Director at ELOQUII
We cannot wait to see what Charniece creates with Eloquii! Aren’t you curious, too!?
And for our additional finalists?
Runner-up Anglea Rene’ and second runner-up Matthew Robinson are awarded a $2,500 scholarship grant each from ELOQUII. Third runner-up LeAndra “Elle” Dove is awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Each finalist will receive a bed by BigFig, mentorships by co-founder of Curvy Couture, Evora Russel and general partner at Realist Ventures Marie Rocha, and Shapermint provided prizing to the winner of the Voters Choice Awards!
Exciting, right?
Make sure you stay connected with us, as we will be bringing you all the deets on the collab, Year III Cultivate Awards, and more from the finalists and winner!
In the meantime…
You can shop Charniece White’s line, at PineConeRow.com!
We are also hyped for what is next for her Barkwood Clothing and PineCone Row collections! I am sure we are to see some newness here soon…
What do you think of our Year II winner of The Cultivate Awards? Have you played in her pieces before? Do you look forward to this collab?
Let us know what you think in the comments below!