In celebration of its 100th anniversary, Disney has announced Nigerian-American designer Taofeek Abijako as a visionary who will be a part of its Create 100 program. The initiative will allow creators to reimagine classic Disney characters and stories that they resonate with. The selected visionaries spanning industries such as fashion, art, film, and also music are set to create 100 unique items that will be donated and then auctioned to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish foundation.
Initially kicking off back in July, the Create 100 program first revealed a Mickey Mouse character contributed by Virgil Abloh Securities, according to Hypebeast. Designed by ALASKA ALASKA the multi-colored Mickey sculpture was inspired by the late Virgil Abloh‘s original artwork he previously created for CHAOS Magazine.
Abijako created a piece inspired by Winnie The Pooh, a beloved Disney character. In his Create 100 promotion video with Disney, he says that the character had a uniform of a red top, and that resonated with his brand Head Of State as Abijako loves the idea of a uniform.
“Stuart Vevers, the creative director for Coach, actually selected us for [the program]. The design process was quite seamless for my team and me,” Abijako tells ESSENCE.com. “We naturally gravitated towards Winnie The Pooh since it’s a collective childhood memory we all recalled.”
Make-A-Wish foundation is a long-time Disney partner that gives critically ill children the chance to make a wish come true. On top of the auction, Disney is also making a $1 million donation to mark the launch of Create 100.
Disney’s president of Consumer Products, Games, and Publishing shared the following in a statement, “Disney’s timeless stories and characters have made an indelible mark on pop culture around the globe, transcending borders, industries, and generations.” Additionally, she shared, “We couldn’t think of a better way to honor 100 years of Disney storytelling than by collaborating with this outstanding collective of visionaries in support of Make-A-Wish.”