Olamipo Bandele was one of the eighty local vendors who attended the Summer Small Business Fair at the Roll-A-Dome Sunday.
Bandele moved to Canada three years ago from Nigeria and for the past two years has been exploring how to build community through fashion and culture.
Her booth called the Slow Fashion Boutique displayed handmade items she’s worked to produce with artisans in Nigeria.
“The idea is to decrease the consumption of fast fashion through conscious and intentional styling,” said Bandele.
“Everything was handmade, and custom made in Nigeria, and they are all collaboration projects with designers in Nigeria so I picked out the leathers, picked out the designs, sketched out the ideas and we produced it.”
She said each item takes about 14 to 20 days to produce and she wants these products to help redefine what being ‘made in Nigeria’ is.
All of the texture and fabrics used in the products are indigenous to western Nigeria but with modern infusions.
“There’s so much talent and so much beauty in where I am from and being in Canada and being a minority – this is just how I make my mark on the world and say that I am here,” said Bandele.
“I figured that bringing these afro-infused pieces to Prince George for people to wear – they are unique- and it’s to make them feel like ‘yes, I can wear this and not everyone has it’.”
Bandele said her current collection of items is six-to-eight months in the making.
“But everything has been slowly produced and consciously produced,” added Bandele.
“Last year I launched a mini collection to test the waters and see what the response would be and I really got a great response to this inspired me to go bigger.”
The small business not only featured unique clothing like Bandele’s designs but everything from food trucks to local artisans and even beekeepers.
“I recently retired last year July and I got full time into beekeeping and have just every hive product except royal jelly,” said Neil Hutt, from Bee Hutt Apiary.
He sells everything from liquid and creamed raw honey, specialty honey, beeswax, and candles and even brought live bees and a honeycomb with him to the business fair as a demonstration.
He now operates 30 hives in Prince George and about 60 in Vanderhoof.
“Everyone thinks you just throw some bees into a box and it just takes care of itself but beekeeping is very specific when the bees demand your time you have to abide to it otherwise you are not going to succeed very well,” said Hutt.
“It's not labour intensive but it is time-specific.”
In terms of the products, he’s able to produce with the help of the bees, Hutt said you can’t get more natural or healthy than bees.
“Everything. All the by-products – it’s nothing but healthy for you.”
The annual Summer Small Business Fair saw many people visit the Roll-A-Dome for the event, which is intended for local vendors to meet new customers and promote their products many of which are unique and handcrafted items.
The next small business fair takes place in the fall.
