2025 Highlights

The Voyage Begins

We opened the year by introducing Voyage, a concept rooted in movement, memory and soul, starting with a family trip to Marrakech that inspired silhouettes, colors and textures. The Madina Dress came to life from leftover fabric and our zero waste mission, and the Tubi Dress started its journey as a convertible favorite. We also celebrated a beautiful milestone with our debut at Anthropologie Weddings, marking the beginning of a dream filled year.

A Love Letter To My Senegal

In Saly, Senegal, I reimagined our family villa by filling it with upcycled decor, art and memories, turning Maison Blu into a space that holds both heritage and heart. This project reminded me that creativity is not limited to clothing but lives in the places we rest, gather and dream.

I also spent a lot of time in the studio in Senegal. I worked closely with my mom on new silhouettes and began building more rigorous systems around product development.

Imagine creating 17-page tech packs for a dress and then having to explain to artisans who can't read why every detail matters, while also honoring the fact that their knowledge, intuition, and craftsmanship are often far more valuable than any Excel spreadsheet. At the same time, I was trying to introduce a mindset of consistency in production.

It was challenging, to say the least. But it also clarified something very real for me about why scaling artisan production is so complex. I ultimately decided to expand production in India for more technically demanding styles that require precision and repeatability, while continuing to empower our teams in Senegal to focus on what they love, understand deeply, and create with joy.

For the first time, I truly understood that growth matters, but only when it honors how people learn, work, and take pride in what they make.

Feeling Very Special This Spring

Forbes honored me among Black Women shaping global travel, fashion and sustainability, a grounding moment that encouraged me to keep trusting the journey.

We released Palmera, our spring collection filled with hand painted prints and movement inspired silhouettes shot in a sunlit Cape Town villa.

Blessed by Our New York Community

In New York, we hosted a beautiful evening at Fasano that brought together friends, muses and creatives for an intimate celebration of community, storytelling and bold prints. The room was filled with Senegalese inspired flavors, deep conversations and the kind of connection that reminds me why I do this work.

I was also invited as a panelist at FIT's Sustainability Summit, a sweet full circle moment that allowed me to share our journey with students, and hearing Elizabeth Way introduce DIARRABLU as "the fashion company of the future that is needed now" was a proud reminder that unconventional paths still lead us exactly where we are meant to be.

Falling in love with Miami

Miami brought celebration, rhythm and vibrant energy as our muses joined us at Casa Neos in custom pieces handcrafted by our Senegalese artisans, turning the night into a living expression of culture, movement and joy.

We also launched KEA, a serene summer collection inspired by soft island mornings and sun washed palettes, offering effortless silhouettes designed for warm days and slow living.

More Love, Market Week and New Dreamscapes

Voyage Dreamscapes expanded our storytelling into imagined villas and interiors inspired by our prints, blending architecture and pattern into visual worlds. It was a reminder that design is a doorway and imagination always has room to grow.

Also my mom came to join me for Resort 26 market in New York and it was so special. She and I spent months developing the collections and for the first time ever she got to meet the buyers whose name she always sees on emails. She met the Shopbop Team on the same day as Felita Harris from Raise fashion and this group photo of us is such a beautiful memory I will cherish.

Slowing Down in Hawaii

A peaceful escape to Hawaii added softness and gratitude to the year. It was a month that taught me that beauty sometimes arrives quietly and strength often grows in stillness. I started falling in love with slowing down, dancing more and investing more time into my fitness and relationships again. It felt like a rebirth.

Incredible Moments at NYFW

September marked one of our biggest milestones as we unveiled TUKKI, our Fall Collection, at the RAISEfashion NYFW Showcase in a see now buy now format alongside a curated selection of DIARRABLU signatures.

The evening before, we hosted an intimate candlelit dinner at Forgione in Tribeca, co hosted with Camille Darby of Vogue, gathering an extraordinary circle of leaders, creatives and muses dressed in unreleased pieces for a night rooted in connection, sisterhood and shared inspiration. It was a defining moment for our community and a powerful reminder of how far this journey has come.

And to crown it all, seeing DIARRABLU illuminated on Times Square screens made the moment unforgettable. I will never forget September 2025!

Recovering and Hibernating

After the intensity of the past month, I realized I needed to pause. I spent more time at home, more time with friends, and more time listening to myself. I chose rest without guilt. October was about reconnecting with my inner world and remembering that creativity needs quiet, and vision needs space. It reminded me that slowing down is not a step back, but how I make sure I'm moving in the right direction.

Resort 26 and a New Miami Home

In November we returned to Miami with so much excitement as we opened our first residency at Curio at Faena Bazaar, hosting a special event that brought together our community for an intimate celebration of craft, light and movement.

We debuted SOLAY, our new resort collection inspired by warm nights and sun kissed days, featuring pieces like the hand-beaded Satu Dress that honor time, artistry and intention. It felt like both an ending and a beginning, closing the year with gratitude and opening a new chapter rooted in beauty and possibility.

Slowing Down, Teaching, Reflecting

I went and taught at Stanford where I shared the math of my resort 26 collection as math concepts for master students who will become future teachers. I also spoke on panels about education, mathematical mindsets and how approaching math creatively truly creates a more level playing field in education. I will share more about all of this in a dedicated blog post next year.

In December, I also meet with my team more often, shared gratitude for 2025, for how they helped me grow as a better leader and taught me to trust them more. I also focused on looking at the business truly, not just in terms of vanity metrics like press and accolades, but surgically in terms of numbers, margins, strategy and growth opportunities. I am learning so much and in 2026 I am excited to build a company that can start to run without me. I want to do this for the rest of my life, but for the first time ever, I want it to have a life of its own, shaped by a solid team, scalable systems, a beautiful community and the love of a supportive family. I now understand what it means to be a visionary founder, and my vision is so big, it can't even fit in my heart. I am so beyond excited and grateful to you all for making this life possible

With love,