67 Black-Owned And Designed Fashion Brands To Support During Black History Month And Forever
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67 Black-Owned And Designed Fashion Brands To Support During Black History Month And Forever
Black business owners face disproportionate financial hurdles which are predicted to worsen as a result Covid-19, so now is a good a time as any to step up and support them.
As the world opens back up - and if you're anything like us - you might be in the market for some new clothes and accessories to form your perfect 'out out' look. Instead of buying from your usual stores, why not look to Black-owned fashion business to deck you out for this summer of love?
Be it Kai Collective's internet-breaking bodycon dresses, Wales Bonner's perfect tailoring, or atijo's vintage treasures, here are 67 Black-owned fashion companies to support now and forever...
Instagram - 2/58
Half Baked
Who: Kim Fraser
What: 'Ease, sensuality, versatility, modernity. Half Baked is for us to wear as our second skin - confidently and fearlessly.'
halfbakedlondon@Instagram - 3/58
ALYDA
Who: Abbey Gregg
What: 'ALYDA is a petite womenswear brand that ethically produces timeless clothing for the modern woman under 5'4"'
alydaofficial@Instagram - 4/58
SANTE + WADE
Who: Shola Asante and Agnès Cushnie
What: 'Sante + Wade creates high-quality shoes at a fair price, in sizes EU 38 to 46, standard and wide. The brands’ ethos are governed by a commitment to cultivate individuality, encouraging women from different paths to stand out and be bold.'
santewade@Instagram - 5/58
April & Alex
Who: Didi Akinyelure
What: 'The April & Alex woman is powerful, independent, unapologetic, effortlessly stylish, edgy, offbeat, eccentric, daringly innovative, creative, fearless, bold, extroverted, outré.'
aprilalexshop@Instagram - 6/58
Titi Adesa
Who: Titi Adesanya
What: 'Ethically & delicately hand-crafted in Milan, Titi Adesa footwear is produced in a family-owned factory, renowned for its commitment to excellent craftsmanship and exceptional quality. Created for the contemporary woman with a youthful essence, the brand launched in August 2019 and has since been worn and adorned by all-round fascinating women. Each collection aims to offer a seamless balance between understated elegance and modern femininity in redefined, minimal silhouettes.'
titiadesa____@Instagram - 7/58
Petit Kouraj
Who: Nasrin Jean-Baptiste
What: 'Based in Brooklyn but handmade in Haiti, Petit Kouraj makes fun, stand alone pieces of wearable art that celebrates a love of knitwear, sculpture and identity.'
petitkouraj@Instagram - 8/58
Aissata Levi Ibrahima
Who: Aissata Ibrahima
What: 'Aissata Ibrahima is a London based RTW brand making dressing up look and feel effortless. Creating modern and timeless pieces with an edge by contrasting masculine & feminine elements and using her love of research to aid in her design process; Aissata describes the brand as a place where wearers can confidently feel their best selves.'
aissataibrahima@Instagram - 9/58
Rendoll
Who: Reni Abina
What: 'At Rendoll, we believe each and every one of you should have the freedom to be you, without judgment. You are wonderfully unique. We do all we can to provide you with the best fit in 10 different sizes all at the same price to give you that extra dose of confidence. Our brand is focused on femininity and body positivity and we do not conform to stereotypes.'
rendolllagos@Instagram - 10/58
D.Y.E Lab
What: 'A small batch production craft brand exploring dyeing techniques to create products that offer a practical yet artisanal sensibility.'
dye_lab@Instagram - 11/58
ABIOLA OLUSOLA
Who: Abiola Adeniran-Olusola
What: 'I wanted to create a cool, minimalist and chic brand that came right out of Lagos.'
abiolaolusolaofficial@Instagram - 12/58
SIKA Designs
Who: Phyllis Taylor
What: 'The ethos behind SIKA is not only to produce quality 'made in Africa' garments for the international market, but also to ultimately prove that garment production can successfully have social and environmental responsibilities at its core.'
