Senegalese-American designer Mina Dia-Stevens has always cherished the beauty of her childhood summers in Africa. She was born in the bustling capital of Dakar and was raised biculturally in the U.S. and West Africa.
Her childhood memories greatly influence her life as a Creative…
The aromatic smells of traditional Senegalese cuisine of Thieboudienne (fish and rice).
The mbalax music and the vocal stylings of a young Youssou N’dour emanating from the doorways and vehicles of her childhood neighborhood of Colobane.
The colorful florals and fragrances of her Taunte’s garden; fresh with limes and brilliant red hibiscus flowers. 
The sounds, excitement, and colors of the “car rapide” whizzing by while transportation attendants shout “Dakar, Dakar, Dakar!” 
The clear blue waves crashing against the sides of the pirogue as the small, narrow boats dash across the Atlantic from mainland Dakar to the petite island of N’Gor.
The slow-moving ferry approaching the dock of the sacred island of Goreé; where the rushing waves reveal the faces of the lost souls of the middle passage and the ancestral voices of Goree island which called her to the entrepreneurial dream that is Royal Fulani Living™.
This is her beloved Senegal!
Mina's  journey also includes 20-plus years as a fashion educator; a life-long creative; and a design entrepreneur.
Her professional and personal background is extensive. She has spent years sharing the knowledge that she has acquired as a fashion designer and entrepreneur with the next generation of young creatives.
Her ambition is always to nurture, educate, and assist in forging the path and passion of the next great design professionals.
Not only has she shared her talent with well-known design firms in the fashion industry; ranging from her beginnings as an intern at Tommy Hilfiger in New York to working as a trend consultant in London, England; she also has years of experience as a design educator in secondary and post-secondary learning environments. 
Her journey as an educator involved researching, establishing, and implementing an extensive curriculum for 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade creatives in the area of fashion and textile design. In addition to nurturing student creativity; she developed a curricular component geared towards cultivating her students as young professionals; this included reinforcing the importance of creative accountability, professional etiquette, and social expectations within their class/work environments.
She was a faculty member for twelve years in the fashion department; at Moore College of Art and Design. She provided instruction to 3rd year and 2nd-year design students in the area of pattern making, construction, illustration, and concept design in the categories of menswear, swimwear, womenswear, and childrenswear.
Her professional experience includes various roles in the fashion industry; ranging from designing junior activewear apparel, shoe design, trend consulting abroad, and currently expanding her family’s West African textile business into the brand; Royal Fulani Living™.
Her personal philosophy as a creative and educator is based upon these words she vividly remembers as a child:
“You’ve always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.”
Glinda, The Wizard of Oz
This quote encompasses the mind, heart, and spirit of who she is as an African AND American Creative; and an educator of young visionaries. 

Bienvenue Beloved!