How My Nephew Inspired My Brand

My name is Adesuwa, but everyone calls me Ade (Ah-Day). I am an elementary school teacher, and have been for 8 years. I absolutely LOVE what I do because I feel I get to make a difference every day and I love watching them grow throughout the year! My kids (students) love seeing my new designs and pictures, I usually show them my site weekly and many of them use it as inspiration for working on their own “business”. This is a short story about how my business started.

In 2015, GabeJade was just a thought. In 2017, it became an amazing reality. Here’s how it all began:

One day, as I was wearing my native African (Ankara print) skirt and blouse, my then 7-year-old nephew came running into my room shouting, “I want a bow tie that looks like your African dress with all the beautiful colors”. He’s my baby, so I immediately got online and googled “African Bow Ties” and “Bow Ties made with African fabric”, but what I found was underwhelming. None of them seemed good enough for the little prince—looked flimsy and were over-priced. So, what did I do? Grabbed one of my dresses, my box of needle and thread, and scissors and started to make him one because he HAD to have his bowtie as he requested (my boy gets whatever he wants).

At first, I just wanted to make custom pre-tied bow ties for the little man, but soon after he began wearing them to church and other events, people began to ask where we bought them, complimenting the uniqueness of his bowtie. After many, “Oh wow, I’ve never seen an African bow tie like that before” and “where can I get this?” I decided I should perfect my design, develop a name and begin selling them. After all, what better way to brighten the world than to share a piece of my culture with everyone else?

I quickly went online and started searching for which online platform would be best to sell my designs. I decided to go with Etsy after much research. I was only making pre-tied bowties at first, then a lot of people started making custom requests for neckties, which I started sewing and was received with much enthusiasm. I later added the self-tied bowties, pocket squares and flower lapel-pins. After that, the requests for something for the ladies started pouring in and I decided to add the headwraps/scarves for them. Now, three years later I’m sharing my designs and photography with everyone (I also take all the pictures for my brand).

We have been featured on the Etsy blog, and several Etsy newsletters. We have also been featured in Essence Magazine online, which was very exciting. More recently, we landed a full-page spread in the February Issue: of the biggest magazine in Texas- D Magazine. It was surreal reading the invitation email and going in for the interview and photoshoot. Seeing hard-work recognized is one of the best feelings in the world! A feeling I also share with my nephew and students—the importance of hard work and consistency.

We sell mostly online, you can find and purchase our designs at www.gabejade.com, and www.gabejade.store We also host pop-up shops a few times a year, for people that want to shop in person. We also have events for ladies who want to learn to wrap their hair in person and also for men who want to learn to tie their bowties, a couple of times a year.

As a small business, I operate out of my home.

Why shop with us? First, we give back. Every Friday, you can catch us passing out brown bag lunches (a sandwich and 3-4 yummy snacks) to people without homes. This is important to us, especially as COVID-19 has kept people indoors, so asking for donations and hoping for restaurant leftovers are no longer options. Second, all of our items are handmade to order just for you. Last but not least, this gives you chance to support a small female-owned family business. Every one of our fabrics are from Africa, and all our accessories are handmade by me in Texas. Our accessories are essentially a fashion statement, and also make you stand out. They have often been referred to as a conversation starter. Our fabrics are all authentic Ankara (African) print fabrics and we have matching accessories for couples and families. You know you will love them as much as we do!