Louis Boria (04/19/2020): Diversity & making the most of your moment

This last Sunday (04/19/2020) my guest was be Louis Boria—AKA Brooklyn Boy Knits. Louis has recently recovered from the Coronavirus. And we were lucky to have him on the show.

We talked about a lot of things. We talked about his Tedx Talk. We talked about how and where he grew up. We talked about overcoming social norms. We talked about his advocacy work within the BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities.

Louis Boria's Bio: Louis Boria—AKA Brooklyn Boy Knits is a self-taught fiber artist who has been in the industry for 12 years. In 2017, Louis went viral after being photographed on a NYC subway by actress/singer, Frenchie Davis. With his newfound fame, Louis decided to use his social media platform to do something positive and so began working with local New York public schools, teaching children to knit.  He has worked closely with with campaigns such as Hat Not Hate, Cancer Awareness Programs at New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital and with LGBTQIA young adults by promoting knitting as a therapeutic outlet. As well as working in the community, Louis is a knitwear Designer of both custom pieces and knitting patterns that range in style from streetwear design to runway couture.

In April 2019 Louis did his first Tedx Talk, “Making The Most of Your Moment”. Later that year, he became one of the founding members of Soho Publishing’s Diversity Advisory Council which was set up to address the lack of diversity and inclusion in the fiber arts industry. The following year he organized the Kaleidoscope Fashion Show at Vogue Knitting Live in New York, which showcased the works of up and coming knitwear designers. He has also taught at STITCHES Events and spoke as part of a diversity panel at STITCHES Midwest 2019.

Louis believes in building up our community one stitch at a time.

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During the show we talked about a lot of things. Here are the resource links to some of those things...
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• Making the most of your moment | Louis Boria | TEDxChelseaPark: 
  ​https://youtu.be/9riJICQWw74
  
  
• Brooklyn Boy Knits:
  https://www.brooklynboyknits.com/once-upon-a-knit 
  
  
• Massallo Shawl Kits: for the Massallo Shawl KAL
  https://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/kits/MadelinetoshMassalloShawl.asp
  
  
• The Massallo Shawl pattern by Louis Boria:
  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-massallo-shawl

 

• The Massallo Shawl KAL:
  https://www.instagram.com/p/B-P-bs3pIoV/?igshid=6b96p98p6aa7

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