I was first drawn to Melanated Boho Bae for the uniquely vibrant, chunky yarns and immensely satisfying carding videos. After getting to know Amanda Solomon, the bright and bubbly creator of said business, I fell even more in love. A farmer, spinner, dyer, and knitter, Amanda contains multitudes.
“I’m like Hannah Montana!” she jokes as she joins me over video chat from her New York City apartment. Amanda splits her time between the city and the Stony Creek Farmstead in the Catskills where she works as the farm manager. It was also there that she discovered the art of spinning wool seven years ago.
“I feel very empowered to say that I’m a business owner and I’m not yet 30,” she says.
As a black fibre artist, Amanda feels it is extremely important to help aspiring fibre artists of colour get a leg up in the industry. In 2020, she launched Melanated Haus of Creates – a mentorship program run in partnership with friend and fellow fibre artist Alex Reynoso of AlexCreates. Over six weeks, Alex and Amanda provided 15 black women from across the globe with support on their craft and how to turn it into a successful business.
“I had somewhat of a quick rise to being known in the industry, and to then be able to take that platform and help an artist who looks like me not have to struggle, and to provide a safe space with resources they need – it’s mind-blowing.”
The second year of the program will be focussed on further hyping up the inaugural members, spotlighting each woman and her work. “It felt more like we built a community than to say we ‘ran a mentorship,’” Amanda explains.
“I hopped on Zoom and told people ‘this is what I know, this is who I know… go make that money.’”
Sat in her well-stocked studio in a tie-dyed sweater and lavender apron, Amanda embodies the nature of her brand. Melanated Boho Bae specializes in chunky core-spun yarn, and art batts – hand-dyed, artfully carded fibre for customers to spin at home.
Amanda credits Nicole Frost of Frost Yarn for her exposure to the more colourful side of spinning. “When I’m on the farm I wear neon yellow leopard-print leggings with no shame,” she says. “I love colour, and up until I saw Nicole on Instagram I’d only worked with black and white, undyed wool.”
Melanated Boho Bae’s colour palettes, which are often inspired by Disney movies, cartoons, and worldly cultures, oscillate between colourful and moody. The most recent collection was based on Sailor Moon, with striking shades of hot pink, blue, and yellow.
“Every collection is my favourite as I’m working on it,” she says.