Chicago’s Hapi Danielle is an artist, entrepreneur, community activist, poet, and all-around dynamo who has dedicated her life to the betterment of people.
Her company, Centerpeace Drip, not only creates beautiful handmade waist beads, but also serves to inspire women to embrace their uniqueness, celebrate their femininity, and radiate confidence in every aspect of their lives. Beyond the accessories, the company also doubles as a movement that provides a safe space for women to come together, share stories, and uplift one another.
Will you tell us about Centerpeace Drip and the inspiration behind it?
Centerpeace Drip actually started as a creative endeavor because I couldn’t find any waist beads in the Midwest so I decided to make some. The process of making the jewelry became therapeutic. Through research, I learned the history and sanctity of the tradition of wearing waist beads for women in various African cultures. I became intentional about colors, designs, symbolism, and my process. After I started making them for friends it soon took on a life of its own. Now the waist beads are imported from my personal friend in Ghana who handmakes them with the women in her family, which makes them even more sacred to me.
What if any new meaning did you find in the waist beads?
I found that wearing my waist beads became empowering. They became a symbol of self-expression and self-love. I made each waist bead custom and would have each woman I tied waist beads on set an intention for herself while wearing them. It became more than jewelry, it was an opportunity to cultivate conversations about self-care and spiritual healing. My waist beads help me stay intentional. They are something I can feel that reminds me to put my own life mask on first. They are with me when I’m alone with myself and they remind me how beautiful and dynamic I am.
What are some of the benefits of waist beads?
Waist Beads are more than jewelry; they are steeped in cultural significance and offer benefits ranging from personal expression and beauty to physical and spiritual wellness. They are a tool to track your weight, track your ovulation, and support your self-care and spiritual healing. They are a physical tool for manifestation and affirmation. They also empower a woman’s sexuality and sensuality. I want EVERY woman to feel beautiful exactly how God made her. I know that when a woman feels confident about herself, she shows up in the world in her fullness. I believe healed women heal the world.
How did your experience in the world of modeling inform what you do with Centerpeace?
While modeling in my late teens and early 20s, I soon realized the fashion industry perpetuates a “standard of beauty” to its consumers that was not what I intended to sell. Centerpeace Drip became my way of challenging the fashion industry’s narrative of a “standard of beauty” imposed on mass consciousness to the self-assured woman being her own standard of beauty. That is the conversation I have with the women who purchase waist beads with Centerpeace Drip.
What’s next for Hapi Danielle and Centerpeace Drip?
My only goal for Centerpeace Drip is to continue to grow it as a business with the utility of being a healing movement for women; as the healing woman is the wellspring from which all of my work will flow.
