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In Her Shoes 2019 Holiday Gift Guide: 75 Black Women-Owned Brands to Shop

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Curated by Renae Bluitt & Brianna Arps

There are less than two months left before we wave goodbye to this decade, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to revel in the vast accomplishments of Black women entrepreneurs. To date, we’re still leading the charge as America’s “fastest growing economic force,” according to Forbes — and that’s despite numerous hurdles (e.g. lack of startup funding and crucial resources) most others will never face. Likewise, we’ve proven yet again that our ingenuity backed by a sense of unwavering determination has the ability to not only create profitable solutions, but also inspire millions more to “carry the torch” and embark on their own entrepreneurial pursuits.

With the holidays underway, I’m bringing the heat with another carefully curated list of 75 Black women-owned businesses to know, love, and support. From beauty and fashion to entertainment and home decor, there’s nearly something for everyone on your shopping list — including yourself, because why not?! You deserve a good splurge too, sis. As always, let’s be extra purposeful with our spending this season from Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and beyond!

Leave a comment below if you have a favorite Black woman maker I missed!

ACCESSORIES

ASHYA

Ashley Cimone and Moya Annece, the New York–based designers behind the brand Ashya, have elevated the way belt bags are styled. For their latest collection, which they’ve called Blue Mountains, Cimone and Annece experimented with designs that were both multifunctional and inclusive in terms of sizing. The longer straps on each belt bag give the wearer the option to don it as a cross-body satchel, a handbag, or a low-rise or high-waisted fanny pack.

Laid by Leona Wilson

Laid is a hair accessory and lifestyle brand committed to protecting your tresses with style. By creating high-quality products that are both functional and fashion-forward, this line is a must-have for every woman’s hair care routine. Be it working out, enduring inclement weather, going about day to day activities or sleeping at night, every woman wants her hairstyle to last.

NIGELLA COLLECTION 1, AFRA

Since 2014, Guyanese hairstylist and barber Nigella Miller has spent countless hours carefully creating the perfect, gold-toned hair pieces — ranging from braid beads to loc bands to afro pics — that serve as a regal cultural representation of Black beauty. The first collection under Miller’s AFRA brand will bring her collectible novelty items to the masses, redelivering and repackaging “international afro classics” for all to see, love, and wear.

Hair is The Ultimate Accessory

Founded by healthy hair enthusiast and global educator, Gabrielle Corney, Hair is The Ultimate Accessory is an luxe hair accessory line empowering women to celebrate their crowns with bedazzled clips and jewels.

Foxx the Label

London-based influencer and designer Juliette Foxx knows a thing or two about dressing to impress. Taking her love for stylish statement pieces to the next level, Foxx recently launched her own accessories line under the name Foxx The Label. The label’s debut collection includes everything from feather hats and jeweled headbands to gold-tone jewelry and vinyl tote bags. The best part? All of the items are handmade to order!

Glam-Aholic Lifestyle

Founded by Detroit’s own Mia Ray, Glamaholic Lifestyle boasts a cult following. The brand provides quality, fly, and affordable everyday essentials, for the everyday woman.  Be glam, be fab, be you!

Sassy Jones

Sassy Jones is an award winning accessory brand specializing in exquisite pieces for the sassy and sophisticated woman on the go. Standing out is what you do best and Sassy Jones’ mission is to help you not only look, but BE your best. . If you’ve ever been called, “extra,” “too much,” or “doing the most,” welcome home, sis. You’ve found your tribe and Sassy Jones is happy you’re here!

Brooklyn Bleu

In 2010, Brooklyn Bleu was founded to celebrate the beautiful things its founder, Tenisha Light-Caba, had collected over the years and her passion for vintage, accessories and fashion. Brooklyn Bleu celebrates the fierce, fabulous and fun sides of world culture and different lifestyles. Tenisha and her team meet so many amazing individuals from all over the world who appreciate the style, craftsmanship and history that comes with owning vintage fashion and jewelry. Their commitment is to curate a collection of timeless and covet-worthy vintage jewelry and accessories that can complement your style and stand the test of time and fashion trends.

APPAREL

Cushnie

CUSHNIE is a luxury women’s ready-to-wear and bridal brand designed by Carly Cushnie. Established in 2008, the label was founded on the desire to serve the modern woman. Artfully crafted with clean, sculptural lines, the CUSHNIE collection is precisely tailored to achieve the perfect fit for the female form. Defined by the balance of proportion, structure and fluidity, the CUSHNIE aesthetic embodies a refined sense of cosmopolitan minimalism and femininity.

Avid Swim

Avid Swim is a NYC-based luxury swimwear brand providing swimwear for any size. The brand specializes in attention grabbing mix and match sets designed just for you and your next warm weather getaway!

