Caymanian model and entrepreneur Nik Stewart and best friend Tigerlily Hill, a designer and stylist, have joined forces to create iBonnet®, an innovative 2-in-1 eye mask bonnet that marries beauty sleep with wellness.
For the duo, the idea for the viral iBonnet wellness project, under their company brand St. Cayman, came from a “troublesome scenario” where Stewart’s sleeping bonnet, although perfect for hair care, was impractical to blocking out light.
“We were travelling for a trip to Las Vegas and Nik messaged me one morning that the lights were so bright. We had such a tough night, and she had her bonnet on, and it was pulled down over her eyes and she said, we have to do something about it,” Hill told the Cayman Compass.
Questioning why the bonnet didn’t have an eye mask, Hill said, “I sent her a similar photo because I had done the same thing. We didn’t know we had that in common and from there, it just went organically.
The friends took their idea quickly to market last February, producing samples, perfecting them, manufacturing them, and then moving on to full-scale production. The product went viral thereafter, selling out multiple times.
Rest meets therapy with functionality in mind
The viral iBonnet provides full hair and eye coverage, blocking light. It also features an adjustable soft headband, a hot and cold gel pack insert, as well as complimentary earplugs. The product line now includes a palette of colours and variety of fabrics.
The friendship fused with fashion, beauty and innovation began in 2009, when the pair created an eco-friendly swimwear and resort line, Nothing But Net. They then moved on to establishing a modelling management agency, which mentors the next generation of models.
“The bonnet is very cultural. It’s something that our parents, our grandparents have had. It’s been around for a very long time … It’s a revision of a basic item. We have an eye mask that is affixed to the standard bonnet and behind the eye mask is an insert for a cold or hot gel insert … and that’s what makes it therapeutic,” Hill said.
Since creating the patent-pending product, Stewart said the response has been incredible.
“We’ve been getting a lot of support from women and men as well. They really like the bonnet, especially the black one,” she said.
Although the iBonnet has been met with positive feedback, Hill said, there has been some negative pushback as well.
Stewart said, “That’s what happens when you’re innovative, you rock the boat, you break barriers, crack the mold and a lot of people are uncomfortable with it and some people will evolve with you and some will get left behind.”
The pair is currently involved in a pending lawsuit, involving a look alike of their product on someone else’s Instagram page.
While they didn’t go into detail, Hill said, “You can copy the style, the friendship, a lot of things, but the product has been trademarked, it’s patent pending, which is a long process.
“We’re trying to handle it in a very elegant way, but it is disappointing. … It’s not the first time we’ve been faced with something, but we always come out on top.”
‘There is no competition’
With several businesses under their belt now, the powerhouse partnership boils down to trust.
“You get to build and create … and there’s no judgment. There’s so much flexibility, openness and honesty and transparency and that’s what keeps us going in friendship, but also in business,” Stewart said.
When it comes to friendship and business, Hill said, there’s no competition.
“A lot of times you have best friends and there’s always a breakdown because one person is not able to level up, the other person somehow is in their feelings. We don’t have that element. We understand that we are females, we sometimes get emotional, and we need things, and we allow each other that flexibility and to grow as well,” Hill said.
“Entrepreneurship is easy for us, but the fabric of our society also has that spirit of making something and pushing our culture forward and this is no different. It’s not just about money, it’s about when we go somewhere, we talk about the Cayman Islands. It’s natural and people always want to know where we’re from and what we do.”
Entrepreneurship is not for everyone, Stewart said, adding “It is very hard, whether you are the person steering the ship or a part of the team. If you know it’s for you, it’s for you. Being a creative, I feel it’s magic for me because I get to do [it] every single day, and [when] I get to do it with my best friend, that’s like win-win for me.”
Stewart and Hill have also confirmed they are in the process of producing a short film entitled ‘Something Blue’ with a number of local creatives. The film, which aligns with the product line, is scheduled to premiere early next year.
For Hill and Stewart, the aim is worldwide success. Hill hopes everyone who gets ahold of a St. Cayman product “gets a bit of Cayman”. Stewart said, with the bonnet, customers can expect “a lot of wellness, good sleep, good hair”.
St. Cayman is available is in stores across Cayman and in New York. Visit stcayman.com for more information.
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Congrats! Good fortunes to the duo going forward.
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