Black History Month is an opportune time to celebrate not only the historical achievements but also the contemporary excellence within the black community.
As responsible consumers, our choices carry the potential for positive impact when we align our spending with our values. By consciously supporting Black-owned businesses, we not only contribute to economic empowerment but also foster inclusion, connection, and innovation within our communities.
Being an ally for the Black community is a year-round commitment, not just during Black History Month. It means genuinely supporting through art, beauty, literature, small businesses, film, television, jewelry, and fashion consistently.
In this short article, we’re going to look at some of the Black-owned brands that are making waves in the world of beauty and fashion.
Black-owned beauty brands
Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty is a cosmetics brand created by Barbadian singer and businesswoman Rihanna, known for its commitment to inclusivity with a diverse range of makeup products suitable for all skin tones. Launched in 2017, Fenty Beauty gained widespread acclaim for its groundbreaking approach to diversity in the beauty industry, challenging standards and setting new benchmarks for inclusivity.
Popular Fenty Beauty products
Pattern Beauty
Tracee Ellis Ross founded Pattern Beauty as a haircare line specifically catering to the needs of those with curly, coily, and tight-textured hair. Grounded in celebrating Black beauty, the brand not only disrupts and redefines prestige hair care but also provides innovative formulas and empowering content. With offerings in wash, style, treat, and heat categories, Pattern Beauty has garnered acclaim with awards from Allure, Ebony, ESSENCE, Marie Claire, and New Beauty.
Shop Pattern Beauty
Uoma Beauty
Uoma Beauty is a cosmetics brand founded by Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based beauty executive Sharon Chuter in 2019. Uoma, which means “beautiful” in Igbo, is celebrated for its emphasis on diversity and inclusivity in beauty. The brand offers a wide range of makeup products, and it gained attention for its “Say What?!” foundation line, featuring an extensive shade range to cater to various skin tones.
Shop Uoma Beauty
Sephora
One of the world’s leading beauty retailers offering skincare, makeup, fragrances, body and hair care, tools, treatments, and accessories.
LookFantastic
LookFantastic is a global online retailer specializing in beauty and skincare products from a wide range of well-established and emerging brands.
BrioGeo
Briogeo is a clean hair care brand, founded by Nancy Twine, known for its natural formulations free from harmful ingredients. Emphasizing diversity in hair types, the brand offers a range of products, including shampoos, conditioners, masks, and styling items, utilizing ingredients like coconut, avocado, and argan oils. Briogeo has gained popularity for its commitment to clean beauty and addressing various hair concerns.
Shop Briogeo
Sephora
One of the world’s leading beauty retailers offering skincare, makeup, fragrances, body and hair care, tools, treatments, and accessories.
KLIPshop
Leading online UK retailer, specializing in a diverse range of beauty products, including hair care, styling, skincare, makeup, and fragrances.
Pat McGrath Labs
Pat McGrath Labs, founded by British makeup artist Pat McGrath in 2015, is a renowned cosmetics brand known for its high-quality and trend-setting makeup products. Celebrated for its opulent formulations and influential releases, the brand has become a major force in the beauty industry.
Shop Pat McGrath Labs
Sephora
One of the world’s leading beauty retailers offering skincare, makeup, fragrances, body and hair care, tools, treatments, and accessories.
LookFantastic
LookFantastic is a global online retailer specializing in beauty and skincare products from a wide range of well-established and emerging brands.
Topicals
Topicals, founded by Olamide Olowe, is a groundbreaking skincare brand that raised an impressive $2 million during a seeding round. Recognized for its solution-focused approach, Topicals is celebrated for its cult-favorite product, Faded Gel. This black-owned brand prioritizes ingredient formulation, skincare education, and team development, offering an effective and streamlined routine for addressing hyperpigmentation with their renowned Faded Gel, known for its potent tyrosinase inhibitors.
