The 'Be' in Be Original – I am Bernadette, founder and visionary of the Be Original brand (which stands for Bernadette Original). I have a heart for creating employment and assisting underprivileged and marginalised women in the community to generate a sustainable income through sewing and producing African crafts.
I have always had a unique style and a passion for African clothing and expressing myself creatively. In 2015, my family navigated difficult financial times, and I started looking for ways to supplement my family income in a way that was not only sustainable but also incorporated something that I loved.
I started off with zero fashion experience, no budget and a borrowed sewing machine.
I hopped onto Google and “Voila!”, I created my very first dress and skirt and Be Original was born! I showed my outfits to a friend who, in turn, showed another friend, and that made me realise that I could actually do this! I then started to create items from the offcuts, leaving no piece of material unused and in return creating a sustainable, eco-friendly, zero-waste business.
Today, the business is growing rapidly. Our African products and accessories have gone to various countries like Australia, Italy and Ireland. We mainly focus on African clothing and accessories, but also curios and products that are supplied to the tourism industry.
My motto is: “Work with what you have in your hand.” You may feel that you are in a hopeless situation, that you have nothing to offer. But give your nothing to God so that He can turn your nothing into SOMETHING!
I’ve always had a passion for African clothing, and I love to wear it, but I had no experience in the fashion industry. During 2015, we went through a very bad time financially, and I was thinking of ways that I could supplement our income. In October 2015, I wanted to start an African clothing business and thought that I could maybe buy and sell the clothes, but the biggest obstacle that I had to overcome was the finances, but also if any person had to have any alterations done, I would not be able to do it, so, that idea was blown out of the water. I then thought about making it myself, but obviously didn’t have the finances to start it. So, I arranged with my mom to use her sewing machine (which she sent with a lift), bought some material, and made Google my friend. “Voilà!” I had made my first dress and skirt. I could not believe it but it actually looked pretty good. And that is how Be… Original (Bernadette Original) started.
I showed my outfits to a friend who in turn showed another friend and that made me realise, that I could actually do this. I mainly focus on African clothing, but I am also busy with other products that I can supply to the tourism industry (curios, gift shops, etc.). The business is growing rapidly, and I’m very excited about it! Within the first two months, some of my clothes and bags even went to Australia and since then I have products that went to Italy and Ireland.
The Vision of Be Original is to become a key exporter of African clothing and accessories so that more local opportunities can be created for people.
The Mission of Be Original use our platform to empower, uplift and motivate people to eject themselves out of their circumstances so that, not only they but their immediate friends and family will also be positively affected by the change they experience.
Be Original is a Company that specializes in African Clothing, Crafts, Curios, Accessories, Corporate Clothing, and Corporate Gifting. We have a physical store, and we have an online store where people can purchase our products.
