#InConversation with BANDANACAT
#BGFCommunity is our new spotlight series featuring brands and businesses led by Black women and non-binary people.
This month, we meet Anais Borely, the founder of BANDANACAT — secretly all about cats. All our designs are inspired by my little feline muse, Kitty, like this “sweet like mango” silk scarves, our favourite summer snack 🥭(true story).
Anais shares more about her experience starting a business, becoming a vendor at Black Girl Festival and her plans for growing her business.
How would you describe your brand/business?
BANDANACAT is secretly all about cats. All our designs are inspired by my little feline muse, Kitty, like this “sweet like mango” silk scarves, our favourite summer snack 🥭(true story).
But the main thing about BANDANACAT is that it’s not about cats at all! All items are one-of-a-kind, limited edition and celebrate individuality. One thing I’m big on is showing personality through fashion and what better way to do that than with a simple Tee. Crop it, knot it, tuck it in your jeans, wear it any way you like! They say there are a hundred ways to wear a scarf? I bet the number of ways to wear a T-shirt isn’t too far behind. That’s why tees were the first thing I started to screenprint!
I also love a unisex fashion statement which is how the customised Dickies Boilersuit came about, it’s now BANDANACAT’s flagship item. I order them in white, then I dye them before covering them in bold leopard prints in whatever shade of pastel you can dream of. I design & screen-print everything by hand, I even started making silk scrunchies with leftover fabrics.
I always wanted to get into fashion so when I decided to start my own business that was the obvious choice. I also knew I wanted to make things. I’d never constructed a piece of clothing and I wasn’t ready to get close to the sewing machine yet… but my background is an illustration so drawing and colour had to be involved in the process. I remembered I’d done a semester of screen printing at uni and decided that would be the best option for me. I attended a course at Printclub London then I spend a solid month screen-printing every day until I had enough stock to open my online store.
Why did you want to be a part of Black Girl Festival?
I’d wanted to attend the festival for years! So when I came across the call to vendors on Instagram I thought to myself: I just launched this business, I could trade there, that could be me? Right?! So I applied, then I also bought a ticket anyway — was so nervous I wouldn’t get in, but I did! In the end, I organised an Instagram giveaway with the spare ticket and the girl came by my stall and we had a brilliant chat while I drew her portrait. Turns out she runs her own business too, making hair care products. We’ve been chatting on instant ever since!
How was being a vendor at the festival?
It was so great being around fellow entreprenHers the day before the festival I met Coral, the girl I shared a stall with. She made these beautiful satin bonnets (look for Sleep Tings on Etsy). They were selling like hotcakes as soon as the festival opened! Even though I was having a slow start I couldn’t help but be happy and excited for her. In the morning I had asked her to pose for a quick drawing so I could advertise that I was also doing live portraits at the stall, which turned out to be super popular! I hardly sat down for the rest of the day. Every time we caught a breather we’d say something encouraging to one another. You know the saying “it takes a village”? She was my village that day at Black Girl Fest and I will never forget that.
What was it like being surrounded by other businesses owned by Black British women?
I was so excited to be trading at Black Girls Fest! Checking out the other stalls is my favourite thing about this kind of events. I could hardly contain my excitement when I found out one of my Instagram heroin Sincerely Nude was going to be there! I’m 29 but I was ridiculously nervous walking up to her stall and she was so kind when I asked her if she’d be interested in doing a collab in the future. It was totally uplifting just seeing so many other black girls that were doing their own thing! It was so validating, I remember thinking to myself: So I’m not crazy for trying to build a business on my own! It’s weirdly reassuring talking to others that have been through the same struggles as you. It feels like you’re not in it alone.
What does community mean to you?
To me, community is someone or somewhere that makes me feel welcome.
I’m mixed race, I have both French and Beninese heritage yet I feel like an outsider in both those places. Growing up I got used to being the only girl of colour (at school, high school, ballet school,…) so sometimes I second guess myself before walking into a place like Black Girls Festival. But it just so happened that I started reading Slay in Your Lane at the time, it’s this amazing book of resources for any black girl struggling to find a space that is hers. Community is the amazing people you meet, that book you read, the city you live in… that makes you feel like you can achieve anything when you hear that voice in your head that tells you to go for it. It’s about finding those safe spaces like Black Girl Fest and in the end, it’s about taking up space within that community.
Website: www.bandanacat.com
Instagram: @iambandanacat