Cléair Monroe

Cléair Monroe is a fashion brand started by Sky Conner in 2017. Based in New York City, the brand is meant to serve as a beacon to not compromising. The brand’s founder believes any moment is the right moment to be fearless, unique, and unforgettable. Through her designs, she offers her clients the ability to choose how they style the moment. Cléair Monroe makes every occasion, an occasion worth dressing for. 

Spiked Spin Apparel

Founded by Briana Owens, Spiked Spin is the intersection of wellness & hip-hop culture, here to insult fitness standards, and create a new culture in wellness. They want you to come as you are, but leave better. With a new location in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, Spiked Spin strives to elevate your mental tenacity beyond the bike, so you show up as the best version of yourself in each and every aspect of your life.

Hanifa

Hanifa is a contemporary ready-to-wear apparel line for women size 0 to 20 who embody class while setting their own rules. Founded in 2011 by Anifa Mvuemba, each collection is described as feminine and chic, featuring an array of styles, colors, and textures that cater to the natural curves of a woman’s body — all to make you feel “limitless!”

Shopaholic

What started as a moniker for published wardrobe stylist Jessica Fraser, Shopaholic the brand now exists as your home for chic, editorial-style graphic tees. Each one is laced with the brand’s bright bold logo, making them a stand-out gift for all the fashion mavens on your personal gift list.

Fe Noel

Fe Noel is a womenswear designer from Brooklyn, New York with a passion for travel, a love of vibrant colors, and a penchant for bold prints. The label’s founder, Felisha “Fe” Noel, is deeply influences by her Grenadian heritage and has mastered the ability to bottle up culture and glamour infused with sensibility and sensuality. Her mantra is “eat well, travel often, and dress to inspire!” – in other words make life beautiful.

Undra Celeste New York

Undra Celeste New York designs modern workwear for the modern woman. We desire to dress everyday women for the place you spend the most time in your life – your work. Whether you’re just starting a career, transitioning to something new or spent decades running the show; we understand the importance of showing up every day as your authentic self. Modern Workwear is polished, timeless and strong; yet fun and bold with a hint of sexy – very much like you.

Frontrow

Frontrow, a Ready-to-Wear luxe brand that made its debut during fashion week September 2012 with a collection of leather garments ranging from sweats to fall dresses. Shateria Moragne-EL CEO, founder and head designer has a bold, fearless approach to the fashion world. Each piece is unique in a way that can be worn however ,whenever. Having studied at the Baltimore School of Arts, with a concentration in ballet and modern dance, Moragne-EL cultivated a passion for all things aesthetically fulfilling. As her love for the creative arts flourished, Moragne-EL decided to express her talents on a new stage: the world of fashion. She began working as a personal stylist and consultant, providing creative direction on a variety of projects, lookbooks, and catalogues. She created the line allowing her fashion lovers to understand that you can be free ,confident and unapologetic when you step out.

ART

June and Mars

June and Mars is the brainchild of Cristina Martinez, a mother, artist, and designer based in Seattle, Washington. The eclectic art studio creates original canvas art and limited-edition prints with a focus on women, celebrities (think: Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Cardi B), floral patterns, and colorful abstract designs.

NatalieOdecor

Based in Chicago, Illinois, artist Natalie Osbourne lives by the motto “make your home an Art World.” Her original paintings and prints are Black woman-focused, showcasing our natural beauty in a wide array of hues and colors that pop.

Makeba Rainey

Building community through art; that’s Harlem based artist Makeba’s key focus. Her bright and inspired work explores social justice elements of Black Liberation movements, merging the old with the new by re-envisioning ancestors through new media. In a unique process of cutting, layering and building new forms from original photographs, Makeba asks us to look at contemporary and historical icons from a different angle; to recognize their inherent potential and contribution to Black culture. As she re-imagines President Obama and Malcolm X in African wax prints, she reconnects them to the continent.

Bouffants & Broken Hearts

Philly-based artist Kendra Dandy is the creator behind the wildly popular Instagram art page Bouffants & Broken Hearts. Having partnerships with brands like Coach, Kiss, and Vans (which resulted in her own co-produced apparel/shoes line a few years ago!), Dandy’s skill set and fun, whimsical designs make her one to watch in 2020 and beyond. If you’re looking to score your very own original or Bouffants & Broken Hearts art print, you’re in luck — several of the brand’s surface patterns, fashion illustrations, beauty illustrations, and more are available at prices as low as $30.

BEAUTY

Bossy Cosmetics

Bossy Cosmetics founder, Aishetu Fatima Dozie, has always described herself as a “lipstick junkie” and never imagined that she’d start a global beauty brand when she started her career years ago. She worked for several years as an investment banker in the US, UK, Central and South America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She’s also founded a children’s play and activity center called Paloo’s Place and a media project which showcased successful African women called African HERstory. Her mission to empower women to look, feel, and do good while using cruelty-free products is driven by her passion to fuse indulgent purchases (buying lippies) with paying-it-forward (donating to charities that support women and girls).