sikadesigns@Instagram - 13/58
Chaos And Colour
Who: Pariss Cozier
What: 'Everything is designed in Bristol and handcrafted in Bihkamkor, India. We work in partnership with the Saheli Women, a NGO community of female artisans.'
chaosandcolour@Instagram - 14/58
Taideaux
Who: Dolapo Ososanya
What: 'Taideux is on a mission to make fashion more inclusive of fuller bust (F+) women by providing stylish and ethically curated clothes all handmade to order.'
taideux@Instagram - 15/58
Sika'a
Who: John Tchoudi
What: 'Just two short years ago, I had a burning desire to craft and create unique handmade garments inspired by Africa, fashioned from authentic fabrics, for the modern African woman.'
sikaapixs@Instagram - 16/58
the underargument
Who: Maïna Cissé
What: 'As I often say, the world did not need another lingerie brand. But using a product that’s so close to our skin as a medium reminding us daily to embrace everything that is us made a lot of sense to me.'
theunderargument@Instagram - 17/58
Auvere
Who: Gina Love
What: 'A Unisex DTC line of rare exclusively high-karat (22k/24k only) gold jewellery, all handcrafted and hand-polished.'
auvere_true_gold@Instagram - 18/58
Maeve Hardware
Who: Yvonne Oshodi
What: 'Maeve is a new jewellery brand with handmade Sterling silver pieces that are made to order in our Hatton Garden Studio.'
maevehardware@Instagram - 19/58
Hanifa
Who: Anifa Mvuemba
What: A 'contemporary ready-to-wear apparel line for women without limits'.
hanifaofficial@Instagram - 20/58
WALES BONNER
Who: Grace Wales Bonner
What: 'Informed by broad research encompassing critical theory, musical composition, literature and history, WALES BONNER embraces a multiplicity of perspectives, proposing a distinct notion of luxury, via a hybrid of European and Afro-Atlantic approaches.'
walesbonner@Instagram - 21/58
Chelsea Bravo
Who: Chelsea Bravo
What: 'Chelsea Bravo’s collections now feature both womenswear and menswear, creatively infusing an artistic hand combined with simple and free shapes through a contemporary silhouette. Pieces are sampled and made-to-order in-house.'
chelseabravostudio@Instagram - 22/58
Kemi Telford
Who: Yvonne Telford
What: 'The clothes we sell are more than just stylish clothes; they are loud, bold and tell the whole world, “Look at me, I am fabulous.” Some of the clothes sold here have a Nigerian influence, but with a western twist. What is important is that our clothes speak for the women who wear them. Our clothes encourage women to take up their rightful place. They encourage them to stop shrinking themselves... something I have had to work on, and I am still working on.'
kemitelford@Instagram - 23/58
AAKS
Who: Akosua Afriyie-Kumi
What: 'Handcrafted in Ghana, AAK S creates bags in styles that maintain the spirit and durability of their ancestral counterparts characterised by bright exuberant colours. '
a.a.k.s@Instagram - 24/58
Studio 189
Who: Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah
What: Studio 189 is 'an artisan produced fashion lifestyle brand and social enterprise that has recently won the prestigious CFDA Lexus Fashion Initiative for Sustainability. The brand is made in Africa and produces African and African-inspired content and clothing'.
studiooneeightynine@Instagram - 25/58
Nubian Skin
Who: Ade Hassan
What: 'A nude bra and skin tone hosiery are the basics of every woman’s wardrobe, at least in theory. For many women of colour, finding suitable skin-tone hosiery and lingerie has not been an option. Frustrated by the lack of skin-tone choices to go with her ever-expanding wardrobe, Nubian Skin founder, Ade Hassan, decided it was time for "a different kind of nude".'
nubianskin@Instagram - 26/58
Kai Collective
Who: Fisayo Longe
What: 'A London-based womenswear brand of attainable clothing with luxury aesthetics, intentionally crafted to make women feel like their most confident selves. We are building a community of limitless women who use fashion as a means for self-discovery and expression.'
kaicollective@Instagram - 27/58
atijọ store
Who: Anu Odugbesan, Londiwe Ncube, Safiya Yekwai, and Caitlin Moriarty.
