We recently connected with Arielle Toelke and have shared our conversation below.

Arielle, appreciate you joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

My brand was always based in multifunctionality and travel. I was making bandanas and scarves but knew that I could push the design of a single piece of fabric further. The pandemic lockdown gave me time to just think. As artists, it’s impossible to always produce and come up with new ideas. My “day job” as a makeup artist in film and television leaves me little time to create when I am working on a production. With this new unstructured time I could be free to just think and play and come up with new ideas. One day I cut a few shapes out of paper and started playing around with composition. This was creatively so freeing and ultimately led me to find my collage style with my Bandana Board Games. I saw the game Chutes and Ladders on line somewhere and thought.. that should be on a bandana. The bandana can be this great travel item as is (a neckerchief, a tissue, headband, etc) and now a travel game to boot!
I started the collection with three designs based off historical games. The colors and design are bright and bold and are as fun to play as they are to wear. I knew I had come up with a unique product and it was proven from the sales when I launched.
The feedback from the bandanas has been amazing and has given me the confidence to grow the collection. I now have more games, some based on historical games and some made up games that I love inventing. I have even had the chance to make custom games for other companies.
My bandanas are digitally printed versions of my cut paper artwork. I wanted to keep a hand made element to the games, along with keeping them as sustainable as possible (no plastic pieces or packaging). I source my wooden playing pieces from a supplier in the states and hand dye them with natural dyes. I love that there is always a little piece of nature in each bag.

Arielle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My professional career as a makeup artist in film and television sounds creative. It is, to an extent, but I needed something more. Something creative only for myself. I started Four Rabbit out of my love of travel, fashion, design, and functionality. I do not have a fashion background and learned the hard way of producing clothing on a small scale. I started making travel jackets and launched with a successful kickstarter. After a second round of jackets and minimal sales I needed to rethink my business. I had started making the Bandana Board Games and they sold, took up little room to store and were so fun to create. With the bandanas I didn’t need to worry about sizing and I could do all the designing by myself. With the clothing I needed to work with multiple people, pattern designers, sampling houses, manufacturing, sourcing fabric, notions, etc. It was costly with many moving parts. My business is much more self contained and is easier to manage and grow from here. The Bandana Board Games are fun, colorful and appeal to a wide range of people. Games bring people together. I love that about my products. I love designing them, coming up with he game, the theme, the color palette. Each one is totally unique, and the product is totally unique. I love that I can still keep all the bones of my brand without the burden of over producing, keeping my carbon footprint smaller, and being as sustainable as possible in the travel brand space.
My product is a perfect blend of all the things I love, travel, design, multifunctionality, fashion and natural dyes. I know that if a square of fabric can bring me so much joy it can bring others so much joy too.
The design and invention of each bandana can be tailored to a big theme or vey niche. This gives me the flexibility to custom design Bandana Board Games for other brands, locations, and companies.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

As an artist I am compelled to create. If I didn’t have a business I would have a closet full of artwork hidden away. Having a creative business, one where I get to design each product and get that product into the hands of people is my biggest joy. I love meeting people at markets and connecting with them over design or travel and that inspires them to pick up my product. Or when someone is going to buy a Bandana Board Game but can’t decide which one because they like all of the designs so much. The positive feedback keeps me going. The positive feedback, and sales, keep me going.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

In-person markets and Faire Marketplace is a great way for me to connect to new clients. Faire Marketplace has been an incredible way for me to grow my wholesale business. The in-person markets have been amazing to connect with clients on a personal level. I think as a business owner you can tell your story the best and you have that opportunity at maker markets to do that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fourrabbit.com
• Instagram: @four.rabbit
• Other: tik tok @four.rabbit

Image Credits
photo: Sarah Baxter