By: Raven Lawson

Women’s History Month may have passed, but female entrepreneurs are killing it all year round. Many amazing women in Temple’s community run their own fashion and beauty companies; here are some to check out and support.

Samah Solutions

Launched in September of 2018 by junior natural sciences student Samah Mahamat, Samah Solutions offers 100% natural products for all of your skincare concerns.

Mahamat suffered from adolescent hormonal acne, which took a huge toll on her self-confidence. After months of extensive research on natural products she could use to combat her acne, she landed on the perfect mix of moringa oil, emu oil, and other cleansing oils.

“These weren't random ingredients that were picked out. They’re ingredients that I found to work best for universal skin issues. I was looking for something that didn't just target hyperpigmentation, I wanted something that would also help with inflammation, or dark spots, or eczema,” Mahamat said.

Her business sparked from a before and after picture of herself that she posted on Instagram showcasing her results after three months of using the product she created. After that post, her Instagram DMs blew up with people wanting to know how she transformed her skin.

Before and After results of a Samah Solutions client

“So I went ahead and made an [business] Instagram page and I was taking orders through DM. Eventually, it got to the point where I couldn't handle manually writing everything down, so I opened a website,” Mahamat said.

Since launching her company’s website, Mahamat has sold over 2,000 bottles of her product both domestically and internationally, but she doesn’t plan on stopping there.

For this New York native, “the sky's the limit with this business; anything and everything is possible. I definitely want to see Samah Solutions at the end of the day on shelves of major retailers,” Mahamat said.

Still, Mahamat’s overall goal is for her products to continue helping others feel confident in their own skin.

“I just want to touch anyone I can help because the power of this serum has helped me change drastically from one person to another,” Mahamat said. “I just want to go ahead and make that happen for anybody else.”

The Forget Me Not Project

Recent 2020 graduate Jenna, who majored in printmaking, has had her business in the works since April of last year but just officially launched it in mid-March. Jenna’s love of sending fresh flowers and personalized letters to her friends and family was the inspiration behind her company.

“When the pandemic hit, I felt really disconnected from my friends and family. So I turned to a form that I had previously used to show my affection for people, which was through writing love letters [and] giving people flowers. So the whole project actually started from trying to find a way that I could transport that kind of love language over the Postal Service,” said Jenna.

Jenna, who is a trained printmaker, spent the past year learning how to work with resin, which is a new medium for her. She had to take the time to learn how to preserve the flowers correctly and create a space where she could work with resin safely.

“There were practical obstacles as far as learning the craft. And I think a big part of that also was my mindset and working through that,” said Jenna. “This is a new challenge for me in my fine art career; using a new medium and having to learn to forgive myself when all the pieces don’t turn out as I want them to at first.”

It’s an intense process to work with resin and create her delicate jewelry. After picking local wildflowers, Jenna presses them for about two weeks before taking them through the resin process. Using tiny syringes, she measures out the correct ratio of resin to hardener before using tweezers and toothpicks to place the flowers and gold or silver flakes.

After waiting about 72 hours for the curing process to complete, she polishes the pieces and packages them with her handwritten notes before sending them out to their recipients.

Working on this project has also been a form of self-care for Jenna, who since graduating now works full-time in an inpatient psychiatric unit.

“I find it very meditative. It's also something that's social for me; I can kind of spread this positive energy out through the project. I mean, the whole message and purpose of this project is just to spread positivity and love around our community,” said Jenna.

Sweet Venom

Junior Biology major Crystal Osuji, the designer behind Sweet Venom, has been sewing clothes since she was 14. She originally started by using traditional fabrics that her grandmother would send her from Nigeria.

“In Nigeria, being a tailor is a big business. For any special event, you're going to get something tailored, and it's gonna be handmade, and nine times out of ten it's gonna be that custom, perfect fit,” Osuji said. “So that's part of my culture. Sewing has just kind of always been in my focus of interest.”

Osuji started to make a serious business out of her passion for sewing last year, after she received positive feedback from friends and people who would ask her about custom pieces. The response from people on social media has also helped her business gain more traction.

“I see the best reaction or the best feedback from people when they actually see me wearing it. So I notice that if I'm wearing jeans I made or a dress I made, I’ll post it on my Instagram story, and [people] will swipe up like ‘Hey, I want a pair, I'll buy it off of you or can you make me one,’” Osuji said.

When creating clothes, Osuji pulls inspiration from current fashion trends and other creators. She has always had a love for clothing and genuinely enjoys seeing what other local creators are doing with their work, to spark new ideas for her own brand.

Since being back in school, she has had to balance being both a student and a designer. Custom pieces can take up to three weeks for her to make depending on her work and study schedules.

“I think the best thing to do for me is to dedicate hours of the day or hours of the week just to the business. If I had a really busy day of school or work, I would just get home and sew because that also is just a therapeutic thing, and then I also get my orders out of the way,” Osuji said.

Osuji has big rebranding plans for the future. She currently sells her pieces through Depop, but she hopes to get a website launched to make compiling orders easier.

Her creative process places a strong emphasis on sustainability and building a designer-client relationship.

“Especially when it comes to the denim work I do, I try to make sure everything is through thrifting or secondhand, just to reduce the waste I'm making,” Osuji said. “I also like to work with the client, so even if I [already] have something that they want, I always ask if they have any extra ideas to customize it to make it their own one-of-a-kind design.”

Moon and Stars Co.

Longtime artist and sophomore health professions student, Elizabeth Knight, launched her jewelry business Moon and Stars Co. in mid-March. Knight got inspired to begin making wire-wrapped crystal rings after seeing others making them online.

“I needed a creative outlet. I love doing art; I grew up a dancer, I love photography, and I just needed something new. So… I decided to give it a try and it became very therapeutic for me. It got to the point where I had so many I decided to sell them,” Knight said.

Knight has always had an affinity for symbols of the universe like the sun, moon, and stars. They represent a special connection she has with her mom and the idea of feeling close to others even when you are far apart.

“It represents how we're all under the same sun and the same moon, which has always kind of stuck with me,” said Knight. “So I hold the moon and the sun, stars like all those symbols close to my heart and I wanted my company to portray that.”

The crystals Knight uses in her jewelry have a range of different properties and she often works with customers to create the ring that aligns with whatever characteristics they are looking for.

For Knight, making rings is a form of self-care and the process has been very therapeutic. Because her jewelry making is also a hobby, keeping prices affordable is important to her, and is one of the features that draw customers to her business.

“I knew I wanted to keep prices cheap; mainly because I'm doing it because it's very therapeutic for me. And I was always looking for cute, cheap rings. So I wanted to provide that for students at Temple and anyone who was interested in them,” Knight said.

Although Knight is fairly new to making jewelry and running a business, she has received positive feedback from fellow students and customers who continue to repurchase rings from her. She has plans to add necklaces and even launch her own website sometime in the future.

Many female entrepreneurs have fostered their passions and hobbies at Temple. These women launched their companies with goals to help others and bring them joy with the products they create. Always remember to support small businesses, especially those created with love, within your community.

By Women, For Everyone

Samah Solutions

The Forget Me Not Project

Sweet Venom

Moon and Stars Co.