Awa Kamara

Awa is a designer and jewelry artist with a background in fashion design and business management. Born in Vienna to Sierra Leonean diplomats, she spent her early childhood in Kenema, Sierra Leone, before growing up in Salzburg, Austria.

 

As a teenager in 1989, while studying at HBLA Salzburg, Awa won first prize in the Salzburg Youth Speech Contest and went on to place second nationwide in Austria with a powerful speech on Racism and Discrimination. She later studied fashion marketing at Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she developed an international career working with American fashion and design firms, while also collaborating with NGOs on United Nations–related programs focused on Africa.

 

After returning to Austria in 2012, Awa expanded her creative practice into jewelry design and trained under renowned Austrian goldsmiths, combining traditional craftsmanship with her distinctive design perspective. Since 2022, she has been officially registered as an artist under her hallmark, AWA.