Stormzy has thrown his weight behind a small business owner, Eni Awoyemi, after she accused a prominent UK brand of copying her business identity. In a powerful gesture of solidarity, the rapper bought 100 bouquets from Awoyemi’s company, Feyi Flowers, after she went public with her allegations.
Awoyemi, who started her floral business with a passion for creating unique bouquets, posted a now-viral video accusing Thomas Anderson, the founder of Doughnut Time - a company producing fresh batches of hand-made, glazed and decorated doughnuts - of stealing the “identity of my brand and creating their own flower company.” She was referring to Fond Flowers, a new flower brand launched by Rosie Hudson, who Awoyemi believes is Anderson’s girlfriend, based on her findings on social media.
In the video, Awoyemi shared a timeline of events that raised red flags. She revealed that Anderson, who has over 300k followers on Instagram, began following her brand back in August and even ordered a bouquet. “It’s always nice as a new founder to see successful founders following your journey, so I thought nothing of it,” Awoyemi said. “He would watch every story, so I thought he was just really interested in the brand.”
But things took a turn when Awoyemi noticed a new collaboration between Doughnut Time and Fond Flowers that seemed eerily similar to her own floral designs. Further investigation revealed that although Fond Flowers was launched just 10 days ago, the brand had already amassed nearly 20,000 followers, which Awoyemi found suspicious for a new company.
“He’s been following this, and all of a sudden his girlfriend now has a business that he is now marketing on his page to over 300k followers,” Awoyemi said. “This is not a coincidence, this is because he’s been following my journey since August.”
Awoyemi’s suspicions deepened when she discovered that Fond Flowers was registered under the same business address as Doughnut Time.
“This is why it’s so hard for Black and brown founders to make it because you have situations like this, where the people who already have the finances can recreate your brand, put the money in it, and think it’s nothing,” Awoyemi said. “The audacity to still be following my brand, and actually create this business. I’m in shock. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.”
Awoyemi’s TikTok post detailing her experience quickly went viral, garnering nearly 40k likes and an outpouring of support from people vowing to buy from Feyi Flowers. The backlash against Fond Flowers has been swift, with many calling for justice and solidarity with Awoyemi’s business.
But it wasn’t just social media users who rallied behind her. In a powerful display of support, Stormzy took to Instagram to publicly endorse Feyi Flowers, declaring that he would only be purchasing flowers from Awoyemi’s business moving forward. “From now on, I’m getting my flowers from Feyi Flowers,” Stormzy posted, sharing a message of solidarity with Awoyemi.
Stormzy’s gesture didn’t stop there. When a fan cheekily asked the rapper to buy her a bouquet from Feyi Flowers, he responded by asking for her address. “Send me your details and I’ll sort it,” Stormzy wrote. Soon, the floodgates opened with other fans asking for bouquets, and Stormzy committed to buying 100 bouquets in total, capping the number at 100 due to overwhelming demand.
“This is why I will forever adore Big Mike,” one fan tweeted, using Stormzy’s nickname. “Stormzy is actually the cutest.”
The rapper’s actions have brought much-needed attention to Awoyemi’s plight, giving her business a significant boost during a challenging time. What began as a viral accusation of brand theft has turned into a powerful show of community support, with Stormzy leading the charge in championing a small business owner facing unfair competition from a much larger, well-established brand.
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