Eadem
Eadem is a beauty brand founded by Marie Kouadio Amouzame, with a focus on creating skincare products that address the unique needs of melanin-rich skin. The brand is committed to promoting inclusivity and diversity in the beauty industry, offering products tailored to the various skin tones and concerns of people with deeper complexions. Eadem’s formulations often incorporate ingredients designed to nourish, hydrate, and enhance the health and appearance of melanin-rich skin.
Adwoa Beauty
Adwoa Beauty stands as a dedicated black-owned beauty brand, specializing in catering to individuals with textured hair, spanning from kinky and coily to curly and wavy. The brand’s mission is to eliminate the guesswork in natural haircare by offering highly effective formulas, delivering noticeable results from the very first use. Committed to sustainability, Adwoa source hero ingredients from drought-resistant farms across Africa, harnessing nature’s goodness to create products suitable for the entire family.
Shop Adwoa Beauty
Danessa Myricks Beauty
Danessa Myricks has consistently shattered boundaries and crafted a beauty realm accessible to individuals of all races, ages, and genders. Originally a self-taught makeup artist, Danessa mastered the art of using products unconventionally to produce breathtaking looks. Disregarding industry conventions, she embarked on teaching fellow artists her distinctive techniques and product preferences, establishing a prominent reputation in the beauty industry.
Shop Danessa Myricks Beauty
BeautyStat
As a Black-owned company founded by a cosmetic chemist, BeautyStat have observed the oversaturation of the current market with products that are essentially smoke and mirrors. Their commitment is to provide transparency and assist individuals in navigating through the clutter, as their shared goal is to feel confident in their own skin. The company exclusively employs premium quality ingredients with scientific efficacy.
Shop BeautyStat
Beauty Bakerie
Cashmere Nicole’s journey began with a mere $20, fueled by her childhood experiences of scouring drugstores for foundation shades that matched her family members’ diverse skin tones. A trailblazer for inclusivity in beauty, Nicole overcame challenges with a relentless passion for success. The brand’s inaugural products, Lip Whips and Cake Pop Lippies, marked a transformative start, with the vegan Lip Whips finding their way onto the lips of none other than Beyoncé.
Shop Beauty Bakerie
Sephora
One of the world’s leading beauty retailers offering skincare, makeup, fragrances, body and hair care, tools, treatments, and accessories.
LookFantastic
LookFantastic is a global online retailer specializing in beauty and skincare products from a wide range of well-established and emerging brands.
Shani Darden
Renowned for her skin-transforming expertise, Shani Darden, a former backup dancer turned facialist to the stars, has earned praise from celebrities like Jessica Alba, Kelly Rowland, and Shay Mitchell. Celebrated as a “glow whisperer,” Shani has perfected the art of achieving clearer, smoother, and more radiant complexions.
Black-owned fashion brands
Telfar
Born to Liberian parents in Queens, Telfar Clemens embarked on his fashion journey while pursuing his undergraduate degree in 2005. Clemens, a visionary designer, gravitates towards the universal language of everyday attire – bags, T-shirts, jeans, sweats, tracksuits, polo shirts, streetwear, and basketball shorts. His designs embody a sense of standardization, yet undergo a transformative process of estrangement, rendering them uniquely captivating.
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Christopher John Rogers
The New York-based brand Christopher John Rogers, helmed by the designer himself, is renowned for its vibrant colors, daring prints, and tactile intricacies, encapsulating the fusion of drama and practicality within the realm of “pragmatic glamour.” Rogers has received attention from esteemed publications like Vogue, WWD, T Magazine, and Elle, along with endorsements from high-profile figures Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Lil Nas X, and Michelle Obama.
Shop Christopher John Rogers
Martine Rose
Martine Rose, the British-Jamaican fashion designer and founder of the much-loved label, draws inspiration from the rich tapestry of hip-hop, rave, and punk subcultures. Her designs seamlessly blend the diverse musical influences and the high/low cultural amalgamation of London. Notably, in 2019, Martine Rose was a featured participant in the exhibition “Get Up, Stand Up Now,” a significant tribute to 50 years of Black British creativity.
