Twenty-five-year-old Wilglory Tanjong is making $100,000 monthly with her luxury handbag line called Anima Iris. The handbags have become so popular that Beyoncé reportedly gave them her stamp of approval.
All of Tanjong’s handbags are hand-stitched in Dakar, Senegal. While traveling in Senegal, the businesswoman met artists who hand-crafted handbags. She said meeting the artists gave her the idea to begin her luxury handbag line in what she called “a bingo moment.”
“I realized that there was a significant gap in the market,” said Tanjong. “Women of color, and specifically Black women, have always been excluded from the luxury narrative. Building a brand that centers these women while also bringing forth African culture into the global landscape was like a bingo moment for me.”
Beyoncé apparently likes the bags because she posted a picture on Instagram of her wearing a Wilglory Tanjong Anima Iris bag Raspberry Zaza bag.
“ANIMA IRIS IS OFFICIALLY @beyonce APPROVED!!!!!!! WOWWWWWWW THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED US. WE TAKING AFRICA TO THE WORLD. Promise 🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾.”
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Tanjong is a graduate of Princeton University, where she earned a scholarship. Her mother passed away during her senior year, yet, the young entrepreneur managed to graduate in 2018.
After moving to Atlanta, she began working at a manufacturing and supply company, earning $86,000 per year. She had already saved some money from internships and jobs on campus. Tanjong also inherited $50,000 from her mother, and realizing she hadn’t grieved, she took a leave of absence and traveled to Africa.
Tanjong found a local artisan who could craft her designs and researched beginning a small business. She was soon featured in Vogue and shared on Twitter with the caption, “If you want a black-owned luxury bag, Amina Iris is a personal fave.”
The tweet quickly went viral, and the handbags sold out.
If you want a black owned luxury bag, Amina Iris is a personal fave. pic.twitter.com/8Np0dffCrS
— agent of chaos (@_heyyymscarter) July 23, 2020
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Tanjong has launched partnerships with Nordstroms and Saks Fifth Avenue and is expected to earn more than $1 million per year with her luxury handbags.
