My name is Adneisha R. White-Gunabalasingam. I am a native of Los Angeles, CA, and transplant to San Francisco, CA. In December 2019, I completed my Master of Arts degree in Fashion Journalism at the Academy of Art University. Not only is my degree one of my proudest accomplishments, but it also represents a change in career path that includes nearly a decade as an educator, a background in Fashion Merchandising, working in apparel wholesales and allocations, and leading to my studies with AAU.

The work presented in this portfolio is a synthesis of my relationship with fashion, representation, and innovation filtered through the lens of an African-American/Black woman. It was a disconnect with the mainstream and a lack of meaningful representation in the industry that frustrated and turned me away from fashion publications. However, instead of surrendering to that frustration, I took the position that for change to occur Black representation must go beyond surface-level tokenism to be able to advocate for Black creatives, so that their messages do no lose their power, meaning, and remain untainted. With this belief in mind, I pursued my master’s degree with AAU.

My work chronicles how my motivation shaped my other projects outside of journalism: from developing effective marketing plans and thoughtful social media strategies to informing creative direction, and even inspiring visual commentary. The pieces presented have pushed me to dig deeper and reevaluate my rationale creatively, pragmatically, and strategically to create authentic work that I am pleased to share.

Additionally, while at AAU, my other accomplishments include:

• Establishing the role and becoming the first secretary of the Black Student Union (BSU).
• Establishing, creatively directing, and co-hosting the first BSU radio show on AAU’s Urban Knight Radio station.
• My documentary, “Soft/Hard,” being featured in the 2018 Spring Show.
• Getting published with the AAU fashion blog, “Fashion School Daily.”

Moving forward, it is my goal to continue to create and write from my perspective while using my talents to promote Black creativity, talent, and ambition. Furthermore, I would like to use my skills towards developing copy for brands seeking to refine their voice and image while reflecting the zeitgeist.

Since starting my degree three and a half years ago, I have not only grown as a writer and creative, but I have had the added joy of growing personally becoming a wife and mother. My final, and greatest motivation has been to leave behind a body of work that will someday inspire my daughter to use her voice to contribute to society in her own meaningful way.