What: 'We want Atijo to inspire conscious consumption and celebrate style, culture and diversity.'
atijostore@Instagram - 28/58
Sindiso Khumalo
Who: Sindiso Khumalo
What: An 'eponymous label with a focus on creating modern sustainable textiles with a strong emphasis on African story telling.'
sindisokhumalo@Instagram - 29/58
Sami Miro Vintage
Who: Sami Miro
What: 'Sami Miro Vintage is an eco-conscious clothing line specialising in sourcing and reconstructing one-of-a-kind vintage garments curated from around the world.'
samimirovintage@Instagram - 30/58
Sincerely Nude
Who: Michelle Asare
What: 'Sincerely Nude wants to empower women to feel beautiful and sexy in their skin tone no matter what shade or size.'
sincerelynude@Instagram - 31/58
Seta The Label
Who: Denrele Agoro
What: 'At Seta The Label, we aim to satisfy the modern woman by creating effortless, simple yet trendy styles throughout our collections.'
setathelabel@Instagram - 32/58
Lisou
Who: Rene Macdonald
What: 'The Lisou collection is full of wearable, classic shapes with a modern twist and are made from the finest silks. All prints are designed in-house by Rene, which makes every Lisou print exclusive. One of our core beliefs is to make a positive global impact; to that end we donate the proceeds from one piece per collection directly to helping young Africans with medical and educational needs.'
lisoulondon@Instagram - 33/58
Fe Noel
Who: Felisha 'Fe' Noel
What: 'Noel is deeply influenced by her Grenadian heritage and has mastered the ability to bottle up culture and glamour infused with sensibility and sensuality.'
fenoel@Instagram - 34/58
Tia Adeola
Who: Teni 'Tia' Adeola
What: 'Tia created the brand from her dorm room during the summer of 2017, using her art history background and passion for the Renaissance period as inspiration. Her aim is to rewrite history through fashion, particularly for people of colour.'
tiaadeola@Instagram - 35/58
Orange Culture
Who: Adebayo Oke-Lawal
What: Orange Culture 'is a “movement” that covers universal silhouettes with an African touch to a creative class of men, translating into a heady mixture of Nigerian inspired print fabrics, colour and contemporary urban street wear.'
orangecultureng@Instagram - 36/58
Glazed NYC
Who: Shelby Macklin and Banna Nega
What: 'Glazed NYC is a community-based lifestyle brand focused on providing high quality, classic accessories that bridge the gap between function and glamour.'
glazednyc@Instagram - 37/58
Thebe Magugu
Who: Thebe Magugu
What: 'Sleek, forward-looking design intersects with motifs from our continent’s storied past, providing smart, multifaceted clothes as valuable as their woman.'
thebemagugu@Instagram - 38/58
Christopher John Rogers
Who: Christopher John Rogers
What: CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award-winner Rogers has been worn by Rihanna, Ashley Graham and Michelle Obama.
christopherjohnrogers@Instagram - 39/58
Mateo New York
Who: Matthew Harris
What: 'The fine jewellery collections bare our true aesthetic of simplicity and minimalism, drawing inspiration from modern art for the modern woman. Each piece is made from 14 karat gold with a consistent use of diamonds and precious gemstones.'
mateonewyork@Instagram - 40/58
Aliétte
Who: Jason Rembert
What: Celebrity stylist turned designer Jason Rembert looked to female musicians for this latest collection.
alietteny@Instagram - 41/58
Pyer Moss
Who: Kerby Jean-Raymond
What: A 'fashion label concerned with building a narrative that speaks about heritage and activism'.
pyermoss@Instagram - 42/58
Telfar
Who: Telfar Clemens
What: 'The Black, queer, self-taught designer has been creating radically democratic clothing since 2005 and it remains central to Telfar’s vision today.'
telfarglobal@Instagram - 43/58
Glemaud
Who: Victor Glemaud
What: 'Haitian-born designer Victor Glemaud launched his eponymous leisurewear collection of statement knitwear, designed for all people, genders, races, sizes and personalities, marrying comfort and style, in 2006.'
