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of Haiti being colorful, and I wanted an
image of the Haiti that I know. Patricia
understood that because of her Haitian
descent.”
Brintle, who now lives in Whitestone,
Queens, moved from Haiti to Jackson
Heights in 1964. Her first memory of interacting
with art is visiting a gallery right
across the street from her parents’ bookstore
in Port-au-Prince. The gallery owner
encouraged her to draw and paint, and
she recalls using the charcoals her family
cooked with to sketch on any suitable
surface.
“One of the reasons why Dayanne and
I came together was because she was
thinking about women and how resilient
women are,” Brintle said. “She felt that in
Haiti, hopes resided within women. She
wanted a scarf that represents the colors
of Haiti, the strength of women and how
they are able to get together.”
In addition to the scarf, the Rassemble
collection includes coasters and beaded
handbags. Brintle makes the coasters in
Queens, and Bien Abyé hires a group
of mostly female Haitian artisans to produce
the beaded bags as it was important
to Danier to make her product in a
community of impact.
“A job means so much to these women.
It means sending their kids to school,
being able to feed their family,” Danier
said. "I know the women who create Bien
Abyé. I see their faces. I train them. I talk
to them every day. I’ve taken my Godgiven
talent of designs and business and
transformed the lives of people that are
very tangible to me. That is impact. That
is philanthropy in a business.”
To Danier, it’s significant that women
have conceptualized, designed and produced
the products.
“Two women have come together with
this idea to get behind women and the
producers are women. It’s the essence of
the idea, ‘Who run the world? Girls.’ This
energy keeps bouncing and impacting
more and more,” Danier said.
The Rassemble products are perfect
for anyone who loves colors and the
representation of strong women, but
also anyone who wants to make a difference.
The proceeds of Danier and Brintle’s
creations are split between Danier’s
nonprofit, Fleur de Vie, and Brintle’s
nonprofit, From Here to Haiti. Fleur de
Vie concentrates on building programs
and helping not-for-profits take action
in education, health and environmental
sustainability, while From Here to Haiti
focuses on rebuilding communities affected
by the earthquake.
Recently, the same artisans who make
Bien Abyé handbags finished making
thousands of masks for Fleur de Vie to
distribute in Haiti to protect locals from
the coronavirus.
“Being a founder of a nonprofit during
these times is not easy when everyone is
trying to save money. Rassemble has
helped relieve the stress tremendously
in many ways,” Danier said.
The Rassemble collection is available
for purchase at dayannedanier.com.
Shoppers have the choice of enjoying
the design on a tote, print, clutch, coasters
or, of course, the signature silk scarf.
Photos courtesy of Dayanne Danier
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