Brooklyn-based Crochet Artist Nacinomod Deodee grew up in Dominica, in the Caribbean south-south-east of Guadeloupe.
He explains: “Life in the Caribbean is craft driven. People are creative in all kinds of ways. You learn how to use your hands growing up. The vibe of the people is one of creative energy and natural ingenuity.”
He recalls how his mother and aunt were always crocheting and how he was intrigued by it. “They would make doilies and really fine lace work. It was always in my direct vision. When I was 7 years old, I asked my mother to show me how to crochet. I remember sitting down on her bed and trying to do the chain stitch. But I got discouraged because the thread was so fine and the hook was very small.”
At 19, while attending City College in NYC, he picked up the hook again and started to create hats. A friend noticed his work and asked him if he was willing to create pieces for an artist in the music industry, Erykah Badu.
So, he found himself creating crochet pieces for Badu and several other artists who were the “nucleus of the wave of Neo-Soul artists”.
His work has appeared at Caribbean Fashion Week and Brooklyn Fashion Week.
He considers himself as a Crochet Artist and Garment Maker. “My pieces are sculpted. Art constructed into a garment. It happens simultaneously. I create in an artistic medium. What inspires me is the unconventional. Pushing the envelope musically and visually.”
Visit Nacinimod Deodee’s Facebook page.
