Florence produced a colourful variety of dolls inspired by Africa, at her home in West Hoxton, in Sydney’s west.
The former computer programmer and mother of four arrived in Australia as a skilled migrant from Nigeria in 1998 with her husband Solomon and their three sons. She had a daughter Shallom, soon after.
It was the struggle to find a doll that looked like her daughter that inspired Florence to start making representation dolls.
The 54-year-old set up a home business, designing and making dolls wearing a vibrant Nigerian colours, to celebrate her culture.
And customers responded. In recent years, her online platform ‘Designed by Florence’ sold hundreds of dolls, and around 80 per cent of her customers were non-African.
Sewing clothing for the dolls also creates work for women in Nigeria, including many single mothers struggling to make ends meet.
Florence was immensely proud of her gift to Australian children. Her family continue to run her business online.
