Fresh Starts & Glossy Beginnings

Fresh Starts &
Glossy Beginnings

I think it's time we met..

May 13, 2024

By Annabell Amankwatia

In all the ways Solani Collective was envisioned to launch, being written from the waiting room of A&E at 3:32 in the morning was never part of the plan. Six months after losing my dad and now facing a health scare with my uncle, one thought keeps repeating in my mind: “Just start.”

I don’t think we should wait for big, life-changing events to act on dreams, but sometimes those moments provide the push needed to take that first step. Solani is a result of such a push. For a long time, there was hesitation around explaining what Solani Collective is, out of fear that people wouldn’t understand. Yet, every time the idea was shared, it was received with clarity. Looking back, the concept of Solani was never that complicated; it was just fear creating doubt. Originally a lip gloss brand, Solani was created during a meltdown in my second year of uni.

It came from a realisation that at 21, I had boxed myself into this image of an “academic babe” who loved economics and was supposedly great (though I was actually quite average) at math.

An internal struggle began: there are so many layers to who we are as individuals; why should we be stuck in one box or one narrative?

That’s also why Solani wasn’t launched earlier. Aside from procrastination, fear, and excessive planning, there was a deep gut feeling that Solani was never meant to be limited to just a lip gloss brand—or even to being one at all. There was always a desire for it to be more—a platform that allows for the freedom to explore, to question the foundations of one’s identity, to rebuild, reinvent, and pivot when needed.

I think that’s what life is all about, isn’t it? When you really start talking to people, you realise how multifaceted we all are and how life is this ongoing journey of self-discovery and growth. And that’s what Solani represents—a reminder that life isn’t linear, and it’s perfectly okay to explore.

One thing I want to make very clear—this isn’t about having everything figured out. This isn’t about perfection or pretending life is flawless. It’s actually the opposite. This is a journey, one that I’m still on too—learning, growing, and figuring it all out.

Solani is for anyone who wants to explore new sides of themselves, connect with others, share ideas, and live life in a way that feels full and true. To look back at our lives with smiles, knowing they have been lived to the fullest potential, that we poured into our community, did all that we wanted to do, and gave it everything.

If that resonates, then welcome.