Meet Destiney Mohammed: Founder & CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Destiney Mohammed and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Destiney, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’ve always been what people call creative. It only makes sense that whatever business I created had an artistic and abstract feel. Design is at the center of everything that I do. We consider ourselves the pioneers of the cultured diaper. What the cultured diaper is, is a cloth diaper with an artistic and cultural significance to it.

What should our readers know about your business?
Cultured Diapers is a retro-themed cloth diaper brand. Inspired by the elements of the Black Arts Movement we uniquely design themes that integrate the arts in it’s presentation. Through our philanthropic arm, Cultured Babes we seek to normalize cloth diapering in underserved communities. Recognized by the City of Detroit we emphasize the importance of access, education and storytelling surrounding cloth diapering.

In 2014, Cultured Diapers simply originated as a baby shower gift for underserved pregnant women in Detroit. At the time I was a volunteer birth doula and I needed a gift. Back then, modern-day cloth diapers looked completely different than they do today. So, I decided to pioneer what I call a “cultured diaper.” It was a cloth diaper that simply represented black culture. The design was simple; it had kente cloth outer. At the time I didn’t recognize that it would become a tool for advocacy for black natural families in the cloth diaper world.

Over the years, once I formed the business I noticed I wasn’t getting much buzz from the community. I realized, I was not marketing to the natural black families. I was marketing to underserved moms who had no access or education surrounding cloth diapers. This drove Cultured Diapers in a different direction; our focus became driven back to service.

We launched our Alpha Kappa Alpha-themed Pretty Cultured Diaper Cover. It was launched during AKA’s International MLK Day of Service, the 113th Founders Day and the inauguration of Vice President Harris. We partnered with a local black woman-owned diaper bank and donated one diaper cover per every sale. We executed a plan to reinvest 20% of all proceeds into developing a culturally appropriate pocket guide to support cloth diaper, non-cloth diaper and future cloth diapering families. It was a success with multiple donations and sales. We also collaborated with another black woman-owned cloth diapering brand in California on a Jingle-Jangle-inspired collection. Not only did we get kudos for our lovely ankara fabric, we also received a stamp-of-approval from the producer of Jingle Jangle, Lynn Sission-Talbert. More recently, our cultured diapers will be featured in the MochaBox created by a local Lactation Consultant to promote, empower, educate, and support black pregnant and breastfeeding families.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, that’s a no brainer I would first take them to the the Heidelberg Project. The Heidelberg Project is one of my favorite places in the world. The background of what shaped creator’s reasonings for creating is what is so moving to me. When I’m down I go there. When I’m up I go there. And when I’m in the mood to be creative I go there. This place holds so much significance for me because it was derived out of that 1967 riots here in Detroit in direct response to what have become of his neighborhood. I would also take my friend to some of my favorite spots in the city that are historically entertaining like Baker’s Keyboard Lounge or or Berts for some good ol karaoke. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to recognize one of the most creative people I know, my Auntie Narvie is one of the most creative people I have ever met. In fact she helped to cultivate my love of creating, designing and art. When I was a little girl I would spend so much time with her and her basement doing all type of creative projects. I remember going to her basement and it being the equivalent to what the chocolate factory maybe for little kids or Disney World. There was so much material from fabrics to different crafts. Just in the materials that she had in her basement alone wasn’t enough to cultivate my creativity. She helped me be curious in what design looks like for me. She helped me implement my design in such away that her ideas did not impede on the ideas or designs that I have. My Auntie Narvie I created the possibility of creative designs through abstract art.

Website: CulturedDiapers.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cultureddiapers/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destineym/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=cultured%20diapers

Image Credits
Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press