'The Bon Don is Revolutionizing The Way We View Bonnets': Master Designer & Seamstress Shelbie Foster Talks Rebranding, Yara Shahidi & Things Between
Black girls love our Bonnets. It’s a fact. Stretched raggedy or not, we slap them on our heads before bedtime and - if you’re really trying to keep your do right - before you…Read More on SpottieOttieBlackGirl.com
Black girls love our bonnets. It’s a fact.
Stretched raggedy or not, we slap them on our heads before bedtime or - if you’re really trying to keep your do right - before you walk out the house on a humid or rainy day(underneath a hat or hood of course), and we do not think twice. It’s a way of life.
That said, have you ever thought, “I wish my bonnet was a little cuter” or “I need a bonnet that’s gone last?”
I have, and that’s why this Yes, Sis feature on Shelbie Foster and her owned and operated bonnet brand, The Bon Don, could not be more perfect for all my spottie ottie Black suhs far and wide. Check it out!
Shelbie Foster & The Bon Don
I soft-launched The Bon Don onto the Etsy platform in December of 2017. The brand remained on that platform for a little over a year until the relaunch of the brand on my birthday, February 4, 2019 to its current platform, www.thebondon.com.
How did you come up with the name "The Bon Don?" The term "Don" denotes one who is a leader or expert in their field. It was really important to me that I did the work to ensure that my bonnets were the best for my customers. When creating my bonnets, I took many steps to ensure that they were created with excellence. I did extensive research on everything from fabric choices to elastic selections, and even sought out and incorporated feedback from black women who use bonnets everyday. It was my hope that the name "The Bon Don" would give my customers the assurance that I've done the work for them, and that they could (literally) rest easy by shopping with my brand.
How long does it take for you to sew each bonnet? As I often say, creating the perfect bonnet has been a process. I wake up everyday with a new perspective on how I can improve my product. My current process takes between 10-20 minutes to create each bonnet.
Prior to launching your brand, The Bon Don" one of the characteristics you were looking for in a bonnet was aesthetics. Is there a particular experience you can think of that made this a priority for you? How do you think this takes the pressure off of Black Women everywhere? When shopping for home goods such as curtains, you don’t just go to the nearest store and grab the first set of plain, black curtains that you can find. We don’t approach shopping for home goods with an “it’ll do” mind set. We go looking for THE curtains. We look for curtains with THE vibe and ones that have THE look. We look for ones that make us feel at home, and that represent us and our style. We understand that the curtains once hung, will be visible every single day and we want to invest in ones that make us happy when we look at them. I realized very early on that our bonnets are exactly like those curtains. We use and look at them every day. It didn’t feel fair that something this integral to my daily life HAD to be ugly and plain. I want my bonnets to be like my curtains. I wanted THE bonnet with THE vibe – that “my bonnet is owned by someone with #blackgirlmagic seeping from her pores and it will reflect such” type of vibe. It is my hope that The Bon Don’s bonnets will help black women everywhere feel more comfortable in their element: at home, and at peace.
“We value our hair, and thus value what we put on it. It’s important to me that The Bon Don creates products that make you feel bold, and beautiful all while you take care of your crown.” -Shelbie Foster
There's a popular tweet that says, "Fuck it, I'll do it. - Black Women." Given you specially designed The Bon Don after searching high and low for the perfect bonnet, does this tweet resonate with you and if so, can you talk about the moments that led up to your decision to make this happen? I definitely feel there is validity to this tweet lol. Growing up, I was taught to never wait for someone to hand me an opportunity. If a door was closed, that was simply my cue to buckle down, and carve out a window. I’ve never seen rejection or a missed opportunity as a deterrent; I’ve always seen these situations as motivation for me to create my own way. This mindset was no different when I decided to create The Bon Don. This was simply another manifestation of me carving out a window when all of the doors had been cemented shut.
You have an impressive history of creating other home and fashion designs. Can you share more about those designs and how they both inspired and prepared you for The Bon Don? I love love love creating. I often sew, knit, and crochet many of my own clothes, and my home is filled with countless home goods that I’ve created over the years. In hindsight, I’m grateful for my having worked for years to master my craft as a seamstress. I’m grateful for all of the needles sticks, and all of the hems that were a few inches off. I’m proud that I finally mastered professional looking button holes, and sewing in a perfectly straight line. I’m proud that I learned how to design and sew different projects such as a trench coat with fringe and a hidden zipper because it made the task of designing and making a high quality bonnet light work.
