BLM
On May 25th a black man named George Floyd was killed by a police officer in the US city of Minneapolis. Footage showed how officer Derek Chauvin was kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd repeated ‘i can’t breath’. After many protests Derek Chauvin has been charged with murder along three more officers who were present charged with aiding and abetting the killing.
Floyds violent death triggered protests around the US and then in solidarity all around the world. Black Lives Matter movement, founded by three women in 2013 in response to murder of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, soon took precedence around the world and social media. People of all races and backgrounds have been speaking up on the injustice and racism happening. Everyone wants to do something. Everyone wants to be a part of the change. Weather it was through educating yourself, family and friends, donating to organizations, or supporting black owned businesses.
Why is it important to support black owned businesses?
Obviously I am not trying to say that we should not shop from other businesses but if we are willing to be a part of a change some of the money that we spent should go to black owned businesses too.
There is a racial wealth gap in the UK and around the world. And it is clear some things got to change. It also means changing the way we shop and what businesses we spend our money on. Supporting black businesses creates more job opportunities and offers more money to be reinvested in black communities. If we want to see the change we need to put our money where our mouth is.
In today's blog I want to shout out to businesses I have been researching and admiring.
But before starting I want to talk about the ‘Jamii card’ I came across. It is a discount card and a discovery platform to find and shop at the best independent black owned businesses in the UK. They were founded in 2016 and aim to make shopping black owned business easy and instinctive as any other. You can check their website for more information on the link down below.
Sucker for unique jewellery and accessories?
Check out this amazing high quality jewellery brand. Founded by two amazing women Rochella and Lizzie in 2018 Kionii has been thriving and growing ever since. In honour of the BLM movement and Black Pound Day, their BLM necklace has been released for pre-order with the proceeds going to Kwanda, a non-profit working to empower the Black community.
Visit https://www.kionii.com/
Omolola Jewellery is a UK based jewellery brand inspired by western- African culture, architecture and art. It was created by three siblings to build connections with home and share heritage with diaspora. On their website you can find lots of beautiful and unique jewellery designs for men, women, and kids.
Fashion today certainly is not just pretty pieces of fabric put together. Fashion is the voice, statement and message you want to send across. It can be a powerful weapon if used in the right way. Here are several black owned fashion designers that have been making a difference in the fashion industry and creating a platform for equal rights and opportunities.
Nyla Rei is a brand of Instagram influencer Vanessa Daniels. It offers ethical take on street fashion, all her collections are made in the UK in family owned factories using mostly biodegradable fibres and is ‘made to order’. Almost forgot.. They offer plastic free shipping. How much more amazing it can get?
US based streetwear ‘Can’t Buy Respect’ is another affordable bold fashion brand to support. They ship worldwide and have strong messages they send across.
‘Nnembas Bonnets’ is a brand selling on Etsy. They have amazing fabrics and print bonnets, scrunches and masks. I actually heard about them watching youtube blogger Harleigh Reid https://www.youtube.com/user/
Visit them on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/
Oui Madam is a unique wedding dress bespoke designer brand created by Cynthia Grafton-Holt. I came across this brand through a search engine and was really blown away by the enthusiasm, passion and creativity she brought to every process of dress making alongside the knowledge of fashion trends. She is a breath of fresh air in the wedding dress fashion industry.
Do visit their website and dont forget to read a wonderful and authentic story Cynthia Grafton-Holt shares with us.
And last but not least Skin care..
What can be better than supporting organic sustainable, handmade skin care brands?
Novel Skin Care is a UK based skin care brand that has a distinguishing approach to what they do. They see skin care as a novel. A good novel absorbs you with every chapter and offers you a different perspective of life. They applied this philosophy on their skin care products. Their award winning natural vegan skin care collection is designed to compliment you, your story, in a luxuriously playful and responsible way.
After years of battling with eczema and other accompanying skin conditions, Ofome Eyanagho took matters into her own hands. At the age of 23 in 2017 with the advice of the best friend Ofome Eyanagho embarked on her entrepreneurial journey and started The Glow Pot.
The brand caters for every skin type and has testimonials of hundreds of people on their website. On their online shop there is something for everyone.
Visit https://theglowpot.com/
Catch you on the next blog. XOXO