A 2025 FSF x Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholar and senior in Fashion Studies Product Development at Columbia College Chicago, Shamya Banks approaches design as a practice rooted in care, cultural memory, and emotional presence. She centers the idea of home and personal space as places of grounding and connection, drawing from the craft traditions passed down in her family.
In addition to her studies, she serves as a fashion peer tutor and is the Founder of SB Myndful, a creative initiative exploring mindful making and intentional living. She also recently completed a Design internship with Crate & Barrel, where she gained hands-on experience translating material, form, and atmosphere into everyday environments and objects.
Below, Shamya reflects on the early influences that shaped her creative foundations, the leaders who guide her perspective, and the future she hopes to help cultivate through thoughtful, people-centered design.
Shamya’s FW 2025 collection, MAMA SATURN, photographed for The Lab Magazine, centering the connection between ancestral matriarchal strength and the winter season. Photos courtesy of Aliya Brown, @lyportfo
Fashion Scholarship Fund: What is your earliest memory of being inspired by fashion?
Shamya Banks: I lived vicariously through playing with Bratz and Barbie dolls with my sisters. I made outfits inspired by shows like Eve and Girlfriends. Fashion quickly became tied to self-expression and imagination for me.
FSF: Who or what has influenced your fashion journey the most?
SB: I believe deeply in ancestral wisdom. I am the descendant of neighborhood seamstresses and tailors from Panama and Georgia, and my mom taught me how to sew when I was young. Craft is in my lineage. I’ve always been able to pick up technical skills because it’s simply in me.
FSF: If you could collaborate with any three designers or creative leaders, who would they be and why?
SB: Issey Miyake, Solange Knowles, and Tosin Oshinowo. Miyake’s work reflects philosophy and the human experience in such an intentional way. Tosin Oshinowo designs with cultural tradition, respect for nature, and social consciousness at the forefront, which I admire deeply. And Solange is a model for what it means to honor craft, taste, and artistic experimentation.
FSF: How would you describe your personal style?
SB: Earthy, jazzy, fluid.
FSF: What are three things you can’t live without?
SB: Glasses, loafers, tea.
FSF: What is a quote or mantra that guides you?
SB: “Aham Brahmasmi,” a Sanskrit mantra meaning “The core of my being is the ultimate reality.” It reminds me that I am connected to everything, including God, in infinite ways.
Shamya at the 2025 FSF Live Gala. Photo courtesy of Shamya Banks
FSF: What role has mentorship played in your journey?
SB: Mentorship has opened doors and helped me take intentional steps. My mentors have offered guidance, knowledge, and opportunities at pivotal moments.
FSF: What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your fashion journey so far?
SB: Iteration is essential. Ideas need time to breathe. The editing process is where creativity thrives.
FSF: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
SB: Bet on yourself. You’re stronger than you think.
FSF: What do you want your impact on the fashion industry to be?
SB: I want to design in ways that consider how people feel in and around what surrounds them. Whether it’s a garment, furniture, tableware, or a space, I want to create environments for community, rest, and joy. My work is about honoring the emotional and philosophical layers of design.
FSF: What are the biggest issues you’d like the fashion industry to address?
SB: Overproduction and exploitation. I want to see more value placed on social impact and human care, rather than endless output.
FSF: What’s the most valuable skill the Fashion Scholarship Fund has taught you?
SB: Confidence and the ability to advocate for myself.
📲 Follow Shamya’s journey: LinkedIn | @shamyaonthemoon | SB Myndful
