Teen designs bonny bonnets for protection and comfort

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

NINETEEN-year-old Edilzabeth

Newball purchased her first sewing machine from Facebook marketplace in 2019. Now, less than four years later, the young seamstress and designer has launched her own line of bonnets, durags, pillowcases, scarves, and more.

Her brand, BellaVissi, specialises in different types of bonnets; snug ones, edgewrap ones that can be adjusted, different prints and customised versions.

“This brand was made with an aim to provide comfort, style and protection for all hair types. I wanted to create bonnets with different prints and styles. My goal was to ensure these were bonnets you could not get anywhere else,” she told Tribune Weekend.

Edilzabeth first started sewing in high school, but the demands of senior year caused her to put her dreams on hold for a while. Like many others around the world, she didn’t revisit the hobby again until the lockdown periods during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I made masks, headbands and scrunchies – all from scraps of cloth and elastic I had lying around. I had reached my peak with creating these and tried to think of something that can benefit us while being at home. Three curly headed girls in the home required bonnets for bed to prevent frizz and retain moisture.”

Deciding to give her collection of bonnets a name, she called it BellaVissi.

As the rules of lockdown became more relaxed, Edilzabeth made her first trip to the fabric store and bought a yard of four different colours – ivory, light blue, light pink and champagne. She used the fabric to make a range of bonnets varying in colours and size. However, she still had no intentions to sell them at this time. But after posting her creations online, the requests started rolling in.

When she graduated high school in 2020, Edilzabeth used all of her graduation money to order small bulks of fabric and packaging. So far, her most memorable client experience was one of her very first orders, purchased by her late grandfather.

“It was 25 bonnets handmade and packed, ready to ship to Panama in November 2020. He made it clear that he supported my new business venture. I always keep him in mind while creating these unique pieces,” she said.

Since then, Edilzabeth said her business has grown in a number of ways.

“The first way was moving from sewing on a small desk in my bedroom to having my own workspace with an adequate sewing and cutting table. This business started in Grand Bahama, however, we moved to the capital in July 2022. I was given the opportunity have my products in a flagship store on Parliament Street. Since then, I have been able to reach a larger audience as they have guests from around the world purchasing Bahamian-owned products,” she said.

“This has allowed me to express my creativity while helping others protect their skin and hair. In addition, in July 2021, I got a request to make a birthday dress for an old classmate. I told her I would try my best to execute her vision and she was satisfied with the outcome. I have expanded the BellaVissi brand from bonnets, and hair care accessories to custom garments. Working with my clients has allowed me to try new things, meet new people and allowed me to test my limits....The BellaVissi brand has kept me busy and inspired

EDILZABETH Newball

me to keep pushing towards a dream I never knew I had,” she said.

Edilzabeth said her most popular print at the moment is the ‘Bahamas Batik’ that she released as part of the brand’s Independence Collection last July.

“The way we ensure staying innovative and modern is by using social media. This is our main marketing strategy; keeping up with social media trends and trying to find other ways to protect hair in a stylish way,” she said.

“I hope to expand my business’ social influence as I promote reasons people should protect their hair and skin during the hours that they rest. Another goal for my business is to expand my workspace and upgrade my primary Ewing machine to an industrial machine that works faster. Finally, to expand my clientele to the United States and neighbouring countries. I currently am based in New Providence and ship to Family Islands. Last year, I tested the waters of shipping internationally. However, it was struggle to find an affordable and fast shipping company that would work with my brand. This year, I plan to do more research so that BellaVissi can be a brand known for comfort, style and protection around the world,” she said.