Grass-Fields will employ 1 million africans by 2050
At Grass-fields, our mission is clear: to transform Africa's fashion industry by creating the largest African fashion brand globally while employing 1 million Africans by 2050. Despite Africa facing significant challenges in clothing production, we see these obstacles as opportunities for innovation.
By keeping production in Africa and leveraging our beloved African fabrics, we're redefining 'Made in Africa' by crafting elegant, sophisticated clothing. Join us in rewriting the narrative and celebrating Africa's rich heritage as we pave the way for a brighter future.
Our Humble Journey
I'M SOPHIA.
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ABOUT SOPHIA
I’m dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, side-hustlers and founders-to-be build their dream businesses. Over the past 14 years, I’ve built big companies and failed hard on the grand public stage. When I was 22, I started a little eBay store selling vintage out of the back of an ‘87 Volvo and named it Nasty Gal. Over the years, I scaled the business to $100,000,000 in revenue and wrote a New York Times Bestselling book about the whole thing and named it #GIRLBOSS. So they put me on the cover of Forbes and made a Netflix series based on my life. Needless to say, it’s been a pretty wild ride. Through my businesses, books, and podcasts I’ve mentored thousands of people like you on how to dream up and build profitable businesses they’re proud of. I’ve navigated the tricky waters of building both bootstrapped and investor-backed companies and after 14 years of it, I’m ready to harvest everything I know. Please, take it!
1988
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We were born in Cameroon in September 1988 to a loving family. We were all very close and we had a great childhood.
1988
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1996 -1998
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We lost our father and brother, and our mother was now a single mother to 6 kids. To help make ends meet, we would take to the streets of Africa, selling sweets, and fruits after school.
1996 -1998
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2007-2010
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We started selling clothes at University to afford our tuition and expenses.
2007-2010
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2010
We both Graduated with Bachelor’s degrees. Christelle used the savings from the clothes business to secure a visa to pursue an MBA in the UK.
2010
2011
Christelle worked as a cleaner, and nanny while selling second-hand clothes on eBay.
2011
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2012
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Eventually, Christelle graduated with an MBA, but couldn’t secure a job in the UK. She had to return to Cameroon with only £50 in her pocket.
2012
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2013
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We started Grass-fields on Etsy in a cyber cafe.
2013
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2014
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We went viral and became a 6 figure business in just 2 days while operating from Cameroon.
2014
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2015
Christelle returned to the UK with their brother ready to scale Grass-fields.
2015
2019
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Michele fell ill, leaving Christelle to run the business on her own.
2019
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2019
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2022
Grass-fields became an 8 figure business and the biggest African fashion brand in the world.
2019
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2022
2023
We lost the company to investors that were suppose to help us all while Michele was fighting for her life.
2023
2024
Now, we’ve regained control of the company, and we are now ready to continue serving our community, providing the best African clothing, and continuing our goal of employing 1,000,000 Africans by 2050.
2024