Taylor Beauty Brands

Taylor Beauty is a family-owned business based in Westchester County, New York. Co-founded by Madison Taylor and Bryan Taylor (daughter-daddy duo!), the line of scented body lotions is all about celebrating family, fun, and living a flavorful lifestyle. Inspired by the Taylor’s home away from home, St. Maarten, each product was designed as a way to spread a little more love (packaged with a sweet-smelling aroma) across the world.

Hyper Skin

Hyper Skin is a skincare collection hyper-focused on the unique needs of women of color. The first issue they’re tackling is hyperpigmentation! Hyper Clear is a vitamin C serum with a blend of clean and natural ingredients like Vitamin E, kojic acid, turmeric and bearberry that work together to brighten skin, reduce fine lines and dramatically reduce the appearance of dark marks.

The Crayon Case

The Crayon Case is a widely popular cosmetics line dedicated to amateur makeup users and aspiring makeup artists. Backed by mega entrepreneur and personality Reynell Steward, a.k.a Wuzzam Supa or Supa Cent, the line aims to encourage all people to treat their faces as a “blank canvas” and to never be afraid of “coloring outside of the lines.”

Jones and Rose

Jones & Rose is a skin boutique line of body care products made of natural ingredients  designed to keep skin moisturized, nourished, and pampered. Nature inspired, we use rich moisturizing butters, skin absorbing plant oils, and mineral rich botanicals to form the platform of our formulations to lock in moisture and to protect the skin from the harsh environmental elements which leads to dull, dry skin. With the use of natural and organic butters and oils, we infuse our signature fragrances into each moisturizing granule to give you a pampering experience while leaving you smelling irresistible along the way. Made with premium ingredients, sourced from around the globe, our products are designed to give you the noticeable results you deserve.

PLANT Apothecary

Whether you have sensitive skin, acne, lighter or darker, bumpy or smooth, PLANT Apothecary grooming and bath products cater to any skin type to execute their mission of lathering up, moisturizing, purifying, de-stressing, exfoliating and being well, all for you. And don’t worry, NO petroleum, parabens, phthalates, sulfates, silicones or any other synthetic nasties. PLANT Apothecary follows principles of classical aromatherapy and herbalism to offer you some of the best plant-based apothecary products available today for you and your family.

Inua Naturals

Inua Naturals believes that traditional practices can be utilized sustainably. Their handcrafted natural bath and body care products are formulated with only pure 100% ingredients that are locally and ethically sourced, such as Moringa, Baobab, Turmeric, Lemongrass and Coconut Oil. The brand works with small-scale farmers and artisans every day to build their businesses, improve production capacity, sustainably increase income, and provide community-drive solutions to improve healthcare services and education. Inua Naturals is redefining ethical cosmetics, formulating powerful and effective natural products inspired by African beauty and health traditions; that nourish, heal and soothe your body from head-to-toe.

CurlMix

After quitting her first job fresh out of college (2013), Kimberly Lewis threw herself into the beauty space. With a growing love of her new natural hair and a love for educating other women, her mission to empower other curly women began. Knowing they’d need some capital to start their first business, Kim had the bright idea to sign her husband, Tim up for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. He went on to win $100,000 and invest in their first business. Crazy right?!

Their journey into entrepreneurship was born. After their first failed startup of a niche social network, she and her husband Tim launched CurlMix (2015), which started as a Do-It-Yourself box for curly hair. Think “Blue Apron” but for curly hair products. After two years of stagnation, Kim sought advisors and pivoted CurlMix with a newborn on her hip. They turned their best-selling boxes into a hair care line (Jan 2018). In just 12 months (2018), CurlMix went from 0 to $1 Million in sales.

Camara Aunique Beauty: JULEE LASH

The JULEE LASH by celebrity makeup artist, Camara Aunique, is super light and natural. This woman is a beauty and fashion queen who likes to be done, but not too over done. She’s running from event to event and needs to always look and feel her best, even if it is during an intense board meeting or later that same day, sitting front row at a major runway show. Julee is a chameleon and needs her lashes to go with the flow because you never know!

 

Suki Suki Naturals

Suki Suki’s mission is to create natural products that nurture, soothe and heal skin and hair with harm-free ingredients from Mother Nature’s pantry. They’re passionate about the quality of their ingredients, and focus on unique and relatively undiscovered African specialties like Prickly Pear, and under-utilized natural remedies like Papaya and Mango. Their uniquely formulated and handcrafted recipes celebrate Africa’s rich and diverse plant life while keeping you free from harmful and artificial chemicals. They believe that your skin and hair – the body’s largest organ and its crown respectively — should be treated with love and the most luxurious ingredients available.

