Maya Penn is amazing. That’s the impression I got of the young artist/designer/animator/philanthropist after we chatted about her latest honor. Maya is one of four inspiring teens chosen my Sprout to profile as part of the preschool network’s celebration Black History Month. In each profile, a talented teen is paired with a famous historical figure with a similar area of expertise. Maya was paired with Elizabeth Keckley, a designer who became the preferred designer and trusted friend of First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln. Check out Maya and Elizabeth’s feature here!!
Maya started her eco-friendly fashion company, Maya’s Ideas, at the age of 8. But not only is this young creator changing the world by making it more beautiful, she’s also protecting it and making it better for others. only does the talented designer reuse textiles and use eco-safe dyes, she also donates a portion of her profits to charities that support the environment and girls and women’s rights. And did I mention that Maya is only 15?
Jennifer Giddens, VP of Marketing at Sprout says that Maya is an obvious choice to highlight. “She is a budding entrepreneur whose story should be shared with the world to encourage kids and adults to embrace their talents and see what’s achievable by working hard. We want our viewers to see real life examples of kids today who are discovering their passion, defying the odds and thriving off determination — regardless of age or race — to be successful.”
Below is my inspiring conversation withe the young phenom. Remember the name Maya Penn, I predict we’ll be hearing it a lot!
Channel Guide Magazine: Hi there, Maya! thanks so much for taking time to speak with us today. I hope you had a great day at school.
Maya Penn: Oh yeah, thank you so much. I hope you’re having a great day so far.
CG: Congratulations on being featured on Sprout. How did you feel when Sprout first approached you for this feature for Black History Month?
MP: First of all, I was super excited because it was Sprout and I’ve watched Sprout since I was like maybe 8 or 9. I always loved Sprout, especially loved the Sunny Side Up show and Chica. So I was super excited to be a part of the Sprout Channel. I was also even more excited to be a part of their Black History Month series, because I would be able to inspire other kids watching, like me!
CG: Were you familiar with the work of Elizabeth Keckley beforehand and how does it feel to be paired with a designer like her?
MP: I actually didn’t know that much about her. I even asked my parents, and they didn’t know a whole lot about her. They’re these kind of unsung heroes that I think need more recognition not only during Black History Month, but all year round. I think her work is so amazing and I did my own research on her more because I thought her story was so incredible and I was just so honored to be paired with her for this piece on Sprout.
You started designing when you were 8 or 9; what fueled this passion?
MP: Ever since I was little, I’ve always had a creative or artistic spirit. I always loved just any type of visual art, whether it’s drawing or animating or clothing design or design; any kind of visual art I was just captivated by it, and I wanted to try to do it. So, I started making headbands for myself to wear, just out of fabric and stuff that’s lying around the house.
Eventually, people started saying, “Oh yeah, that’s really cute,” “You should sell them,” or “Do you have any for sale?” Or “Are there any that I can get anywhere?” So that gave me the idea to start my own company and it just really grew from there and I really just started out of curiosity.
CG: From what I’ve seen of you, art is everywhere in your life. How does art inspire you?
MP: Art inspires me constantly everyday. It basically it’s my reason for even getting up in the morning, to just go out there and create and to be artistic. It’s always just such a drive for me and to inspire others to be creative. I’m so happy that I’ve been able to — through Sprout — inspire a lot of the kids watching to be creative and try new things. Or they want to make clothing design, they can try designing their own clothes. I just want them to feel like whatever creative ideas they have, they can pursue them.
CG: Are there any designers that you admire and look to as influences?
MP: Stella McCartney and also this one line of clothing called “Eden.” Yeah, this one line of clothing called “Eden.” Those are two specific ones that I really admire a lot.
CG: Tell us about the eco-conscious nature of your clothing line…
MP: My line of clothing is eco-conscious because I use organic, recycled, and vintage materials in all of my designs. I use non-toxic fruit and vegetable dyes, and even herbal teas to dye my clothing sometimes. I also use non-toxic paint.
I also take 10-20% of the profits I make and donate them to charities and environmental organizations as well. So I try to incorporate eco-friendliness and philanthropy and giving back as much as I can in my company. That’s something that’s always been something I’ve been passionate about.
