The Funk Boutique: Turning a Corner in Supporting Black-Owned Brands in Fashion

Chicago’s Red Line train leads to the heart of the city—and one of Chicago’s youth-led community-oriented programs “hosted” a fashion show to promote the organization’s branded summer line. According to the Chicago Sun Times, My Block, My Hood, My City debuted letterman jackets, t-shirts and hoodies while “singing and performing spoken word poetry.” Founder Jahmal Cole explained that the inspiration behind the organization came from his time volunteering at the Cook County Jail; he has since made it his mission to help those incarcerated visit and learn about different parts of the city. He’d always wanted to host a fashion show on the Red Line and get more kids out of their homes and into the world. All proceeds from the show as well as additional sales have gone to fund group trips.

May 25 marks the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, and though it has been a year—which saw the conviction of Floyd’s murderer, former police officer Derek Chauvin—countless activist organizations and efforts are still working towards justice and awareness of the continued police brutality in the United States. District of Clothing is a Black-owned female-founded lifestyle brand focusing on progression, inspiring action and supporting self-love.

The brand’s “Black Lives Matter” shirt sheds light on the injustices Black people face daily. It isn’t just about an all-encompassing “Black Lives Matter” but honoring the lives of all those at risk—men, women, trans people, immigrants, children and more.

District of Clothing’s most recent collection, “I’m From Here,” shines a light on Asian American hate. Given the rise of anti-Asian racism, the shirt poses a challenge against the question “but where are you really from?” The collection was made in collaboration with Angella Nguyen and Ajie Rhyu and a portion of the proceeds contribute to organizations working to stop AAPI hate.

British Black-owned businesses (say that ten times fast) are being given a much-needed platform with UK department store Selfridges’s new initiative Afro Luxe. The brand teamed up with Untapped Creatives, a platform that focuses on connecting Black-owned businesses to luxury lifestyle brands to further their success. According to Harper’s Bazaar UK, “Untapped Creatives will be introducing 10 Black-owned, British brands to the customers of Selfridges in an exciting in-store and online collaboration.” This collaboration will include a wide range of products within the categories of womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, and accessories such as eyewear and jewelry, as well as a selection of luxury home goods.

After spending months attempting to grow out her hair with the aid of protective styles, Ciara Imani May became tired of the constant irritation on her scalp. After extensive research, she learned of the materials used to make synthetic braiding hair and the amount of plastic in the bundles. Not only were the materials toxic for one’s hair, but toxic for the environment. Constant research, applying for grants and testing popular hair brands with labs, Rebundle officially launched on January 17, 2021. May tells Allure that her brand is “the first U.S.-made, plant-based braiding hair. Rebundle offers three different colors of braiding hair — black, blonde, and brown — each priced at $20 per 3.5-ounce bundle, which is more than a lot of plastic, synthetic hair.”

Starting this weekend, natural hair brand Naturalicious is offering a free 5-day hair academy instructed by celebrity hairstylist Niani B. The course takes place May 31-June 5 and features daily lessons breaking down “exactly how to create that style in easy-to-follow sessions,” according to a press release provided to The Root. The virtual course is taught live and will be an in-depth discussion on keeping hair healthy and styling it yourself. Each lesson gives the opportunity to ask questions and will be recorded for you to go back and watch in the future.

Nike once again partners with Harlem’s Fashion Row’s for its 3rd Annual Designer Retreat, an effort to grow their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. A group of 75 designers of color will convene and learn from designers such as Prabal Gurung, Linda Fargo and Christopher John Rogers as well as celebrity stylists Zerina Akers and Wouri Vice. In addition to fireside chats with influential designers and members of the industry, the event offers up the opportunity for designers to engage in a design competition judged by Nike executives; the winning designer will be awarded $5000 from HFR initiative ICON 360.