Few teenagers can say they founded a business before they could even legally drive. Kumei Norwood is an exception. The 17-year-old entrepreneur and activist has been running her shop, Tofu Tees, since she was 8. The brick-and-mortar store, a fixture of Fergusons Downtown since 2021, has been a project of passion but also purpose.
Norwood, a Las Vegas Academy of the Arts senior with a flair for fashion, uses her apparel designs and art for activism, shining a light on social issues through everything from T-shirts to totes. You’re just as likely to find clothing with timeless taglines like “Racism Is Trash” as you are to find books on Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Pinky Cole’s vegan tome Eat Plants, B*tch.
That said, Norwood is still your average teenage girl in every way that matters. Her prom was nothing short of magical. She’s eagerly awaiting the next Olivia Rodrigo album. And high school graduation is just around the corner. So what happens next?…