For Sainabou Lowe, it’s always been about her bag
From selling $40 painted jeans out of her college dorm room to growing a design business in the heart of NYC’s fashion scene, the 28-year-old entrepreneur uses Cash App¹ and Afterpay² to keep her business moving.
Sainabou Lowe has always had a money mindset.
When she moved to New York from Maryland for college, she expected her future to involve business. While she always had a knack for creativity, she wasn’t confident about how to fuse the two passions together.
“[I] didn’t really see it as a source of career or income,” Sainabou said. “I just loved it.”
That perspective shifted quickly while at Pace University. One day, Sainabou was in search of a new outfit, so she got creative with what she already had (as many college students do). Her roommate was an art major who was always painting, so she asked to borrow some paint and customized a pair of black jeans she already owned.
When she wore the jeans around the city, something clicked. People started stopping her to ask, “Where did you get those pants?”
“When you make something for yourself, you’re not thinking that anyone’s really interested,” Sainabou said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, people like this.’”
Her business instincts kicked in. The design requests started flowing – so she needed an easy and accessible way to get paid for the orders around campus through Cash App.
What started as a dorm-room hobby quickly became a college side hustle.
“I’m like, wait, I like this, and I think that I can actually specialize in this and make it serious,” she said. “I decided I’m going to take this somewhere.”
So, she transferred from Pace to LIM College to study fashion business. While in school, she founded Sai by Sai, putting her name front and center on her hand-painted fashion business.
Her relationship with Cash App would then grow from a way to receive money to something that would fuel her business long-term.
Sainabou Lowe, founder of Sai by Sai, turned a college side hustle into a growing fashion business in NYC
From $40 jeans to a SoHo storefront
After Sainabou graduated, her business grew with her. She began working alongside other designers and creatives, sharing ideas and finding ways to support each other’s businesses.
Cash App remained a constant and she now uses Cash App Business as a way to separate her personal finances from her business expenses: accepting customer payments, organizing expenses, and keeping track of money coming in and going out - she doesn’t mind the platform's aesthetics either.
“I love the color. Something is just [fun] about Cash App to me. I love seeing all the rewards or the possible cashback options.”
At markets, pop-ups, and the SoHo boutique where she sells her work, Cash App Business gives customers an easy way to pay. She also uses Cash App Pools³ to collect and organize money from other designers for shared expenses - from accessories and bags for the shop to coffee runs to keep her team fueled.
“Me and all the different designers are working together all the time,” she said. “So, why not just put something in there that we can all see and keep track of? It just feels low maintenance and easier than having a bank account.”
She especially appreciates being able to see a record of what’s coming in and what she’s spending so she can be mindful about how her money moves.
At markets, pop-ups, and her SoHo boutique, Sainabou uses Cash App Business to accept payments and keep her business finances organized
Creating purpose in everyday business decisions
Sainabou is intentional in everything she does. She curates her collections, strategizes her next business move, and thoughtfully plans her approach to keeping her business healthy. She’s always thinking about how to better manage savings, inventory, production, and her cost of living.
That’s where Afterpay comes in. Because Sainabou hand-paints many of the pieces she sells, some personal shopping trips can also become sourcing for future inventory. When she makes a larger haul, she’s used Afterpay to spread out the upfront cost.
“It’s so great when I’m able to shop around or see things and am like, ‘I’m going to make the money back,” Sainabou said. “So, it’s like a little investment.”
The idea is to manage the timing between buying something she can turn into a sellable piece and bringing money back into the business.
“I can use Afterpay to lighten the load so I [can] buy stuff, sell it, and then pay myself back,” Sainabou said.
As Sainabou grows Sai by Sai, Cash App and Afterpay help her manage the timing between buying, creating, selling, and reinvesting
Making room for big ideas
For Sainabou, the balancing act of running a business is ultimately about creating financial room for more of her ideas to become real. “I would love to have all my little brain babies have enough funding to actually make it happen,” she said. Her vision stretches beyond a single collection or storefront.
Over the next five years, she hopes to turn her business into an immersive fashion world through a physical store or recurring pop-up where art, fashion, gallery, and retail can come together.
When asked for her advice to other young creatives looking to follow a similar path, flexibility is key.
“I feel like we're always told to have everything [figured out]. As soon as we graduate high school, you have to know what you're going to do. That's not for certain. Just be open to trying things and also be open to failing.”
For Sainabou, Cash App and Afterpay are part of the financial balancing act behind Sai by Sai, helping her manage today’s business while making room for bigger ideas ahead
- Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Pools provided by Cash App, a Block Inc. brand
- Afterpay is offered and managed through your Cash App account - no Afterpay account needed. Eligibility is based on several factors and is not guaranteed. Afterpay is not available in all states. Afterpay loans issued by First Electronic Bank, serviced by Square Capital, Inc. View state licenses at sqcapitallicenses.com/us/en/legal/capital/capital-licenses
- The use of pools is subject to the Cash App Terms of Service and Terms of Service for Pools Contributors (No Account).