Launching a business can be tough, and support can really make or break the success factor of an entrepreneur. Can you talk a little bit about how the support of your loved ones, and/or a lack thereof, has influenced the success of The Bon Don? The support of my loved ones is the reason why The Bon Don exists today. The idea to turn my side hustle of sewing bonnets for friends into a true business was encouraged by one of my closest friends. Another close friend of mine helped me complete my brand’s LLC, while another one created my website, while still more helped with marketing, modeling, and so much more. I’ve learned to value the support that I receive in whatever way it’s given. Support isn’t always a purchase. It can come in the form of encouragement, feedback, or inspiration, and I’m always grateful for it, however it comes.
The Yara Shahidi shared The Bon Don page/post on her personal Instastory. Aside from this being a huge moment, can you describe your reaction and share what led up to her regram? As I mentioned earlier, I decided to relaunch my brand on my birthday, February 4, 2019. Relaunching The Bon Don was my personal decision to truly take myself and my brand seriously for the first time ever. My relaunch was me deciding to eliminate self-doubt and to trust that the vision that I was given for my brand was real, and was valuable. My relaunch was me stepping out on faith. Two days after my relaunch, Yara posted a video with her wearing an emerald green durag and asked that her followers tag her with their favorite durags on as well. I, along with many of my friends, went on to tag @thebondon under her post. I figured at best, some of her followers would see the tags and may be interested in my bonnets. After this, I go and do laundry or meal prep or study or a mixture of all three only to come back to check my Instagram a few hours later. A friend has DMed a screenshot of Yara’s insta-story featuring a post from @thebondon. THE Yara Shahidi’s insta-story. Like…what? Mmkay. So it is at this moment that I forget how to breathe lol. Approximately 3 seconds later, I am weeping. I mean WEEPING. Crying my eyelash glue off, snot, the whole nine lol. Beyond Yara being absolutely amazing in every way, this moment meant so much more because I really believe that it was God’s way of saying “you stepped out on faith, and I’ve got you from here.” It was huge. In every way.
How has the product improved from the first bonnet to now? When I was creating my first few bonnets, I was still working to master the dimensions of the perfect, universally sized bonnet. I often teetered between creating bonnets with elastic bands that weren't taught enough to remain on your head throughout the night, and bonnets with elastic bands that were a little too tight. At the beginning of my journey, I also didn't understand the importance of using high quality, sturdy thread when sewing my bonnets so some of my earlier models had thread that would snap after frequent use. I've always had an eye for aesthetically pleasing fabrics, but over time, I've learned to focus just as much of that effort on finding fabrics that were both pretty AND good for moisture retention and comfort. I always give thanks to my early Bon Babes, because their bonnets represent the many stages of growth throughout my ever evolving process.
What about this accomplishment are you most proud? There are so many aspects of my journey with The Bon Don that make me proud, but I think that I am most proud of the fact that I created my brand during one of the most stressful periods of my life: during pharmacy school. While working to pursue my professional dreams, I embarked on this journey to also pursue my creative dreams. This created a whirlwind within my already busy life, but it revealed to me how strong and motivated I can be when I feel that I am truly fulfilling my purpose.
By the way, in a clinical setting, she goes by Dr. Foster, your local Pharmacist. She literally wears so many hats! #BlackGirlMagic
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'It is Imperative to Provide Art to Girls With Black and Brown Skin': A Conversation With Founder & CEO of Yumme Brand
Taaj - or Taaj Marjanee by her artist name - is the Founder and CEO of the Afro-urban and lifestyle, art company, Yumme Brand. Under this umbrella of a business, she creates and illustrates for the Color Me Yumme and Color Me Yumme International coloring books, which are specifically designed for Afro-descendant youth.
Founder & CEO Taaj Marjanee outside of Stetson Branch Library in New Haven, Connecticut after the first "Brown & Black Crayon Conversation” event.
As the first feature of "Yes, Sis," I will be highlighting Atlanta native and graphic design artist, Taaj Hubbard!
So, who is Taaj? Don't worry...I got you!
Taaj - or Taaj Marjanee by her artist name - is the Founder and CEO of the Afro-urban and lifestyle, art company, Yumme Brand. Under this umbrella of a business, she creates and illustrates for the Color Me Yumme and Color Me Yumme International coloring books, which are specifically designed for Afro-descendant youth.
Why is this? Well, for the 26 year-old, Alabama State University Alumna, who is keenly aware of the limited to no representation of black girls in coloring books, the answer is simple: she wants to instill self-confidence and self-love in girls throughout the diaspora.
I had the opportunity to chat with the business woman and entrepreneur, who began this venture almost 4 years ago, and here's what she has to say. Check it out!
