The Fashion & Beauty Brands You Need To Know This Black Business Month

Welcome to Fashionably Black!, a style and culture guide for Black people highlighting the cultural moments, pioneers, and conversations we’ve always been a part of! Putting a magnifying glass to style & self-expression, Fashionably Black! explores the many ways we are the history, we are the fashion, and will ALWAYS be. We're not trending, we're true.

Black Business Month is all about celebrating and acknowledging Black businesses locally and internationally. Within the last few years, Black-owned businesses have been receiving the recognition they rightfully deserve. We’ve seen this change through collaborations with Black businesses like Range Beauty, Homage Year, and Zerina Akers and big brands such as Target, Nordstrom, and Macy’s, to name a few. Every month, there’s a new Black-owned brand emerging on the scene but the odds are still stacked against their success.

Black-owned businesses are less likely than their white counterparts to be approved for financing at banks, according to Federal Reserve data. But Black businesses continue to use their creativity and unique voices to market themselves and overcome the systemic obstacles in their way. . And over and over, Black consumers prove that our buying power is strong and our support keeps these businesses afloat. 

Unbothered doesn’t just celebrate Black businesses in August — we’re Black all year. For this installment of Fashionably Black!, we spoke to three creatives about Black-owned fashion and beauty brands they recommend and why we should support them well beyond Black Business Month. 

“During the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, I was enlightened to many Black-owned luxury designers. One of my favorite African designer labels is Vicnate NG. Although Beyoncé did a fabulous job at showcasing various Black-owned designers by wearing their pieces for Black is King, I still believe the fashion industry doesn’t have enough respect for African labels. There’s a whole Lagos Fashion Week that I never see American mainstream publications discuss or amplify. Yet, so much talent is sourced and inspired by Africans. The intricate details, unique designs, and silhouettes are incomparable.” - Kathryn Lewis, PR Assistant and Influencer

“I've never had a good experience with powder foundation and truth be told, it's never had a good reputation in my book. The first time that I did try powder foundation was a few years ago and it did not give what it was supposed to give. The coverage was trash and especially as someone with oily skin, I need all the coverage I could get. Once I discovered The Good Mineral's powder foundation, I was sold off-rip. 

The powder foundation comes in undertones for every shade and shades for every hue. We love the diversity in beauty products. Not only did I get full coverage, but it's a clean beauty brand, vegan, cruelty-free, and Black women-owned. It's perfect for my sensitive, acne-prone skin with a lightweight feel and active ingredients, including sunscreen. Ladies, if you're an oily skin baddie like me, go ahead and add this to your cart ASAP. The brand  only has a little over 5k followers on Instagram, and they honestly deserve way more.” - D’Shonda Brown, Culture Editor and Influencer

“Kai Collective truly never misses. From the color range to the silhouettes Kai Collective is the brand for anyone. My favorite item from them is the Mayan set. It’s the perfect mixture between sexy and classy, with sheer fabric and lettuce hem finishing. And if you are a woman like me you love a snatched waist which the top lovely provides. I appreciate the effort that the brand puts into its marketing because they showcase various body types. As a curvier woman it feels good to be represented in that way but also the clothes look just as flattering and sexy on.” - Maiya Carmichael, Social Content Strategist and Influencer