We speak to Michael Dankwah, the CEO of Grin and Bear about life in the stuffed-toy making world, and what it’s like to be a young Black person heading up a luxury business
There’s no time like Christmas for people to venture hurriedly into a toy store in hopes of finding a gift for a loved one. And whether you’re buying for a grown-up, a child, or someone in between, there should be a lot of thought that goes behind whatever you select.
After all, it should be a reflection of what you feel for the person, as well as something they’ll truly appreciate. However, things happen – and many of us find ourselves running around the shops at the last minute, trying to find anything that’ll work. For Michael Dankwah, after a last-minute Christmas search was proving unhelpful, he decided to make a little something from scratch: a handmade teddy bear.
‘I made it for a friend of mine that I hadn’t seen in a little while, and I just wanted to do something to surprise her,’ he explains. ‘I come from a fashion background so I’m handy with a sewing machine. I found a very old teddy pattern that I knew I had stored away somewhere, very quickly made up a teddy bear for her and sent it. Even though it was a Christmas present, I forced her to open it before Christmas Day, and she fell in love with it. She took a picture of it, put it on Facebook, and then after Christmas, I started getting messages from people, asking: “Can I have one of those bears?”’
And like a Christmas miracle, the idea for a business was born. As a recent graduate who was working in a fabric shop and trying to figure out what his first proper steps into the world of fashion and textiles would be, Dankwah was ready for a new opportunity. With womenswear then being one of his most likely options for career direction, he couldn’t have predicted that he’d find his feet in the world of toys.
‘It had never crossed my mind,’ he tells me with emphasis. ‘The only reason I had a teddy pattern was because ages before, I saw a giant teddy bear, I really wanted it and was told it wasn’t for sale. I bought a pattern to make one and then never did a thing with it until I was stuck for a present idea.’
‘When you think of teddy bears, the first thing you think of is not a young Black man’
Though this came about rather spontaneously, everything that has followed in the years after has been the product of care, and deep thought. Now a thriving business, retailing on its own site as well as in Harrods and, for the third Christmas running in London luxury store Liberty, Grin and Bear has become something of a go-to destination for those on the lookout for a meaningful gift. Seeing as the first bear that he ever made was by hand, and specific for one person, the company has the element of consideration at its foundation. As a result, plenty of customers turn their way when looking for a present that will stand the test of time.
‘We get a lot of requests for children: usually from parents or grandparents who have a memory of having a teddy bear themselves, and want to give it to their kids,’ Dankwah explains. ‘It’s the idea of having an heirloom – that’s become one of our biggest selling points. People want to create something special for their kids. As they grow, they grow with it.’
It’s fair to say that the world of stuffed toy manufacturing isn’t a career field that many grow up to think about; Michael Dankwah himself hadn’t! More than this, it’s one that few would automatically associate as being a field for young Black creatives – and when he was first setting off in this world, there were some difficulties in getting the long-established manufacturers to take him seriously.
‘I could be wrong, but I’m probably the only Black person who does this,’ he explains. ‘When you think of teddy bears, the first thing you think of is not a young Black man. And initially, it was difficult to navigate that world. It’s quite old fashioned, and some of these teddy bear companies have been running for over 100 years. So it was hard, coming in and not having any idea what to say to them. I was turned down by one of the few manufacturers in the UK, flat out. I sent them my designs, and they didn’t even want to discuss it, they just said they weren’t interested. But on the flip side, they must’ve kept an eye on me: many years later they reached out and said they wanted to make my bears. But by then, I was fortunate enough to have a really great team who make things to such a high standard.’
Something that can be said for Black people making a way for themselves in any field in which they don’t often see themselves is the idea that occupying such a unique space can be very beneficial – it’s a real opportunity to do something new. And despite early setbacks, Grin and Bear has reached a place that makes its founder immensely proud – and also helps it stand separately from all the other options of toy sellers on the market. ‘As someone coming from an African background, I’ve started introducing more and more African print into my designs. We launched a teddy made from Kente, and the reaction was astonishing. Even on social media, it’s the biggest reaction we’ve had. That’s really been an encouraging factor to keep going and keep exploring that side of me more.’
Being a standout in a rare field isn’t just a good thing from a sales perspective; being visible in this way means that Dankwah also can be an inspiration to others who are keen to express their creativity in unexpected ways. ‘I meet people and they know who I am or they’ve heard about me and they’re proud of me,’ he says, proudly. ‘I never thought I’d get to the point where someone would take inspiration from me; for another Black man or woman to look at me and say that I’ve inspired them or tell me to keep going… and that really works. It keeps me going, and drives me forward to keep doing better. We all have to inspire each other and help each other grow.’
We couldn’t agree more.
Grin and Bear is available at retailers such as Liberty of London, Harrods and online at grinandbearlondon.com