Shop Martine Rose
LemLem
The LemLem brand is a distinctive fashion collection curated by supermodel Liya Kebede. Rooted in artisan craftsmanship, lemlem offers an array of women’s, men’s, children’s, and home goods, all meticulously crafted in Africa. Inspired by Liya Kebede’s journey to her native Ethiopia, the brand passionately supports the skills of traditional weavers, fostering production within her homeland. The core collection showcases a stunning array of handwoven robes, dresses, jumpsuits, and swimwear, each piece reflecting the rich tapestry of African artistry and heritage.
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Wales Bonner
Founded by Grace Wales Bonner in 2014 after her Central Saint Martins graduation, Wales Bonner initially emerged as a menswear brand and later expanded into womenswear. Renowned for exquisite tailoring and knits, the brand recently collaborated with Adidas, presenting a line of timeless sneakers and tracksuits. A recipient of prestigious awards, including the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, Wales Bonner’s creations are available through notable platforms such as MatchesFashion.com, Dover Street Market, Net-A-Porter, and Ssense.
Shop Wales Bonner
Heron Preston
Heron Preston, an artist, DJ, creative director, and the mind behind the eponymous clothing line, made his mark in the fashion scene with a debut at Paris Fashion Week in 2017. Renowned for collaborations with icons like Kanye West and Virgil Abloh, he has seamlessly blended his designs with everyday images and logos. Notable collaborations include projects with Nike, The Gap, and a distinctive capsule collection featuring Caterpillar machinery-inspired designs. Preston’s multidimensional creative approach has garnered widespread acclaim in the fashion industry.
Shop Heron Preston
Thebe Magugu
Offering ready-to-wear collections, Thebe Magugu is a South African luxury fashion brand that envisions new ways of presenting inspirational men’s and women’s clothing. The brand’s designs seamlessly blend sleek and forward-looking elements, drawing inspiration from Africa’s storied past, intricate present, and exciting imagined futures. Thebe Magugu seeks to embrace and enhance the everyday experience through fashion that transcends time, creating a narrative that is both rich and diverse.
Shop Thebe Magugu
Why do people shop at black-owned stores?
An increasing number of people are actively choosing to seek out and patronize black-owned stores, recognizing the importance of supporting black entrepreneurs and fostering economic empowerment and sustainability within the black community.
Shopping at black-owned businesses goes beyond handing dollars over the counter, it represents a commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and social impact.
In this section, we explore the main reasons and benefits why people opt to shop in black-owned stores, highlighting the significance of consumer choices in driving positive change and promoting equitable economic opportunities.
Supporting Black Businesses
Many people choose to shop at black-owned stores to actively support black entrepreneurs and contribute to the economic empowerment of the black community.
Promoting Diversity and Inclusivity
By patronizing black-owned businesses, individuals help promote diversity and inclusivity within the marketplace, fostering a more equitable and representative business landscape.
Celebrating Cultural Identity
Black-owned stores often offer products and services that celebrate and honor black culture, providing customers with an opportunity to connect with and celebrate their cultural identity.
Unique and Authentic Products
Black-owned businesses frequently offer unique and authentic products that reflect the creativity, innovation, and craftsmanship of black entrepreneurs, providing customers with distinctive shopping experiences.
Community Investment
Shopping at black-owned stores allows individuals to invest directly in their communities, as black entrepreneurs often reinvest a portion of their profits back into their communities, supporting local initiatives and economic development.
Social Impact
Supporting black-owned businesses contributes to positive social change by fostering economic empowerment, creating job opportunities, and promoting social mobility within the black community.
In general, shopping at black-owned stores is a meaningful way for individuals to make a positive impact, show their support for diversity and inclusion, and actively celebrate black culture and entrepreneurship.
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