The Lip Bar: Fast Face System

Are you ready to spend less time applying makeup and more time living your best life? The Fast Face System by The Lip Bar is everything you need for a finished look in just minutes. Each complexion-curated, easy-to-use system includes: foundation, a face quad, brows, eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick.

UOMA Beauty

UOMA, pronounced OMA (uh-mah), means beautiful and we believe that beauty starts the moment you decide to be yourself. We exist to re-write the rules of inclusivity and diversity to create a world of beauty that truly is for all of us.  Founded by Nigerian born, LA & London based former beauty executive Sharon Chuter, the UOMA Beauty range is rebellious, innovative and created for all. At UOMA they are an empowered tribe. Their race is human, their people are free, their language is color. All are welcome to their beautiful tribe.

Undefined Beauty

The time has come to break the rules, change the narrative and democratize beauty- clean beauty without limits- just as it should be. Non-toxic, non-irritating and packed with powerful botanicals, Undefined beauty takes skincare one step further by infusing social purpose into everything they do and all that they create — purposeful beauty unleashed.

Hairbrella

Growing up, Tracey Pickett endured long hours at the hair salon only to be greeted by rain when she walked out the door. This ominous cloud followed her as she matriculated through grade school to the campus of Atlanta’s Spelman College. She tried everything from plastic shopping bags to shower caps but failed to find a product to protect her hair from the rain. After graduating from law school, she entered Corporate America where image was everything. It was then that she stopped searching for the solution in the marketplace and decided to create a solution. Through a process of countless prototypes, Tracey created Hairbrella, a hat combining fashion and function to protect various hair styles, lengths, and textures from the rain and humidity. Tracey introduced Hairbrella through a successful Kickstarter campaign in the fall of 2016 and is steadily growing her company, spreading the gospel of fierce confidence no matter the forecast.

CHILDREN’S

Beautiful Curly Me

Beautiful Curly Me all started with little Zoe and her supportive mom who were looking for a suitable nighttime hair-care solution. Unhappy with the choices at their local beauty supply stores, Zoe and mom set out to create a fun, quality sleep cap that was exciting to wear. Along the daughter-mommy duo’s journey, Zuri Dolls were added to the mix, further encouraging young girls to take care of their hair while inspiring self-confidence.

Rhyme Antics

Rhyme Antics is a hilarious rhyming vocabulary game inspired by hip-hop! A cross between “catch phrase” and karaoke, the game requires all those who dare to engage in a battle of word wits that tests your knowledge at rapid speed. According to Chantel Calloway, the woman behind the magic, Rhyme Antics creates “a unique experience for players (age 12+) to laugh and learn at the same time,” which helps improve literacy and adds a “tremendous amount of value back to our culture and community.”

Parker Looks Up

When Parker Curry came face-to-face with Amy Sherald’s transcendent portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery, she didn’t just see the First Lady of the United States. She saw a queen—one with dynamic self-assurance, regality, beauty, and truth who captured this young girl’s imagination. When a nearby museum-goer snapped a photo of a mesmerized Parker, it became an internet sensation. Inspired by this visit, Parker, and her mother, Jessica Curry, tell the story of a young girl and her family, whose trip to a museum becomes an extraordinary moment, in a moving picture book.

EDUCATION/LITERATURE/ENTERTAINMENT

She Did That.

There are approximately 1.9 million Black women-owned firms that employ over 376,500 staffers and generate $51.4 billion in total revenues. What drives Black women to turn their obstacles into opportunities and passions into profit? ‘She Did That.’ seeks to answer this question with the goal of inspiring the next generation of change agents. Spotlighting well-respected industry leaders through exclusive, never-seen-before footage, ‘She Did That.’ features vulnerable conversations with four fly female entrepreneurs – Luvvie Ajayi (New York Times best-selling author, speaker and digital strategist), Lisa Price (founder, Carol’s Daughter), Melissa Butler (founder, The Lip Bar) and Tonya Rapley (founder, My Fab Finance.)

Their powerful testimonies as to how grit and perseverance set the stage for success reminds audiences that Black women are indeed bosses in business, embarking on their own ventures at ten times the national average. ‘She Did That.’ is a timely and poignant documentary on Black women entrepreneurs who are building legacies and making history – a conversation that should not be missed.

