Black Dolls With Natural Hair South Africa
Black Dolls With Natural Hair South Africa
A couple of years ago, Khulile Vilakazi-Ofosu'south then two-year erstwhile daughter came habitation and demanded flowy hair like her friends at creche.
"I told her that no matter what we exercise to her hair, information technology volition never be as 'flowy'." To drive the point abode, she went looking for dolls that would help her girl embrace her ain natural pilus and looks. She was also looking for dolls that were not sexualised and had bodies that resembled that of her girl.
Khulile Vilakazi Ofosu, co-founder of the Sibahle dolls. Photograph: Supplied
Simply the merely black dolls she could find had western features, and the hair was all wrong. She decided to make her own.
It was then that she approached her business organization partner, Caroline Hlahla. Together they endemic the pilus brand Bounce Essentials Hair.
The pair met afterward Vilakazi-Ofosu suffered from pilus loss after giving birth to her daughter. She bought a wig from Hlahla who was importing Afro-textured prune-ins and wigs. Vilakazi-Ofosu was so impressed with the products that they went into business organisation together to create hair products and wigs
Caroline Hlahla, co-founder of the Sibahle doll range. Photo: Supplied.
Hlahla jumped at the idea of creating a doll that more closely resembled black children in South Africa, with natural hair that could be styled and treated like real afros. She believed a new doll line would empower them to beloved their own pilus. "When I spoke to her nigh what my daughter had said to me, she welcomed the idea and shared her own stories of growing up without toys that represented her and how that made her feel," Vilakazi-Ofosu said.
They drew up plans to manufacture the dolls in South Africa and approached the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) for funding for their toy manufacturing plant. But the IDC told them it would non work.
The IDC said that other entrepreneurs had come up to them with the idea, said Vilakazi-Ofosu. By manufacturers accept proven that this type of business was non sustainable, co-ordinate to them.
"We were told to come back later a yr," says Vilakazi-Ofosu.
Disappointed, the women went to a toy fair in China where they hoped to find manufacturers.
"We idea to go there as China is known as the manufacturing hub of the world," says Vilakazi-Ofosu. At the fair the women were discouraged by manufacturers telling them that black dolls were ugly and wouldn't sell.
"You tin imagine there nosotros were, as black women, shocked to hear this."
At the fair, they met upwardly with a German contact, who referred them to a manufacturer from his country. There, they finally got a manufacturer who would produce the dolls to their exacting standards.
"Nosotros approached them because we know they don't compromise when information technology comes to safe standards."
To get the hair exactly correct, and to get skillful quality pilus that can be done, conditioned and treated like the real pilus on a kid's head, the women got their hair suppliers to work with the toy manufacturer.
All the dolls smell of vanilla.
"This is something Caroline specifically felt passionate well-nigh. She wanted the odor of the doll to accept as much presence as the doll. This is a topic with many of the kids at our pop-upwards events as they love the smell and tell u.s. how information technology reminds them of practiced memories", says Vilakazi-Ofosu
The Sibahle Drove of dolls finally went on sale in March final year. It has since sold out twice with parents in South Africa, Republic of zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria, Europe and America wanting the dolls for their children.
"Sibahle ways 'nosotros are beautiful' and nosotros wanted that to resonate with all the kids to know that they are beautiful every bit they are," Vilakazi-Ofosu says. Apart from the 'Nobuhle' and 'Bontle' African dolls with afro hair, the Sibahle range also includes an Indian doll, a coloured doll and a doll representing kids with Albinism chosen Zuri. The women have fifty-fifty been approached by local celebrities who would like replicas dolls made of them.
The Bontle doll
The Neha doll.
The Ayana doll
The Zuri doll
The dolls and accessories are sold online, and at their flagship store at the Ferndale Village Shopping Middle in Randburg. The two women, who even so hold downward total-time corporate jobs, take expanding their empire into a children's lifestyle brand. They take introduced school bags, political party decor items and other accessories for auction nether the Sibahle name.
Of the many accessories that now class part of the Sibahle brand. Photo Supplied
Now that a year has passed since the launch of the dolls, Vilakazi-Ofosu and Hlahla plan to go back to the IDC to demonstrate that their plan is viable. They hope to be funded to start a manufacturing constitute in Due south Africa.
"We need the IDC to believe in united states and take the risk, there is a need for this and it is growing."
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Black Dolls With Natural Hair South Africa
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