It’s 2021 – if you’re not supporting, buying and/or wearing black owned brands by now… then what are you doing? As we see that the world is dominated by white owned business, this monopoly is also true in the fashion world. These white fashion brands uphold the luxury standards and trends, but they also account for the Black buying power of more than $1.4 trillion since 2019, which is way more than white buying power. Over the last few years, we’ve also seen these brands show their true colors when it pertains to their black consumers. With Gucci selling a blackface pull over sweater, to H&M’s “coolest monkey in the jungle” hoodie on a young Black child, from little to no diverse staffing within their creative teams or executive boards… the question becomes why continue to support these brands, who clearly don’t care for their consumers who pull in most of their sales?
Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the accumulation of police brutality and systemic racism we’ve faced as a community, had us saying it’s enough. The fight for equality continues as we stand to support and invest in Black-owned businesses and brands because after all, we hold the highest buying power, right? Why not use that to pour into us?
Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry! Here at GROWN we did some research on 4 Black fashion brands that are breaking the internet and worth all your coins!
Telfar
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Telfar is owned by a queer Liberian American, Brooklyn, NY based designer, Telfar Clemens. The Telfar brand has been around for a while but in 2020, its bags became the bag of the year! Everyone and their mom have been eagerly awaiting each drop, which causes it to sell out every time! Telfar has unisex pieces from belts, hats, apparel, t-shirts, beanies, durags, jewelry and their most popular shopping bags. The bags are made of vegan leather and come in three sizes: small, medium and large and range between $150 and $257.
Telfar prides itself on being inclusive to all, with their famous slogan “NOT FOR YOU — FOR EVERYONE”. Their pieces have been worn by celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Beyonce. Although it has been hard to purchase one from Telfar, what I love the most about them is that they do a Bag Security Program at various dates throughout the year. This program allows you to secure any bag size and color, so you can buy one without it selling out. This is to avoid all the bots that tend to purchase them during their drops. Don’t miss out on this affordable brand!
Kai Collective
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Kai Collective is owned by a Nigerian, UK based woman designer, Fisayo Longe. This brand is well known for its signature Gaia dress which came out in 2020. Fisayo was first a blogger before creating Kai Collective. She blogged about her experience with fashion and traveling while having the opportunity to travel for work. Due to that, her interests in fashion expanded into now owning a fashion business. Kai Collective stands for “multi-dimensional women who embrace their femininity in all it’s various forms”. You can purchase swimsuits, dresses, tops, skirts, trousers and accessories from her store. The pieces are very affordable yet still luxurious. The items range from $56-$306. Her signature Gaia dress has been worn on many celebrities as well, including Saweetie, Jackie Aina and many more! Ladies if you want to feel confident and sexy when stepping out, this brand is right for you!
Hanifa
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“FOR WOMEN WITHOUT LIMITS” surely holds true, as this brand shut it down at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Hanifa came and swept everyone off their feet with their 3-D virtual fashion show. Hanifa is owned by a Congolese American, Maryland based woman designer, Anifa Mvuemba. Her brand, Hanifa, has been around for a little while but it wasn’t until their first fashion runway show that started getting attention from around the world. The digital show featured ghostlike 3-D figures modeling down the runway in her Pink Label Congo collection. This innovation stunned the fashion world and was truly a cultural reset. The brand offers swimsuits, tops, dresses, pants, and skirts which have been worn by many celebrities like Zendaya, Kelly Rowland, Ciara and more! The clothing items range from $100-$300, making it affordable for most. Ladies, we’re here for head turns as we strut in these luxurious pieces. Make sure you add them to your collection!
Brandon Blackwood
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Brandon Blackwood [also brand name] is a Jamaican and Chinese descent, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY designer. His famous statement bag was a huge sellout in 2020. The trunk bags had the words “End Systemic Racism” written across the bag with many, I mean MANY color bags as an option. The statement bags came about just shortly after the murder of George Floyd. The profits from the sale were donated to local nonprofits. Brandon sold 500 ESR bags, which had 37 different colors and materials, in just two hours. Since then, he’s been able to reach out to many celebs who helped promote the bags and has been a huge sellout since. The most recent marketing tactic has been seen on the new McDonald’s collab with Saweetie, rocking the bag in red with the McDonald’s logo. His bags and wallets range from $70-$8,500 and have over 100 different styles and colors to purchase on the site. Don’t be the only one without this bag!