Thick: And Other Essays

In eight highly praised treatises on beauty, media, money, and more, Tressie McMillan Cottom—award-winning professor and acclaimed author of Lower Ed—is unapologetically “thick”: deemed “thick where I should have been thin, more where I should have been less,” McMillan Cottom refuses to shy away from blending the personal with the political, from bringing her full self and voice to the fore of her analytical work. Thick “transforms narrative moments into analyses of whiteness, black misogyny, and status-signaling as means of survival for black women” (Los Angeles Review of Books) with “writing that is as deft as it is amusing” (Darnell L. Moore).

She Came to Slay

Harriet Tubman is best known as one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad. As a leading abolitionist, her bravery and selflessness has inspired generations in the continuing struggle for civil rights. Now, National Book Award nominee Erica Armstrong Dunbar presents a fresh take on this American icon blending traditional biography, illustrations, photos, and engaging sidebars that illuminate the life of Tubman as never before.

More Than Enough

Throughout her life, Elaine Welteroth has climbed the ranks of media and fashion, shattering ceilings along the way. In this riveting and timely memoir, the groundbreaking journalist unpacks lessons on race, identity, and success through her own journey, from navigating her way as the unstoppable child of an unlikely interracial marriage in small-town California to finding herself on the frontlines of a modern movement for the next generation of change makers.

Welteroth moves beyond the headlines and highlight reels to share the profound lessons and struggles of being a barrier-breaker across so many intersections. As a young boss and often the only Black woman in the room, she’s had enough of the world telling her—and all women—they’re not enough. As she learns to rely on herself by looking both inward and upward, we’re ultimately reminded that we’re more than enough.

What A Time To Be Alone

In What A Time To Be Alone, The Slumflower will be your life guru, confidante and best friend. She’ll show you that being alone is not just okay: it’s just about the best freaking thing that’s ever happened to you. As she says, ‘You’re bad as hell and you were made with intention.’ It’s about time you realized. Peppered with insightful Igbo proverbs from Chidera’s Nigerian mother and full of her own original artwork, What A Time To Be Alone will help you navigate the modern world. We can all decide our own fates and Chidera shows us how, using a three part approach filled with sass, wisdom, and charm.

Small Doses

Comedian, writer, actress, and social media star Amanda Seales is a force of nature who has fearlessly and passionately charted her own course through life and career. Now, in her one-of-a-kind voice that blends academic intellectualism, Black American colloquialisms, and pop culture fanaticism, she’s bringing her life’s lessons and laughs to the page. This volume of essays, axioms, original illustrations, and photos provides Seales’s trademark “self-help from the hip” style of commentary, fueled by ideology formed from her own victories, struggles, research, mistakes, risks, and pay-offs. Unapologetic, fiercely funny, and searingly honest, Small Doses engages, empowers, and enlightens readers on how to find their truths while still finding the funny!

Hey Friend: 100 Ways to Connect with 100 People

Transitions can be exhilarating and frightening, thrilling and trying, inspiring and mixed with a little bit of crying; but friends and support systems make everything better and connections make transitions easier to weather. In this book readers will learn how to: make friends everywhere (on planes, on trains, in lines and while they dine); be connectors not networkers and yes there’s a difference; connect with 21st century techniques like hashtags, swag, podcasts, retweets and street teams; share their “who” not their “do” when meeting peeps that are new and use 100 creative techniques to curate new friendships while cultivating the friendships they already have.

Big Idea Food

BIG IDEA FOOD is the devotional for today’s Christian hustlers, who are passionately using entrepreneurship (or dreaming about it!) to create the abundant lives they were born to live. In this refreshingly digestible companion, author and serial entrepreneur Marlena Banks serves up 52 scripture-based, bite-sized devotions that pull back the curtain on her entrepreneurial experiences thus far. The wisdom she’s gained along the way will help you:- Believe what you’re building matters to God- Move past paralyzing, mental blocks and execute your ideas faster- Choose the path in business that most aligns with your talents and calling. Reading BIG IDEA FOOD will spark new revelations about your business, show you how God’s Word is relevant to what you’re building today, and nourish your soul through the journey and challenges of entrepreneurship.

The Revisioners

The Revisioners explores the depths of women’s relationships―powerful women and marginalized women, healers and survivors. It is a novel about the bonds between mothers and their children, the dangers that upend those bonds. At its core, The Revisioners ponders generational legacies, the endurance of hope, and the undying promise of freedom.

Well-Read Black Girl

Remember that moment when you first encountered a character who seemed to be written just for you? That feeling of belonging remains with readers the rest of their lives—but not everyone regularly sees themselves in the pages of a book. In this timely anthology, Glory Edim brings together original essays by some of our best black women writers to shine a light on how important it is that we all—regardless of gender, race, religion, or ability—have the opportunity to find ourselves in literature.

