Belinda Esaete’s experience with sleep deprivation exposed her to challenges a lot of other 21st-century modern women face; long days trying to make ends meet but shorter uneventful nights due to poor sleep quality.
“I was always tired from work and whenever I could go home to sleep, I would wear baggy clothes, which were uncomfortable and would heat up at night. I would sweat a lot and end up awake all night just trying to find a comfortable spot.”
Then she discovered the magical power of the silk fabric.
“Silk is stylish, comfortable, smooth on the body and whenever I wore it, I would sleep faster and longer.”
At the backdrop of a pandemic, the fashion enthusiast was inspired to create a sleepwear brand, the first in Uganda – to not only solve the challenges she was facing at the time but also contribute to her country’s economic growth.
“If we have Ugandan products entering new markets, it will be easy for our local economy to grow.”
Belinda says the idea of Bel Deluxe was conceived during the first lockdown in 2020. At the time, she was battling a set of problems; high on her list was sleep deprivation, trying to survive a pandemic especially as her job contract had come to an end and figuring out the direction of her life.
“I had a lot of thoughts and it was stressful. I just had to think about the problems I had around me and how I could create an opportunity out of them. One; I needed a job, two; I needed to sleep well.”
Next, she carried out extensive research on fabrics that could offer a solution.
“I experimented on different kinds of fabrics including cotton and satin before I zeroed down on silk and then I embarked on researching the designs that would fit our climate here. I had to also ask myself, who is this urban woman I am creating a product for? When I made that profile, we began testing and ruling out designs, seeing the ones that work and selling them.”
Synonymous for its lightweight, breathable and comfortable silk designs that promote wellness and self-care, Bel Deluxe is a sleepwear brand that produces a range of sleepwear and home-wear outfits for the everyday urban woman
“Yes, we are promoting better quality sleep but also the aspect of self-care. People need to be able to enjoy their time at home, reading a book or spending time with their loved ones but they need to do that while wearing something more smooth on the body.”
To ensure efficient and high-quality production, Belinda says she sources high-quality silk raw materials from suppliers that import from countries like Thailand, China, and Korea.
Every nitty-gritty aspect of the creative design process is carefully and meticulously thought through as well.
“We plan everything for every design we have including measurements for all sizes from s to 4xl. This enables us to reduce the time taking measurements for every client that walks in, and also reduces the chances of errors happening because we already have design patterns and creative standards. So on average if you’re making a short, it can take around 30 minutes, the top about 45 and an hour for a robe. So, in like two and a half hours, a complete set can be made.”
At the core, the brand is also trying to encourage Ugandans to buy and build locally. Belinda believes local production not only creates jobs, increases exports, and taxes but also brings a lot more opportunities for investment.
“It is important because when our country is known for other local productions such as skincare and not just coffee, it’s easy for us to have investors come in and invest in our economy and build factories like they are doing in Kenya. Kenya has so many of its local products in the international markets.”
Belinda credits their success thus far to the flexible nature of sleepwear fashion, being a part of communities that offer support to entrepreneurs such as Motiv and Zimba Women, as well as having the right team. “I invest a lot of my energy on the things that I am good at and delegate other tasks to the professionals on my team.”
From one of her seamstresses forgetting her products in a taxi to diving in the swimming pool with borrowed capital, Belinda recounts the challenges of entrepreneurship she has endured thus far.
“Of course, the beginning isn’t easy as I’m making it sound. At one time I bought everything anyone would recommend, to experiment with some designs, but they didn’t come out nicely, and the quality was so horrible that I could not sell them to anyone, yet I had invested a lot of money in the raw materials. But those are learning points that taught me when you’re experimenting with a design, you need to buy stuff in small quantities. Test, if it works, then go ahead and stock, if it doesn’t work, just move forward and try the next design.”
Besides production issues, Belinda points out that swimming in unchartered territories means she has limited stories to relate to, as well as limited access to funding from banks and high taxes on raw materials which makes it tougher to compete with importers of both new and used clothes.
A 2017 study by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) found that East Africa accounts for nearly 13% of global imports of used clothing worth $274 million, with 67 per cent of the populace purchasing a portion of their clothes from used clothing markets.
“Since we don’t have silk plants in Uganda, it’s difficult for us to compete with them. If the taxes are lowered on these raw materials since Ugandans are embracing products like these, it will help us compete favourably. Also, if the government can raise taxes on imported products, that we can substitute and produce locally, I think it would make sense for us and we would be able to grow our local economy. So, I think trying to penetrate the start-up world and being a fashion entrepreneur, really takes guts, like you just have to show up every day.”
Armed with guts and determination, show up, she does every day.
“I read a lot of books, watch business movies and youtube videos on successful entrepreneurs. Currently, I am reading ‘The 5 Second Rule’ by Mel Robbins. I have previously read ‘Shoe Dog’ written by the founder of Nike, Phil Knight and I can relate to what he went through starting the brand, the emotions, and how he worked his way around building the brand. I also have conversations with mentors and attend every entrepreneurship training I come across. That’s one way I build the knowledge gap because running a business, you constantly have to be learning, you have to keep refreshing all the time.”
The future looks bright for Belinda and Bel Deluxe. This year she opened her first physical location at Motiv in Kampala. She has been featured in several local and international publications including the UK’s The National has been a part of prestigious fellowships such as the Bold Women Fellowship by Bold in Africa and the Global business School Network by DPDHL.
She advises other entrepreneurs in the same field to be innovative and attentive to customer needs.
“You have to be very innovative, listen to what your customers want and create designs based on that. So it’s a loop that keeps on going around, like create the design, test it out, like it and launch, and then go back edit, and then if that has done so well, introduce a new product on the market.”
Africa’s fashion industry accounts for the second employer of labour after agriculture and is estimated at over $31billion, according to a report by AFDB.
To harness this limitless potential, Belinda believes it’s going to take support from all stakeholders.
“Let’s buy local, let’s support local talents, create more jobs for Ugandans and most importantly, let’s be proud of who we are as Ugandans, as Africans.”
