FEATURE
Interest in supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander-owned businesses has grown considerably over the past few years , thanks in large part to organizations like Welcome to Chinatown and other efforts to boost AAPI pride in the wake of Covid . Here , Inside Retail takes a look at three up-and-coming brands and learns what the business journey has been like for their founders .
FEATURE
Bonbonwhims Founder : Clare Ngai What it is : Brightly colored accessories reminiscent of play jewelry from the early 2000s .
The name references the French word for candy and a shortening of the word ‘ whimsical ’. And whimsical pieces of candy are the first things that come to mind when looking at the rings , necklaces , earrings and bracelets that jewelry brand Bonbonwhims has to offer .
What started as a passion project to raise funds for Black and Indigenous People of Color ( BIPOC ) organizations during the early , dark stages of the Covid-19 pandemic quickly turned into a lucrative business venture , to founder Clare Ngai ’ s surprise .
“ I was a talent agent for six , seven years , and Covid happened ,” Ngai said . “ The whole world was on pause , and I just wanted to make some meaning out of my day-to-day , instead of just sitting there and waiting to see what ’ s going to happen tomorrow .”
As a person of color , she was also inspired by the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate movements , and wanted to contribute . “ I ’ ve always loved making jewelry and arts and crafts , so it wasn ’ t meant to be a business at all when I first started it as a vehicle to raise money ,” Ngai said .
Initially , she ran the business on Instagram , where consumers could directly message her to purchase a piece . She was still in shock that she was selling a few hundred dollars worth of jewelry a day , all of which was going to charity , when Kylie Jenner , one of the world ’ s most well-known influencers , wore her piece .
From there , Ngai quickly became swamped by orders and immediately set
out to build an e-commerce website to meet consumer demand . It was during this time that it clicked that what was essentially a short-term project could be turned into a successful professional endeavor .
“[ It ] changed the whole trajectory of my business because my sales just skyrocketed . People really found out about me . That ’ s how it all turned into a business ,” she said .
Today , Bonbonwhims jewelry has been worn by other female style icons , like Ariana Grande , Doja Cat , and Bella Hadid , and featured in several publications from The New York Times to Vogue magazine . The brand is now sold online by Nordstrom and Revolve , and in 2022 , it collaborated with Netflix on a collection for the movie The School for Good and Evil .
In July , Bonbonwhims ran a successful pop-up shop on Elizabeth Street in Nolita , one of New York ’ s trendiest shopping areas . Due to popular demand , the pop-up was extended by a week . Ngai said , the pop-up was a trial to see if Bonbonwhims should open a brick-and-mortar location , and judging by the response from long-time and newly minted fans of the brand alike , it ’ s safe to say that there may soon be a new addition to the city ’ s list of must-see spots to shop .
24 www . insideretail . us September 2023