In light of recent events, it is important now more than ever to support our black community. As the world mourns with the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahumaud Arbery, and so many more individuals, it’s a good time to support black designers in the fashion industry. Purchasing from the following brands goes a long way. These brands are great to not only enhance your Personal Styling, but also as a great way to support the black community. Below are five Black-owned fashion brands to shop from today, tomorrow, and forever.
Jinaki
Jinaki was created in 2012 by Sharufa Rashied-Walker while she was living in France at the time. Her design aesthetic includes vibrant dresses, skirts, jumpsuits, and tops directly inspired by indigenous african textiles. Jinaki focuses on bright and bold prints that reflect African culture in a modern way. Over the past eight years, the brand has gained great traction. Jinaki has been worn by Taraji P. Henson and featured in countless publications. In addition, Sharufa Rashied-Walker won the Designer of the Year for Young, Gifted, and Black Award in 2018, alongside many other amazing accomplishments. Jinaki comes in at a rather reasonable price range, with most dresses only costing $200. I recommend trying out this brand for my Personal Styling clients as a power brand for your next big vacation. The colors and prints are sure to make anyone standout.
LOLA ADE
The LOLA ADE name comes from the designer’s West African heritage. According to their website, Lola Ade (pronounced “Luhh-lah (like lullaby) AHH-Day”) is a Nigerian name from the Yoruba language. Lola translates to “Wealthy” and Ade means “Crown.” Lola has immense pride in her Nigeria culture, which helped her develop her design aesthetic. The cultural pride my family has instilled in me to humbly wear my head held high and display my “crown” is the same type of love and dedication I apply to aspects of my shop: authentic and original with splashes of cultural pride. Since 2010 Lola has been handcrafting her jewelry with specially curated materials. If you’re ever looking for statement jewelry, LOLA ADE is the place to go. Not only is the price range super affordable, you also get super unique and beautiful pieces. Personally, I am eyeing all of the gorgeous earrings. Throwing on a pair of statement earrings with a tee shirt and jeans is sure to make any outfit standout.
Nubian Skin
It can be extremely hard for black women to find undergarments that naturally match the color of their skin. However, Nubian Skin is changing this. They offer a carefully curated collection of lingerie and hosiery to provide the essential underwear needs of women of color. Their founder, Ade Hassan, was frustrated with the lack of skin representation for undergarments, and was motivated to fix this problem herself. Nubian Skin offers a variety of bra and underwear styles for all different shapes of women as well. Not only are the garments beautifully crafted, they are comfortable and look great on every body shape. The next time you need the perfect bra to lay nicely under a white dress, checkout Nubian Skin for a seamless look.
Grass-Fields
Grass-Fields offers its customer ethically made African inspired fashion. They are best known for their range of print dresses, as well as other clothing for women, 
men, and children, All of their garments are sourced and made in either the UK or Cameroon. Not to mention, Grass-Fields also maintains quite an affordable price range. I am looking forward to shopping for one of their amazing matching sets. Grass-Fields is another great brand to shop for your next vacation, or really any fun summer outing. The bright colors and bold prints are sure to spice up any outfit.
Renowned LA
Renowned is a street style brand that every young person should know about. Their motto is “ Renowned, is made for every man and woman who’s ever felt the pull to purpose over-popularity. And we use streetwear as our medium of expressing that confidence”. Anything at Renowned looks stupid cool. Which makes for fun Personal Styling choices. They stick to basic colors mainly black and white with pops of red and yellow. But this simplicity makes their cool urban designs easy to wear with anything and everything. Pair one of their hoodies or t-shirts on with wide-leg jeans and sneakers for the ultimate street style look. You’ll look effortlessly cool in whatever you buy.
Keep it sassy Indy,
Libby, Beth Divine Personal Styling Intern