Contributors include Jesmyn Ward (Sing, Unburied, Sing), Lynn Nottage (Sweat), Jacqueline Woodson (Another Brooklyn), Gabourey Sidibe (This Is Just My Face), Morgan Jerkins (This Will Be My Undoing), Tayari Jones (An American Marriage), Rebecca Walker (Black, White and Jewish), and Barbara Smith (Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology)

Woman of Color

LaTonya Yvette, the blogger and stylist behind the eponymous site, is unapologetically candid about life’s trials, including motherhood, love, death, and racism. Her first book, Woman of Color, is part memoir, part lifestyle guide—packed with moving essays, gorgeous original and archival photographs, and practical style and beauty advice. At the very heart, though, it’s about LaTonya’s experience growing up as a woman of color in Brooklyn.

My Fashion Fairytale

Written by fashion designer Nichole Lynel, the pages of My Fashion Fairytale are filled with humbling transparency and awe-inspiring storytelling that detail Lynel’s unshakeable triumph amidst trauma. Growing up in Los Angeles as a child runaway who endured chronic abuse, the book outlines her quest to discover love, the trials and tribulations of coming to terms with unthinkable loss, and an unprecedented leap of faith that led to building a million-dollar business against all odds.

FOOD/BEVERAGES

Adjourn Teahouse

Adjourn Tea House is an artisanal loose leaf tea company that offers beautifully unique, superior quality, hand-blended teas that are sustainably sourced from around the world. Founded by LaTonia Cokely, the brand is centered around helping us create moments to recenter and balance our whole selves. According to Cokely, tea brewing, steeping, and drinking “allows us time to do so and is profound and necessary in our daily lives.”

Boss Blend Coffee

Meet Kalisha Carmichael. Socially known as Fly. She’s a mom of three, Afro Latina, and a Creative Entrepreneur. Born and raised in Newark, NJ. She started her path on social media in 2009 on Youtube and has since carved her out her own space. Known for her podcast and her authentic online presence, Fly is now creating her space in the coffee world. As her love for coffee grew “past the cup,” Fly and BossBlendCoffee are changing the narrative to the popular industry by increasing diversity and the much-needed representation of Black people.

McBride Sisters SHE CAN

The McBride Sisters Wine Collection is a story of two sisters and their passion for wine. Robin and Andréa were raised separately in the wine regions of Monterey, California and Marlborough, New Zealand. Living across the world from one another, Robin and Andréa were unaware of the other for nearly half their lives. The Sisters eventually found their way to each other in 1999 when they quickly discovered their shared passion for wine and viticulture. In 2017, Robin and Andréa released the McBride Sisters Wine Collection to unite their parallel lives and passion.

The SHE CAN is the Sisters’ new wine in a can…made for women. The best part? You can enjoy these wines where bottles can’t go–at the pool, at a sports game, on a hike, or at home as a convenient way to wind down after a long day

In 2019, the McBride Sisters shifted the wine industry narrative with its first annual SHE CAN Professional Development Fund. This month, the brand awarded over $37,000 in scholarships to women advancing their careers and pursuing leadership positions in the male-dominated wine industry. 

The SHE CAN line of wines reminds you that SHE CAN do anything.

Jones Bar-B-Q Sweet & Tangy BBQ Sauce

For sisters Deborah “Little” and Mary “Shorty” Jones, barbecue is a way of life. When they were little girls, their father, Leavy B. Jones Sr., set them up on milk crates to look over the pit at the very first Jones Bar-B-Q restaurant. Over thirty years later, the Jones sisters still carry on their father’s legacy of smoking meats and making their family’s secret BBQ sauce from scratch daily at their restaurant in Kansas City. With their famous sauce available online for purchase, now you and your family can experience the love and art of Jones Bar-B-Q in your own home too!

FOOTWEAR

Brother Vellies

Brother Vellies was founded by Aurora James with the goal of introducing the rest of the world to her favorite traditional African footwear, while also creating and sustaining artisanal jobs within Africa. Handmade in South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya and Morocco, Brother Vellies creates boots, shoes and sandals in styles that maintain the spirit and durability of their ancestral counterparts.

Aminah Abdul Jillil

Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Aminah began as a professional dancer in Los Angeles, performing with some of the biggest names in music including Britney Spears and Janet Jackson. She’s appeared in commercials for Pepsi, Mazda, and New Balance and recently performed as lead character “Crimson” in Cirque du Soleil’s BELIEVE. In 2012, after completing her third world tour with Britney, Aminah launched her first collection. Aminah’s career as a dancer has taken her around the world and cultivated her eye for culture, art, design, and fashion. She hopes to continue with both of her passions and is excited to see where they take her next. What makes Aminah Abdul-Jillil’s designs unique is her excitement to “try something different.”

