By Abigail Headley
Romaine Benn is a 32-year-old Barbados-based entrepreneur originally from the West Coast Berbice, who has faced her fair share of ups and downs in life. Growing up, she had a childhood filled with creativity and exploration.
“I had an amazing childhood where I was allowed to explore with my creativity which took many forms,” she told Stabroek Weekend during a recent visit to her homeland. “I designed and made clothes for my doll Amy (who was the most fashionable doll amongst my friends’ dolls). [As an adult] I love to explore and immerse myself in nature. I enjoy being creative and moving to life’s rhythm”.
Before migrating to Barbados, Benn was a teacher but decided to switch professions and started Hollywood-Benn Creative Arts, a venture dedicated to helping teachers beautify their classrooms. She also opened a cosmetics store called True Me Cosmetics, dedicated to providing African women with products that helped them to maintain their natural hair.
The decision to move to Barbados was a personal one, Benn said, as she needed a fresh start after the loss of her father in 2016. Dealing with delayed depression that came on as a result of the death, she made the bold move to Barbados in 2019 in search of healing.
“… I needed to heal without constantly being reminded of his absence. So, I gave up everything here and moved to Barbados with the hopes of having a fresh start,” she said.
It was during the COVID-19 lockdown in Barbados that she found solace in crafting jewellery using upcycled and African fabrics. This led to the birth of Wearable Pride in June 2022, a business aimed at promoting African heritage and culture through bold and vibrant jewellery pieces.
“So, why the name ‘Wearable Pride’?” we asked Benn.
“I chose it because I wanted to represent what I felt about the brand and the impact I aimed at having. I wanted persons to wear my creation with pride. I wanted them to wear their heritage and culture with pride each day, hence the name Wearable Pride and our tagline, ‘we are it with pride’,” she said.
“I chose the African fabric because I always wanted to have a business that helped persons (especially women) of African descent to see and find beauty in their natural self, heritage, and culture. One day I was having lunch with a friend (Zi Piggott), and I showed them my work and they encouraged me to launch my business and stop waiting for it to be perfect. Zi helped me with market research and gave me the confidence boost I needed to get started.”
Benn said it was quite simple to register her business in a foreign country (having possession of a CSME passport helped), but it is not without the challenges of branding and marketing. Nevertheless, she continues to push forward with Wearable Pride, aiming to tap into an international market and expand into clothing design.
“Wearable Pride’s journey has been a rollercoaster. The biggest challenge in the beginning was branding and tapping into the market. I had to change the initial logo because it created some amount of challenges when trying to get customers, but I kept trying until I was able to create something that was acceptable to customers and that I was comfortable with. When it comes to sales and marketing I believe I have a lot of work to do. Our pieces are bold and vibrant and not everyone loves to wear loud jewellery. I am still trying to access my target audience but I am getting there day by day,” she said.
She recently established a branch in Georgetown.
“In Guyana, Wearable Pride has clients, and getting products to them at times can be challenging. Hence, the decision to have something a bit more permanent. We do not have our own space. We are renting a shelf space in Treasure Cove on Duncan Street that allows our clients to uplift their pieces without hassle. Since Guyana is and will always be home for me, it is my aim to have branches of any business I have or may start in Guyana,” she explained.
Benn’s advice to young women and aspiring entrepreneurs is to never give up on their dreams, even in the face of failure. She believes that perseverance is key to succeeding. Through her journey, Benn has shown resilience and determination, turning her passion for creativity and African heritage into a thriving business.
Her dream of owning a gift store led her to create True Me Cosmetics and eventually Wearable Pride to help women of African descent embrace their true selves. Even though most of her pieces are designed for women, she has fashioned some chains and bow ties for men, so everyone is included.
Despite initially wanting to be an attorney due to her talent in debating and public speaking, she eventually pursued her passion for human behaviour and fashion. Aside from designing fabulous jewellery, she currently works as a group facilitator, offering counselling to youths in school.
Benn’s collection can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wearable.pride.
Romain Benn
