Why?

the concept of ‘luxury’ is inherently rooted in imperialism: the original luxury goods were spices, furs, and jewels that european colonizers stole from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. modern luxury retail is a direct descendant of colonialism and continues to sustain racist power dynamics by systemically excluding creators of color - especially Black creators:

LESS THAN 2% OF BRANDS AT NET-A-PORTER, NORDSTROM, AND SHOPBOP ARE BLACK-OWNED, AND LESS THAN 10% ARE POC-OWNED

for centuries, our perceptions of desirability and aspiration have been defined by the white gaze. to decolonize what we deem aspirational, we must reframe our aesthetic vision by centering creators of color.

LEARN MORE: the fashion and race database, tony wang on decolonizing fashion

How?

we hope to develop a shoppable marketplace showcasing fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands founded by people of color. our vision is for a purpose-driven and community-oriented space that operates outside of the existing retail system. our goals include:

utilizing a marketplace model to offer better sales terms to brands and to empower creators of color to uplift one another, rather than compete with each other for shelf space (the wholesale system is broken)

growing a community with content, experiences, and programs to help support fledgling BIPOC-owned brands and emerging creators of color

to bring this to life, we’ll need your support. follow us on social and sign up below to subscribe to our newsletter.