HOME

Duett Interiors

For Tiffany Thompson, interior design has always been a passion — but it took her a while to realize the value of turning said passion and hobby into a career. These days, Thompson is the founder and owner of Portland, Oregon-based Duett Interiors, a full-service residential design firm that works directly with clients to create unforgettable spaces within their homes. The goal of every project and every relationship is to bring each client’s vision to life, making each home a space that makes them feel sexy, safe, and comfortable.

Duett Interiors’ first home collection of “functional art” — a set of chic jacquard and vinyl pillows — is set to launch at the end of November 2019.

House of Nambili

House Of Nambili blends your personal style with ethnographic textiles from North West Africa & beyond. From pillows to scarves, hoodies to heartfelt affirmations on Ankara wrapped chalkboards, House Of Nambili creates handmade designs and home décor items that are not only captivating, they make you feel good about you.

The Black Home

Founded by celebrity interior designer Neffi Walker, The Black Home’s first launch — The Deities — is a set of classy, hand-poured, soy/coconut oil-blend candles for the “God or Goddess in you.” Named after Egyptian and Greek spiritual figures, the collection as a whole is intended to help you revel in the special intoxicating moments of enjoying some much-needed “you time.”

CANDIDART Home Accessories

Candice Cox, the creative mind and business owner behind Oakland based company CANDID ART, is a self taught jewelry designer. She grew up in Oakland, California, where her parents nurtured her creative talents early on while simultaneously instilling the importance of hard work, and having passion behind whatever you do.
Established in 2011, CANDID ART is inspired infinitely by research and affinity with African visual culture, indigenous design vernacular, and cosmic geometry. Each piece is handcrafted and is created for the fearless fashion enthusiast who desires to make a statement without saying a word. In 2018 CANDID ART Accessories rebranded as simply CANDID ART to expand their design offering to jewelry, art, and home decor.

Harlem Candle Company

As a child, Teri Johnson grew obsessed with her favorite aunt’s collection of exotic perfumes and travel stories, planting the seed for her own relationship with travel and fragrances. Through her travels to over 68 countries, she discovered the power of scent and its ability to transport you through time and place.

The Harlem Candle Co. is a luxury home fragrance brand specializing in scented candles inspired by the richness of Harlem. Founded in 2014 by travel and lifestyle expert Teri Johnson, each candle is specially handcrafted using top-grade, soy-blend wax that’s infused with one-of-a-kind fragrance oils and tells a story while taking you on an olfactory journey. The subtle scents and soft glows from The Harlem Candle Co.’s candles instantly enhance your space while creating a sense of comfort and luxury. 

Blue Sage Eco Boutique

Tampa native Christina Arenas founded Blue Sage Eco Boutique in 2013 to promote personal growth, peace, and prosperity. Her product line includes crystals, smudge wands, reed diffusers, and all-natural, hand-poured soy candles made with essential oils, premium fragrance oils, and a touch of magic! Arenas’ Chakra Collection, in particular, was thoughtfully created with each chakra energy in mind and houses actual crystal chips at the bottom of each candle. The goal? To “increase the vibrations being sent forth,” help you manifest your goals, and bring intentions to fruition, according to Arenas.

Mantra Mugs

From mantras, quotes, and inside jokes, Mantra Mugs — the go-to place for minimalist luxe custom mugs — will help you  personalize the perfect gift. Each ceramic mug is 15 oz. and dishwasher safe — plus, they come complete with all of the necessary accoutrements to make unwrapping a special treat.

Bamblu

Bamblu’s mission is to help you get the rest you need, so you can live the life you want! Made from organic bamboo fibers, the brand’s linen, sleepwear (plus athleisure!) collections are designed to create an irresistible sleep environment while elevating comfort and quality. But it gets better! Because scent and sound play integral roles to the senses and the body’s ability to relax too, Bamblu also offers a variety of aromatherapy and herbal-infused products — including its popular pillow mists, candles, and herbal tincture.

PAPER GOODS

Aya Paper Co.

Aya Paper Co. is a sustainable stationery and gift company founded in 2019 by SaVonne Anderson. Created to make it easier for people to purchase quality eco-friendly goods, all Aya brand products are made with responsibly sourced materials, produced using renewable energy, and sent to you in low-waste packaging.

Cardinal Paperie

Cardinal Paperie is a culturally inclusive paper goods and novelty line created in 2017. After observing Kwanzaa for the first time, owner Nicole Rapley realized that there was a need for Kwanzaa wrapping paper and greeting cards. After conducting preliminary market research of the current stationary industry, it was revealed that there are many segments of our multi-cultural society that are not represented on gift and novelty products.

Cardinal Paperie designs are sourced by traditionally underrepresented artists. Cardinal Paperie is passionate about creating a space for artistry and culture to collide in way that makes art practical and affordable. Designs range from everyday papers that feature African Andrikra symbols to spiritual symbols such as the Nazar Amulet, to seasonal gift wrap for the holidays.