glemaud@Instagram - 44/58
The Míe
Who: Damilola 'Damie' Idowu
What: 'Míe is a nature-friendly fashion and lifestyle brand that provides elegant clothes and homeware that make you feel good and breathe easy. Míe is finally launching Treasure by Mie (products by us that are not clothes, in collaboration with local artisans from different places).'
the_mie@Instagram - 45/58
ASHYA
Who: Ashley Cimone and Moya Annece
What: 'ASHYA exists as a vehicle to diversify cultural perspectives through broadly researched narratives and design. By documenting and sharing cultural stories, and designing multifunctional accessories, we hope to help the modern day explorer move more thoughtfully and fluidly throughout the world.'
ashya.co@Instagram - 46/58
Vavvoune
Who: Valerie Blaise
What: A 'leather accessories brand recognised by way of cultured design'.
vavvoune@Instagram - 47/58
Oma The Label
Who: Neumi Anekhe
What: 'Oma The Label is a brand focused on challenging humongous industry standards, while creating quality and affordable pieces for the every day woman.'
omathelabel@Instagram - 48/58
Aliya Wanek
Who: Aliya Wanek
What: An, 'eponymous womenswear label that focuses on exploring the connection between one’s identity and style. Our mission is to create comfortable, stylish clothing ethically and sustainably as an extension of the wearer’s individuality'.
aliyawanek@Instagram - 49/58
Mowalola
Who: Mowalola Ogunlesi
What: Mowalola is a Nigerian designer who often works with leather and was formerly part of Fashion East.
mowalola@Instagram - 50/58
Zou Xous Shoes
Who: Katherine Theobalds
What: 'Zou Xou aims to create a shoe wardrobe of modern essentials that are well-made, unfussy, and minimal.The collection is a narrative of elegant and simple designs made visible through refined contours, subtle detailing, and exceptional quality. The shoes are handcrafted by Argentinian shoemakers using age old techniques and premium leathers.'
zouxoushoes@Instagram - 51/58
EDAS
Who: Sade Mims
What: 'EDAS was created from an innovative standpoint, initially focusing on sustainability while using unusual home-goods and refurbished elements. Through the maturity of the brand, EDAS now delivers feminine and staple accessories, accommodating the everyday, eclectic woman.'
__edas@Instagram - 52/58
Brother Vellies
Who: Aurora James
What: 'Brother Vellies was founded in 2013 with the goal of keeping traditional African design practices, and techniques alive while also creating and sustaining artisanal jobs. Now handmade artisanally across the globe, Brother Vellies creates luxury accessories that celebrate cultural histories and timeless design.'
brothervellies@Instagram - 53/58
Beads By Aree
Who: Areeayl Goodwin
What: An 'innovative hand crafted jewellery line. All Beads Byaree pieces a created out of the whimsy of designer Areeayl Goodwin's imagination'.
beadsbyaree@Instagram - 54/58
Yam
Who: Morgan Thomas
What: 'Yam is a handmade jewellery company dedicated to upcycled materials and new nostalgia.'
yam_nyc@Instagram - 55/58
JADE Swim
Who: Brittany Kozerski
What: 'Designed with multifunctional versatility in mind, these styles can be worn from day to night, from beach to city, as swim or ready-to-wear.'
jadeswim@Instagram - 56/58
LaQuan Smith
Who: LaQuan Smith
What: Smith's 'distinctive work sparked interest among fashion icons and risk takers including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Kim Kardashian, all of whom were early supporters of the gifted designer'.
laquan_smith@Instagram - 57/58
House Of Aama
Who: Akua Shabaka and Rebecca Henry
What: 'House of Aama explores the folkways of the Black experience by designing timeless garments with nostalgic references informed by historical research, archival analysis, and storytelling. We aim to evoke dialogue, social commentary and conversations around heritage, remembrance and shed light on nuanced histories.'
houseofaama@Instagram - 58/58
Casely-Hayford
Who: Charlie Casely-Hayford
What: Luxe tailoring available in ready-to-wear and bespoke.
caselyhayfordlondon@Instagram
