Woven In: Women of Color in Design
On January 22, 2026, Libby Gillen, Vice President of A+D Engagement, hosted the Women of Color in Design networking event. Set in the Idyllwild oasis of our Chicago showroom, the morning discussions brought together old friends and colleagues as well as new connections. As Libby noted, it “fostered a sense of community and support among women of color in the design industry.”
“Regardless of how they felt upon arrival, participants left the event feeling uplifted, heard, and connected.”
This group was formed virtually during the pandemic after the murder of George Floyd. Many people of color were feeling isolated physically and emotionally. Cheryl Durst (IIDA CEO), myself, and 18 others got on a Zoom call just to support one another from afar. We decided to do the call the next month but invited more designers and design adjacent partners to the call. Those calls grew over the next several months to over 100 women. We would schedule them after 7pm on the east coast to capture time zones that included Hawaii.
Thank you to Libby for sharing the following information and inspiration. We can find so much strength in community and communication, and we are thankful that Libby offered an opportunity to gather, reflect, collaborate, and unify.
By late 2021, we were back into work and our time was restricted to organize monthly meetings. We didn’t disband but no one had the time or proper attention to keep the calls going. In 2022, during NeoCon, we set out to gather women of color for an afternoon gathering at the Tarkett showroom on that Tuesday afternoon. That has now led to two events at the Momentum showroom during NeoCon. We are not a paid organization or an LLC; no one has time for that. We gather when we can and connect on our private LinkedIn page when needing information or fellowship. That’s the story of how this group has grown organically and casually. .”
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Sandwiched between Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the start of Black History Month, women of color in design gathered for a networking event aimed at fostering connections within the Chicago Market. Momentum brought a group of designers, architects and sales representatives to our showroom to provide them a platform to communicate, celebrate and share a few words of their intention for 2026. Words like Caring, Courage, and Curious were themes for personal growth, while others expressed feelings of Risk, Anxiousness, and Resilience in relation of today’s world. One designer used an analogy of child’s toy that “they” could mess with her but “Weeble’s wobble but they don’t fall down”.
THROWBACK: 2024 WOMEN OF COLOR IN DESIGN
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