2 African entrepreneurs launch African dolls collection in the UK

by Rachel Ogbu//

South African Khulile Vilakazi-Ofosu and Caroline Hlahla, a Zimbabwean based in the U.K. are the entrepreneurs behind the Sibahle Collection ( Zulu word meaning ‘we are beautiful’ ) range of dolls. What makes these dolls special is their features which represent children of African and Caribbean heritage.

On a mission to tackle the ‘hair issue’ among young girls and the absence of black dolls with ‘kinky Afro hair’ in toy shops, the ladies launched their first range of the 50cm dolls that resemble African and Caribbean children’s facial and body features and it sold out twice.

“We decided to do this, because we want our children to know they are beautiful the way they are,” Caroline told DailyMail.

“We hope the dolls’ hair will teach our children how to take care of their own natural hair from a young age and to love the skin that they’re in. Our first doll under the collection is called Nobuhle, Buhle for short which is a Zulu word that means “the one that represents beauty”. Her hair is the most distinguishing feature of this doll. The child gets to experiment with the hair, wash it, care for it as their own hair. Up until recently, the European market attempted to fill the gap for black dolls with western dolls just painted black with hair nothing like the typical African kinky hair.”

On the website, the brand explains the vision of the brand saying The Sibahle Collection was born out of a need to encourage black children to be comfortable in their own skin. The dolls under this collection have features that resemble most African children’s facial and body features. The flat nose, the fuller lips, the kinky hair, the dark skin, the more pronounced cheeks, etc. We want our children to know they are beautiful the way they are. We hope the doll’s hair will teach our children how to take care of their own natural hair from a young age.The “princess” theme is meant to reassure our children that no matter what shade of black they are, they are, in our eyes our PERFECT AFRICAN PRINCESSES!

The pair who have been working from home, one as a stay at home mom and the other working from her garage now hope to find funding to expand their business.

Caroline Hlahla
Khulile Vilakazi-Ofosu

The Sibahle Collection

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