Haitian by birth and an artist at heart, Paola Mathé uses her inspiring style and love for color in her work as a social entrepreneur and creative director of Fanm Djanm.   After earning a dual bachelor's degree in Economics and French Literature from Drew University in 2008, Mathe moved to New York City where she began chronicling her adventures with bold colors and style on her lifestyle blog, Finding Paola. She built an impressive career in hospitality all while nurturing her dream of living within full creative expression. The ability to produce quality visual stories earned the self-taught photographer features in many online and print publications such as The New York Times, Teen Vogue, A Cup of Joe, NY Magazine/The Cut, Oxygen, and Essence.com to name a few. However, it is Mathe’s flair in shaping important narratives around identity, culture, womanhood, and beauty that have made her the center of campaigns for GAP and L’Occitane as a champion of self love. In 2014, Mathe launched Fanm Djanm, a collection of headwraps and popular lifestyle brand meaning “strong woman” in Haitian Kreyol. The founder regularly touches on the proud Haitian heritage that initiated her love affair with color and delivered a Tedx Talk aptly named “Sharing My Colors With the World” at her alma mater Drew University.  Those colors have indeed gone global and accented editorial covers featuring Ciara, Teyana Taylor, and supermodel Halima Aden.  

Paola allows color to speak for herself as she resides in Austin, TX with husband Tyler and two young children.

A NOTE FROM PAOLA

Finding Paola started in 2009 when I was still a young girl who felt lost in the world. I moved to Washington Heights, NYC just a few months after graduating from the university. I had a few hundred bucks saved and was buried under tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debts, but I felt rich with ambition! I secured a job at Columbia University and worked under many fierce scientists.

New York City was not at all what I imagined the first few months living there. It was expensive and incredibly lonely. I was thirsty for more, eager to discover my colors, so I launched my blog to push myself to experience more. I didn’t want to stay confined in my tiny triangular bedroom and windowless, grey office. I started to get out of my comfort zone by meeting new people, finding a part-time job downtown as a server to see what more New York City could offer.

I later realized that New York City could only offer me things I was willing to discover. I pushed myself, failed, and continued to push until I started to believe in my capabilities. I started to notice that I was enough. And so it all began…