Nagnouma Fofana was the first person in her family to be born in the United States of America. She comes from a large Muslim family of Guinean, Malian, and Senegalese descent. Born & Raised in the fashion capital of the world, specifically on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Fofana was always exposed to Fashion’s latest creations via billboards, television, or simply by crossing paths with New Yorkers every day. Her first big venture in fashion happened when she was just 15 years old. When her advisor told her to gather a group of classmates and enter a business competition, Fofana developed a brand called ‘Soul to Sole,’ where clients would be able to develop their own personalized shoes stemming from four blank canvases of a tennis shoe, a running shoe, a high heel, or a flat shoe. With every purchase, one pair of shoes would be donated to a child in need.

In 2018, she graduated with a BA in Linguistics. She is currently a program associate at New Girl City, which is the Lower Eastside Girls Club’s six-month citywide leadership initiative that teaches young women about civic action. She also has experience in the retail industry having worked for large corporations such as GAP Inc., Bloomingdales, and Macy’s.

A passionate humanitarian and activist, Fofana has used her voice to facilitate discussions combatting gender-based violence at the United Nations. In March of 2023, Fofana traveled to the Senate of the Republic of Mexico with Queen Mother Delois Blakely and a cohort of delegates to build sustainable peace between Latin America, The Carribean, Africa, and the entire African Diaspora. She is also the Co-founder of ‘The Nimba Project,’ through which she hopes to achieve justice for the exploitation of Guinean resources, particularly Bauxite.