CG: Why are environmental awareness and advocacy important to you?
MP: That’s because of my parents. Ever since I was little, my parents instilled in me the desire to always give back in any way that you can to the environment. Like I say in my Sprout piece, “it’s our world and we all live in it,” so it’s now our job to take care of it too, to keep it happy and healthy. I think it’s really important to also teach kids the importance of being a good steward to the environment and giving back as well and how much interconnectedness there is in the world, and why it’s important to do that and to do good.
CG: What charities does your work support? What are some of the causes that are important to you?
MP: I do run my nonprofit called Maya’s Ideas 4 the Planet, but some other additional charities and nonprofits, organizations that I support are the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, Live Thrive, and One Billion Rising/V-Day. A lot of those are focused around the environment, giving back to the community, giving back to the creatures that live in our environment, like animals, and keeping habitats healthy and also one of the organizations is for girls’ and women’s’ rights. So those are kind of just to sum up the main causes that I support, and those are a few of the charities or organizations that do that.
My nonprofit focuses around a lot of that as well. I’m working on a lot of projects. Right now I’m working on a project where I have created eco-friendly sanitary pads for girls in developing countries. I’ve partnered up with two organizations so far for the distribution of the pads. One organization is called MedShare and the other one is called Youth Action Without Borders. I just got a shipment sent to Senegal not too long ago, so I’m super excited about that and I’m trying to grow that project.
CG: On your website, I have seen celebrities wearing some of your clothing items and that’s got to be a thrill. How does it feel to not only see celebrities wearing your clothes, but everyday girls just like you?
MP: It’s always such an amazing feeling when someone really loves and appreciates my love and hard work that I put into each of my items and wants to give it a new home. That’s such an amazing feeling for me and I’m really happy that I’ve been able to repurpose a piece of fabric and turn it into something new and beautiful and give it to someone that really wants it, you know? It feels really awesome and that’s always been my goal since I was little, along with giving back.
CG: Is there anyone who you just dream of designing for?
MP: Hmm… That’s actually kind of a unique question. I don’t really get that question a lot. I really don’t, I really have no idea right now. I just always have this thing of I just want to share my designs with the world, you know?
CG: When kids are watching this Sprout interstitial, what are you hoping that they will learn from you?
MP: What I hope that kids will take away from my Sprout piece is that no matter how old you are, who you are, where you come from, or what your background is, you can always follow your dreams and make them become a reality. Even from something really small like making headbands from fabric scraps around your house. I think that that, along with that it’s important to give back and always do the right thing, especially through whatever it is that you’re passionate about. Those are some things that I really want the kids to take away when they watch my piece.
CG: In ten years, Maya, what do you imagine you’ll be doing?
MP: My answer to that question is always something creative and something that leaves a positive impact on the world, because those are always two things that I always strive to do no matter what passion I’m pursuing or what projects I’m working on. I always want to do something that’s really creative and something that also gives back or inspires others or just makes a positive impact in general. So that’s something that I’m really passionate about and that I always want to do.
CG: WOW! Tell us more about your book!
MP: Well, I wrote the book over the course of a year, 2014, I believe, up to 2015. I kind of just wrote it like a journal, starting out. I basically, when you read the book, you’re going to definitely tell that this book is a lot like me. It’s almost like you’re reading a journal or a diary except it’s not only filled with lots of stories and lots of things that I’ve learned on my journey, but also what you can take away from what I’ve learned not through only running a business, but also just being a kid and a teen in the world, in general, too.
I guess how even if you don’t what you’re passionate about, even if you don’t know if you have a passion, how you can still find your creative spirit and really tap into that, and how you can make an impact on the world whether it’s big or small, it’s any positive impact. It’s something that I’m sure a lot of kids and teens can relate to and so I’m super excited about it.
CG: Congratulations on all your success, Maya. You really are an inspiration, and I can see why it was a no-brainer for Sprout to pick you to profile because you are someone that other kids are going to be really excited to meet.
MP: Thank you so much!
Are you inspired by Maya and want to know more about this woman who is changing the world? You can catch Maya on Sprout’s Sunny Side Up show on February 22 at 11:50am ET.