03:49A Nigerian entrepreneur has started a local business by transforming plantain trees into sustainable fashion and beauty products in Bayelsa state.
Footage filmed on Wednesday shows workers extracting fibres from the trees, chemically-treating the material and using it to craft various beauty products. Footage shows some of the products created from the fibres, including bags, hats and artificial hair.
"Growing up, they used to ask kids who cut plantain and do baby dolls out of it. [...] So, I asked myself, what can I do with it? I went to the internet and I saw how many things people could do with plantain," the entrepreneur explained, Tare Korumene Robinson.
"The market is large. In fact, told someone the other day, this business is a game changer," she added.
Tare noted that a 'major challenge' in her journey was figuring out how to extract the material needed from the plantain trees.
"We put it together, put the nails, extract them out manually," she said. "[Once the material was extracted] it was still hard. So, how can we soften it? We started to follow the chemical process."
According to Tare, her innovation is 'new' to Nigeria. However, her business has received positive reception from local consumers - with one explaining her neighbours were 'amazed' when discovering that her hair extensions are made of plantain fibres.
'Game changer' - Nigerian entrepreneur transforms plantain trees into sustainable fashion and beauty products
A Nigerian entrepreneur has started a local business by transforming plantain trees into sustainable fashion and beauty products in Bayelsa state.
Footage filmed on Wednesday shows workers extracting fibres from the trees, chemically-treating the material and using it to craft various beauty products. Footage shows some of the products created from the fibres, including bags, hats and artificial hair.
"Growing up, they used to ask kids who cut plantain and do baby dolls out of it. [...] So, I asked myself, what can I do with it? I went to the internet and I saw how many things people could do with plantain," the entrepreneur explained, Tare Korumene Robinson.
"The market is large. In fact, told someone the other day, this business is a game changer," she added.
Tare noted that a 'major challenge' in her journey was figuring out how to extract the material needed from the plantain trees.
"We put it together, put the nails, extract them out manually," she said. "[Once the material was extracted] it was still hard. So, how can we soften it? We started to follow the chemical process."
According to Tare, her innovation is 'new' to Nigeria. However, her business has received positive reception from local consumers - with one explaining her neighbours were 'amazed' when discovering that her hair extensions are made of plantain fibres.
A Nigerian entrepreneur has started a local business by transforming plantain trees into sustainable fashion and beauty products in Bayelsa state.
Footage filmed on Wednesday shows workers extracting fibres from the trees, chemically-treating the material and using it to craft various beauty products. Footage shows some of the products created from the fibres, including bags, hats and artificial hair.
"Growing up, they used to ask kids who cut plantain and do baby dolls out of it. [...] So, I asked myself, what can I do with it? I went to the internet and I saw how many things people could do with plantain," the entrepreneur explained, Tare Korumene Robinson.
"The market is large. In fact, told someone the other day, this business is a game changer," she added.
Tare noted that a 'major challenge' in her journey was figuring out how to extract the material needed from the plantain trees.
"We put it together, put the nails, extract them out manually," she said. "[Once the material was extracted] it was still hard. So, how can we soften it? We started to follow the chemical process."
According to Tare, her innovation is 'new' to Nigeria. However, her business has received positive reception from local consumers - with one explaining her neighbours were 'amazed' when discovering that her hair extensions are made of plantain fibres.