Buy Black 2020 collage

My Buy Black 2020 Decision

One of the lifestyle changes I made that significantly curbed my shopping habit was buying clothes seasonally. By shopping for three to six months at a time, I’m less likely to waste money on unnecessary purchases that I’ll soon regret. In the past, seasonal clothing shopping lent well to a seasonal capsule wardrobe, but now that I mostly live in a climate that doesn’t have winter, I no longer have to break my shopping up by season. Now that I’m no longer pregnant, I’ve regained my interest in shopping and will be doing something completely different this year by putting my money where my mouth is. Buy Black 2020 is my decision to support black fashion designers and boutiques.

From clothing to accessories and even undergarments, I am publicly committing to only buying from Black fashion designers and boutiques in 2020.

During Black History Month, or whenever a major brand does something racially insensitive (Prada, H&M, the list is neverending), you’ll see articles pop up about supporting black fashion designers. But the support, at least verbally, is temporary. As soon as H&M rolls out a new collection we’re back in those long lines. I’m not immune to this either – I retired my Gucci belt for about two months after the blackface sweater debacle, but I continue to wear it now because I literally have no other black belts. But supporting Black owned brands just during the month of February or when we’re mad at our favorite fast or luxury fashion retailer isn’t enough, so I’m committing to buying Black for the entire year in a category which I spend quite a bit of money – clothes.

To help me on this journey, I’m curating a running list of Black designers and boutiques that I personally like and can see myself shopping from. To be clear, this list isn’t exhaustive or all inclusive in any way, but more so a representation of the Black designers that I have either spent money on or plan to spend money on this year. Notably missing are many brands that design primarily in African prints or ankara – though I love a good ankara dress or two piece every once in a while, I’m really focusing on building my wardrobe with classic pieces that fit my neutral, casual chic style.

My hope is that throughout the year I will continue updating this list, especially with suggestions from you guys! I’m not so much worried about having enough clothing options, but I am concerned about shoe and bag designers, because a girl loves a statement shoe and a new designer bag. Please send over suggestions as you come across designers, and I’ll continue to update this list!

My Buy Black 2020 List #IKBuysBlack

In alphabetical order, * indicates brand I’ve already purchased from

A. AU

Andrea Iyamah*

The Brand Label

Brother Vellies

Chen Burkett

Diarrablu*

Fe Noel

Fenty (I haven’t yet decided if this counts)

FKSP

Hanifa

Kai Collective*

The Narativ

Sammy B Designs

Shop Caribbean Cowgirl*

Siri Studio*

Style Temple

Telfar

Tongoro Studio*

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Comments

    1. Love that you know your exact style! Not off the top of my head, but I think searching for black owned boutiques vs designers would be your best bet because I can’t think of any designers in that category

  1. hmmm not sure how you will get the shoe fix…but will tag you in two bag companies that have lovely pieces…loove Style Temple’s pieces!

    1. I’m specifically focusing on clothing & accessories, not really beauty. Though I have a lipstick by the Lip Bar that I really enjoy. Maybe next year I’ll expand to black owned beauty too!