19 Jun 2017

When life seemed dull and gloomy due to challenges of scarce employment opportunities, she did not despair but rather came up with a cheaper and viable way that enabled her to be financially independent.

Ms Bantshi Banophi, 37, ventured into jewellery making through the use of waste materials such as buttons from old rags, dried Jacaranda seeds and several others.

Literally, she has managed to make environmental awareness sassy and trendy; her end products include earrings, belts, handbags and other related fashion accessories.

Trading as Shaddy Accessories, Ms Banophi explained in an interview that she had always had a thought of owning a business that would require a low start up.

“I have always had a business idea and due to challenges of start-up capital I tried my luck on waste material. The passion I had towards fashion related matters helped me come up with some trendy and appealing accessories,” she said.

Shaddy, as she is known to her customers, also said with the demand of such fashion accessories by women and girls, she was convinced that jewellery making was an opportunity that needed to be tapped into.

Upon starting, her first products were given to friends and cousins as gifts and as another way to gain exposure and eventually her products become the talk of the town.

“The response on my trial products was overwhelming, people appreciated the flair that these accessories designed from materials regarded as wasted added to their clothing,” she said.

Though the business started off on a good note which also brought along satisfying profit margins, Ms Banophi did not sit back and relax.

In 2008, she participated in the then Women’s Affairs Department national visual arts competitions and scooped a trophy and some cash prize.

“The competitions were a stepping stone, for I met with experts in jewellery making who introduced me to other tactics that helped me to take my project to another level,” she said.

Through the tactics, she is now in a position to use readymade hooks, incorporate other refined materials on her products and this keeps enhancing her end products.

Ms Banophi noted that she was aware of government assistance programmes that give financial support to aspiring youth entrepreneurs, however, she had not yet considered seeking financial assistance as she is currently content with her profit margins.

Shaddy Accessories has not been spared from challenges of customers with a tendency to negotiate prices up to their satisfaction, and those who call for orders and fail to collect their products.

Despite all the rough patches, Ms Banophi through her determination and perseverance, still manages to keep leveraging and expanding her ideas.

Currently, she facilitates workshops with out-of-school youth, so as to share with them opportunities that handy jobs can present.

“Most of out-of-school youth, even graduates feel discouraged when they fail to land a white collar job and through these workshops, I intent to encourage them not to despise handy jobs,” she said.

Ms Banophi emphasised that handy jobs do have the potential to transform livelihood if conducted in a serious manner. BOPA