Thinking about the promising signs of spring? Feeling the annual need to re-up your space and wardrobe? Looking for ways to support Black women today? As it is International Women’s Day, we look across the globe, and particularly across the African diaspora, for ways to build up women and the brands they’ve created.
Suggested Reading
For the longest time, the fashion and beauty industries have ignored the culture and needs of Black women, but there has been a recent breakthrough in these industries and Black women are pushing boundaries and creating things tailored to empowering women.
Throughout the pandemic, ICU nurse Katrina Thompkins created a wellness brand, K’dara CBD, that focuses on healing through all-natural means. Uoma Beauty, founded by Sharon Chuter, has been called one of the most inclusive beauty brands focused on fostering confidence and self-empowerment.
54Kibo and Tongoro source all of their merchandise from across Africa, working to create and curate brands that are Afrocentric all while helping to build and foster different artist’s creativity and economy.
And if you’re looking for a few more, there are fitness gurus and other Black female-owned centric gift-guides for your viewing pleasure.
Uoma Beauty (Beauty)
Sharon Chuter founded Uoma Beauty in 2018 with the mission to build a brand that made women feel empowered in their own skin. Inspired by her Nigerian heritage, Chuter has broken boundaries and works towards rewriting the narrative around the expression of beauty. Uoma Beauty was founded on the belief that all women, regardless of skin tone are beautiful, powerful and deserving of a platform to help their self-expression.
Fe Noel (Womenswear)
For founder Felisha (Fe) Noel, “Eat well, travel often and dress to inspire,” are the building blocks of her namesake brand. Noel entered the fashion industry at age 19 when she opened a small vintage shop in Brooklyn. Now that very same space serves as a brick and mortar for Fe Noel. The brand is inspired by her Grenadian heritage and the close-knit relationship she has with her family. Fe Noel offers a wide range of merchandise spanning from shoes and accessories to beachwear and traditional day-to-day clothing influenced by bold prints, unique silhouettes, bright colors, all infused with sensibility and sexuality.
54Kibo (Decor)
Inspired by her trips home, founder Nana Quagraine always brought back pieces from Ghana to her apartment in New York. 54Kibo is committed to sharing the unique talents of artists across the African diaspora and making them accessible to people around the world. The majority of the team either lives in or has extensive time spent in countries all across Africa and brings their own point of view to each piece picked. 54Kibo puts no limit on the work they share from common decor items such as pillows, art and lighting to regionally specific textiles.
K’dara CBD (Health and Wellness)
Dallas-based Cardiovascular ICU Nurse Katrina Thompkins has been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis, seen countless patients seek help with and insomnia and lost a family member cancer––so Thompkins felt the need to build a brand and company designed to help in a safe and natural way. K’dara CBD was inspired by her grandmother who believed in only using herbal supplements as a means for healing. That led her to create a variety of hemp-based CBD products such as gummies, tinctures, oils, creams and even products for pets.
Vintage Royalty (Accessories)
Vintage Royalty was founded by Meena Osei-Kuffour with one goal in mind: the create pieces of wearable art inspired by the past and made for the future. The first concept of Vintage Royalty was ’80s inspired jewelry made from paper that lay flat against the ear. Now the jewelry and accessories made from gorgeous metals, mixed material, resin and (my personal favorite) feathers. On top of all that, Vintage Royalty has an entire collection of wedding-themed accessories. In addition, the store also offers a small selection of home decor items.
Tongoro (Womenswear)
Tongoro was launched in spring 2016 by Sarah Diouf and is a 100 percent made in Africa label designed and produced in Dakar, Senegal. The brand features a variety of flowing black and white printed pieces that have been hand-sourced from merchants across the continent. Tongoro works solely with local tailors with a long-term goal of creating a large team that fosters the economic and social development of artists in Western Africa. The documentary about the brand “Made in Africa” can be found here for further information about the conception of Tongro.
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