CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For many teens, they’re not quite sure what their plan is after graduating high school. That isn’t the case, however, for one entrepreneur who’s creating her own success through crocheting.
With each loop, Dejané Cade says she’s hoping to one day change lives for those living in third-world countries.
Cade, 17, says her artwork starts as an idea in her head, then she takes those very sketches and uses her tools to create clothing.
She says it’s a craft she grew to love, as her mother shared it with her growing up.
“She taught me a pasttime of hers that she learned and taught herself as a little girl, back in a small country off the coast of West Africa, called Liberia,” explained Cade.
Together, she and her mom made everything from blankets to baby clothes. But one day, Cade realized she wanted to do more with her abilities.
“I decided that I wanted to do something different than I don’t usually do,” Cade said.
She took the love for crochet and turned it into making dresses.
It’s a process she says begins by picking out the right color. “Does the design give off something fierce? If it’s fierce, I want something bold. I want red,” said Cade. “Traditionally, crochet is thought to be something your grandma would do or something from a long time ago.”
But that isn’t the case here. Cade is proving anyone can do it as long as you put in the effort.
During the pandemic, Cade attended virtual classes and worked on her business on the side. “While I was home, I had the opportunity to pour more into my business, to work on design, to work on different aspects that makes a business successful,” said Cade.
Her dresses first got noticed when she decided to wear her creation to prom. “When I wore this, it just meant a lot to me because it felt like i was carrying on my mother’s legacy,” Cade said.
That night, her brother recorded her in that dress, and she says it sparked a frenzy on social media.
Now, people are putting in orders for her small business. It’s something Cade says she takes pride in not just as a teen, but as a Black female.
“During the pandemic was the time where my business really grew because people were supporting small Black-owned businesses. That was the trend. I do this because it’s fun and I want to bring [a] new name to what we know as crochet,” said Cade.
She wants to do that by giving back to third-world countries. After her mom learned the craft in Liberia, she too wants to teach kids in Africa the power of crochet.
According to the worldbank.org, more than half of the population in Liberia is living in poverty. Cade hopes that by sharing her skills, kids can use crochet to supply basic needs they may not have.
If you’d like to learn more about her business, you can visit her website here.