When did you realize you had a passion for drawing & graphic design? I've had a passion for drawing from a very early age. I used to draw images I found in books, magazines, and photo albums. I realized my passion for graphic design in the summer of 2013. At that time, my mother noticed my drawings were good enough to display on t-shirts. So I thought, "lets give this a try". I did not realize it at the time, however, this was the point in my life when Yumme Brand started to take shape. My business officially came into existence in August of 2017.
How did you decide to start a business in the field? Well at first I tried to sell t-shirts with my designs printed on them. However, this idea was not cost efficient. While I was interested in selling unique styled t-shirts, I was unaware of the time, cost, and dedication I had to have in order to be successful as an entrepreneur. This is when I learned the valuable lesson of "no pain, no gain" as a business owner. However, I am no quitter. I took the time to research and think of other ideas that were cost effective, creative, and catered to my community. In 2016, my mother and I came up with the brilliant idea to do holiday greeting cards for Muslims. I thought it was a fantastic idea because my family is Muslim and holiday greeting cards, specially made for Muslims, are not sold in stores. This is how I began to make a name for myself as an artist; specifically, as a graphic designer.
Within your graphic design services, do you specialize in any particular thing or what does that look like?
I specialize in drawing faces. I'm in love with drawing black faces, because our features are so bold and beautiful.
Tell us about Yumme Brand. Yumme Brand is amazing! It's a business I created solely for girls of Afro-descent. I created Yumme Brand to let young black girls know that they are special and beautifully unique. I believe it is easy for women of color, especially, young women of Afro-descent to feel forgotten in this world. Therefore, it is imperative to provide art to girls of black and brown skin complexion. Yumme Brand is all about creative expression and showing young black and brown girls that they should feel proud of their magnificent features and heritage.
Miss Costa Rica. Her hair is styled in bantu knots representing her culture and big hoop earrings with dark red lips to enhance her style and beauty. You'll notice Costa Rica sketched into her face, paying homage to her homeland and providing representation for the Afro Costa Rican people.
Miss Bolivia. Her country, along with various others, is a part of the African Diaspora. The strong features in her face represent her African traits. You'll also notice there's a free hand sketch of Bolivia blended in with her face. This shows she is a part of her homeland, and her homeland a part of her.
Is there a correlation between the African Diaspora and Yumme Brand? How do you incorporate the diaspora in your images? Yes, there is a correlation. The latest project relates directly to the 29 countries that the United Nations recognizes where 250 million Afro-descendant of slaves still live. The term "African Diaspora" refers to the locations and communities where descendants of our ancestors were taken from Africa by way of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. I decided to create a second coloring book dedicated to girls who weren't born in the U.S , but are a part of the African Diaspora, because I would never leave any of my sista's out of this creation!
Some of the characters in your book have lines and other markings on their faces. Is this symbolic of something, and if so, what? The lines you are referring to are in "Color Me Yumme International Vol. I." [They] create a continuous outline of the country or island from which the woman or girl resides.
What has been the most challenging aspect of building your brand? The most challenging aspect of building my brand has been maintaining consistent faith in my vision. There have been countless number of times, when I have questioned my capabilities and my vision for Yumme Brand. I have days and nights where I have been exhausted and weeks where I have been broke. However, these emotions and circumstances come with the territory of owning your own business, when you are attempting to make a ground-breaking impact on the world. These emotions are necessary for success, and I have no problem facing them. because I want to be successful. Often times small businesses tend to be short lived because they are not getting enough support. I have invested more money into my business than received and to be honest, it's discouraging. However, I can see the result of my hard work and my future, and it is bright! I just have to continue working until I reach my goal. PERSEVERANCE is key in life and in being a business owner.
What upcoming projects can we look forward to seeing from you and/or Yumme Brand? [Well], last year I was able to hold an event entitled ''The Brown & Black Crayon Conversation" at libraries across the United States. During these events, I had the opportunity to talk to young girls about the importance of self-identity, self-love, self-confidence, and why it's important to always use specific colors when coloring faces that have the same features as they may have. I absolutely loved hosting those events, so I am definitely going to do more this year.
For future events the topics will expand to incorporate young black girls, who live in Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. We will also talk about young women, who are albino and are experiencing different stages of vitiligo. I incorporated this into our discussion, because there are times when we come across human beings with various skin pigmentation, [and] no black girl should be left out of these important conversations. You can also expect more products (including collaborations with music artists)! I'm not going to give away too many details, but I am also currently working on something for little boys!
Do you have anything else you want to share? Yes, if you have a dream, pursue it. I believe people are put on this earth for a specific reason and we are given different skills and talents to help us pursue the reason while we are here. Once the specific reason is found, that person should attempt to help impact the world by using his or her talents. Also, I would like to share that what you ultimately want to achieve in life never comes easy, but if you have trust, dedication, faith, and perseverance, you will always succeed.
Yes, Sis!