Photos courtesy of Keiona Cook
girl with iron
Anyone who knew Keiona Cook when she learned to sew at age 6 wouldn’t have been surprised to learn she would later pursue a future in design. But when it was time to apply for college, she was hindered by the cost. Many told her to put her goal of attending her dream school (Savannah College of Art and Design, or SCAD) to bed, but she persisted, writing letters to prominent people, nonprofits, and corporations in the Twin Cities until eventually receiving enough to pay for her first quarter of college.
The hustle continued during her freshman year as she began building and showcasing an impressive portfolio—which ultimately landed her enough grants and loans to cover the rest of her four-year tuition. Cook was the only Black woman to receive a bachelor of fine arts in fashion design in the year of her graduation.
Today, Cook’s paying it forward by using her skills and experiences to help others in her North Loop–based nonprofit Lovely’s Sewing and Arts Collective, an organization designed to unify communities through her craft. “I always dreamed of being able to help provide kids the opportunities that I didn’t have,” she says.
Through Cook’s arts collective, students pay $300 a month and receive four three-hour-long classes that include a healthy lunch, yoga, meditation, and hands-on sewing classes. She and her team not only help students create garments but also teach entrepreneurial skills through lessons in financial literacy, money management, and opening or adding to a savings account.
“What’s beautiful about the classes is they attract kids from all over,” says Cook, who wanted to give others a diverse experience. Lovely’s draws students from across the metro—north Minneapolis, Annandale, Maple Grove, and Lakeville. “It’s important to shift the mindsets of kids and their parents about certain neighborhoods and communities through collaboration.”
kids practicing yoga
Cook’s hands-on classes also include a healthy lunch and yoga.
Keiona Cook
Since opening Lovely’s, Cook has embarked upon a mission to raise awareness and funding for keeping the lights on. Eighty percent of all money raised through micro-grants and monthly tuition funnels back into the collective to ensure students have the right food, materials, and equipment. Her latest investment? A school bus that she plans to transform into a mobile sewing shuttle for pop-up classes and events.
“It’s some of the most rewarding work I’ve ever done,” says Cook. “Every day we have the opportunity to change the world, and I believe it can be done by planting seeds in kids.”
121 Washington Ave. N., Mpls., lovelyssewing.org