WELLNESS

Herbn Goddess

Founded by a team of people who live demanding lives as executives, parents, lovers, and friends – Herbn Goddess was formulated to provide others wellness products that are rooted in Mother Nature. CBD has been long anecdotally used for many physiological needs from pain management to releasing anxiety. The Farm Bill Act of 2018 paved the path for total legalization of hemp products, including hemp-derived CBD. As caretakers, we sought out the nation’s finest grade hemp farms and worked with the top manufacturers in the country to formulate the world’s finest grade of CBD products, without any THC. Herbn Goddess products are made with care and quality so you can decide for yourself if CBD is your answer to total wellness.

GOLDE

At the heart of it, Golde believes that being well should feel good. That means products that look good, taste good, and help you feel like your best self.  Trinity Mouzon Wofford co-founded Golde with her partner Issey Kobori in 2017 with the mission of bringing good vibes to the wellness industry. They’re an independent, Brooklyn-born brand centered in making superfood-boosted essentials for health and beauty. Our products are always natural, easy, and (most importantly) fun.

MATERNITY

Matrescence Skin

Matrescence — a term coined by anthropologist Dana Raphael —refers to the process of becoming a mother, where a woman transitions from pre-conception through pregnancy and then on to the postnatal period and beyond. It is a journey marked with significant physical, emotional and psychological changes. Matrescence the name for their brand as it signifies the holistic approach we’ve taken to providing safe and effective skincare solutions for all stages of motherhood, with a philosophy rooted in the importance of self-care and “mothering the mother.”

SDOT Beauty

SDOT Beauty is a handcrafted natural and organic lifestyle beauty brand. It was born out of the sheer desire of founder Stephanie Coker to start implementing natural remedies for her own skin and hair. After much research, trial and error, and tenacity, she launched the first product in 2012 and has continued to focus on creating simple, natural products that are earth conscious all the while making women (and baby!) feel luxurious and beautiful!

JEWELRY

Humans Before Handles

Humans Before Handles’ values are simply rooted in more simple times and great style. The brand’s founder, Ash Sims created Humans Before Handles for all those who wouldn’t dare leave the house without the perfect statement earring. Not because it will yield a great picture for social media, or for anyone else’s compliments – but because personal style is a value she believes tells the world her mood and attention to detail.  Do you remember yourself before the handle? When your name was your name not an @, and stood for who you are what you are giving to world?. Simpler (and stylish times), let’s get back there together.

CIVIL Jewelry

Founded by supermodel Slick Woods in partnership with a few friends, CIVIL Jewelry is among the latest brands to launch with a focus on investing a portion of its profits back into other minority and female-owned companies. Items for purchase include rings, necklaces, bracelets, and even mesh-chain shoelaces — each polished in gold/rose gold plate or sterling silver.

Ginger Blume 

What would happen if you just went for it, unapologetically? Inspired by fierce women taking charge of their lives and personal style, Ginger Blume offers a gorgeous assortment of dainty “modern classics” for the minimalist in us all. And get this: all of the brand’s earrings and necklaces are priced at or under $33 each!

Jam + Rico

Established since June 2016, Jam + Rico (which stands for Jamaica + Puerto Rico) is a rising jewelry company making waves for its use of bold, unique, and colorful designs. Founded by visionary and maker Lisette Ffolkes, the brand sources inspiration from the Caribbean and Latin America to provide thoughtfully created accessories to enhance your fashion wardrobe.

Valerie Madison Fine Jewelry

Valerie Madison is the sole designer behind her namesake company, which she started back in 2019. As a Black Latina woman in the fine jewelry industry, she’s incredibly proud to be changing the scene and boosting representation! Prior to discovering her love for designing beautiful jewelry, Valerie earned a degree in Environmental Science & Resource Management — an accomplishment that has played a huge role in her business today. For instance, the Valerie Madison brand uses 100% recycled metals whenever possible in addition to conflict-free diamonds sourced in compliance with the United Nations (UN) and the Kimberly Process certification scheme. Canadian diamonds (mined to the highest environmental standards in the world) and recycled diamonds are also used.

TECH

Chic Geeks

Born and raised in Southern California, Candice Adams, Creator of Chic Geeks, loves to shine and stand out from the crowd. After earning an MBA from Pepperdine University, she married her love of fashion and technology with a colorful line of tech accessories. A nerd at heart, she dreams of making all geeks chic with stylish patterns and luxe textures. Her fresh take on tech is sure to liven up and renew your workspace!

As a New York City storyteller, filmmaker, digital content creator, and PR strategist, Renae Bluitt created "In Her Shoes" to empower and enlighten women committed to realizing their dreams.

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