FROM HEAD TO TOE: THREE GIRLPRENEURS SELLING FASHION ACCESSORIES
These girl moguls created products that complement and complete a girl’s total look
What does your daughter do if she wants to make a fashion statement? We’re guessing that that she might don colorful hair clips, wear eye-catching jewelry, or slip on fashion-forward sandals.
However, wearing them is one thing; getting into business to create and sell them is another. Let these three young business owners in the fashion accessory industry inspire your daughter with their outstanding achievements.
Snap, Stay, and Save Money
Twelve-year-old Gabrielle Goodwin, President and CEO of GaBBY Bows, patented the first double-face, double-snap barrette. The barrette’s unique mechanism allows the clip to snap and stay in place throughout the day. No more lost barrettes!
Gabrielle’s e-commerce site fulfills orders from 50 states and nine countries. The barrettes are also available in various Walgreens branches in South Carolina and Georgia. Gabrielle has won numerous awards, including 2015 South Carolina Young Entrepreneur of Year and 2018 Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the Year, and she’s been interviewed by ABC News, The Washington Post, Kiplinger, and Inc. Magazine. She gives back by sharing her entrepreneurial knowledge with young kids in schools and shelters. She also helps girls and their moms start their own businesses through the Mommy and Me Entrepreneurship Academy
Re-purposed and Upcycled Baubles
Kia‘i Tallett, who’s turning 15 this year, is a multi-talented jewelry designer and maker, knitter, and surfer. She creates felt flowers, crochets accessories, and upcycles resin for jewelry from her home in Hawaii. She sells these accessories and jewelry on her website, pixseahandmade.com, and on Etsy. Her bestselling items are unique rings made from the leftover resin of old surfboards.
Kia‘i’s dad, who’s a surfboard shaper and shop owner of Manukai Handboards, breathes new life into broken surfboards by turning them into handboards. This process produces a lot of excess resin, which Kia‘i uses as raw materials for her pendants and rings. She personally sets the prices, handles the inventory, and processes all deliveries. When she’s not managing her business, she’s either surfing or doing school work. She also believes that an entrepreneur should “find something you like to do or make, and make sure you really like it, not just the idea of it. Be consistent with quality and start small. Find someone who can help you, or who wants to collaborate—that makes it more fun!”
Sun-kissed Feet
Abi Smithson, CEO of The Love Sandal, made it her mission back in 2013 (when she was just 10 years old) to make tan lines on feet a sought-after fashion statement. With help from her mentors from Canada’s Ryerson University and the ALDO shoe group, Abi was able to create a sandals brand that leaves cute heart-shaped tan lines on feet.
Since 2015, Abi has donated 10% of her company’s net proceeds to Sick Kids Foundation and has partnered with Ryerson University for an online entrepreneurship course that targets budding entrepreneurs. Fast forward to 2019, Abi continues to focus on her business’ continued growth by traveling to China and seeking strategic manufacturing partners.
These three young business owners are indeed learning the tricks of the accessory trade by developing business plans, creating quality goods, and partnering with mentors. They’re even helping other young girls learn the entrepreneurial ropes, which is a big plus in our books.
If your daughter has been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, creating and selling fashion accessories might be the path to owning her own business. But whatever path she chooses, encourage her to strive for progress, not perfection and do what you can do to set her up for success.
