We wrote a previous blog post about Korto Momolu but had to write another because she’s too big to give just one blog post to!
You may know Korto Momolu from Project Runway, but you may not know all about her interesting background. She was born in Monrovia, Liberia and lived with her family there until 1990. Sadly, they had to flee because of the civil war and they moved to Canada where she lived for 20 years. At L-Academies des Couturiers Design Institute in Ottawa, Ontario Korto found her calling and studied fashion design. She moved with her husband to Arkansas shortly after graduation to raise their daughter. She began designing beautiful women’s wear and accessories, which were prominently inspired by lush fabrics and her strong African roots. She continued her education at Parsons School of Design and also worked as an independent fashion designer, and followed her heart to Bravo TV’s Project Runway. There she secured a place on the show and won 1st runner up with her spring 2009 collection. Throughout the whole show she stood out as the designer who loved color and diversity. With this amazing talent she achieved the fan favorite prize.
Little Rock, Arkansas named November 13th Korto Momolu day after her success on Project Runway. She still sold her collections and accessories in Arkansas, and after the end of Project Runway she appeared on Project Runway All-Stars. Soon after, she collaborated with Madera Exotic Woods to design The Saba Collection. An exclusive line of beautiful and chic eco-friendly jewelry, and shortly turning into a fine jewelry line that is also eco-friendly called “Green Love”. “Green Love” was showcased in her Spring 2011 show at New York fashion week. She has been asked to make custom jewelry for Whitney Houston and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. New York Magazine featured her as one of the top 5 designers to watch for Fall 2010 collections at New York Fashion Week.
Korto Momolu has appeared in multiple magazines such as: People, an appearance and editorial in Kouture, LA Times, Southern Living, Essence, Washingtonian, Ladybrille.com, and InStyle.com. She also has editorials in Soutwest Airlines Spirit Magazine and Iconography magazine. She has been on the cover of Celebrate Magazine, Celebrity Parents Magazine and Little Rock Family Magazine along with her daughter. She’s appeared on multiple TV and radio appearances such as: the Monique Show, Regis and Kelly, The Wendy Williams Show, My Black Is Beautiful, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and CNN’s International’s African Voices.
Korto Momolu is very down to Earth and doesn’t consider herself a celebrity, instead she’s just following her dreams and doing what she loves. She knows women’s insecurities and uses her clothing to flatter not accentuate them. She is known for using rich beautiful colors and lots of beading, she’s a designer that can put something together that nobody else can. Korto Momolu is an amazing one-of-a-kind designer who has become a household name in such a short amount of time, she is only going up from here.
