A BLACK entrepreneur has created a new African-inspired princess dress to empower Black girls this Christmas. 

Catherine Boakye, 54, is the founder of Mangotree Kids, an African-themed drumming workshop and educational resource business dedicated to providing black children with positive representations of their heritage.

The mother of two from Croydon, south London, created the African-inspired princess dress, after noticing most of the children’s dressing up costumes available on the high street are based on white princesses.

Speaking exclusively to The Voice, she said: “On the whole it is very white dominated. 

“When a child steps into a princess dress they should feel beautiful and it should compliment who they are. 

“Our dresses are stylish in design and are very unique and they have a touch of African Kente.” 

She added: “It is giving us that identity that when they wear the Kente dress ‘I am a beautiful black princess’.

“It’s for our children that’s why I designed it, but all children can wear it.”

The businesswoman’s exciting new product has already been snapped up by retail giant John Lewis, who will sell the dress as part of their Christmas Pop-up Shop at their flagship store in Oxford Street next week. 

DETERMINED: Catherine Boakye is the founder of Mangotree Kids (Picture Credit: Catherine Boakye)

Ms Boakye told The Voice, the dress also teaches children about sustainability and recycling. 

She said: “It is not just a princess dress, you can wear this to a really special occasion and let your daughter feel like she is the Belle of the ball.” 

“There is that dual-purpose aspect of the dress also,” she added. 

“You can wear them somewhere special and then use them as imaginative play afterwards. 

“But also, then when they have grown out of them you can repurpose them because the material is so beautiful and use them to make a cushion or a bag.

“So again you are teaching the children about sustainability and upscaling and not letting another child’s toy go into landfill.”

Ms Boakye has been running her business for twenty years and has also designed colourful print Superhero Capes – which she said are very popular with children during story time in nurseries. 

SUPERHERO: Ms Boakye has also created these bright and colourful Superhero capes (Picture Credit: Catherine Boakye)

In 2022, Ms Boakye won a trademark battle against fashion giant Mango.

Since then, she has focused on perfecting her multicultural toys and educational resources for the early years sector and schools.

She says she is now seeing the fruits of her labour and is encouraging other black business owners not to give up on their dreams.

She said: “If you have a dream don’t give up, through the hardships something good will come.” 

Ms Boakye added that her business will continue to produce products that empower black children to use their imagination to develop greater self-belief.

Mangotree Kids’ Little Princess Gowns and Superhero Capes will be on sale at  at John Lewis’s flagship store on Oxford Steet as part of their Christmas Pop Shop from November 20th to 26th.