Noir Necessities Black-owned fashion brands you need to know about

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Black-owned brands

After a monumental year that catapulted the #BlackLivesMatter movement into the mainstream, black-owned fashion brands are gaining some welldeserved traction. We round-up some rail-worthy womenswear and accessories brands that will bring diversity and glamour to your boutique…

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BEAUTIFUL BLACK OWNED FASHION BRANDS TO ADD TO YOUR RAILS

EMME CADEAU

Footwear brand Emme Cadeau merges two of its founder’s major in uences: Caribbean air and New York edge. Designer Marcella Gi grew up on the on the island of Trinidad and Tobago, which is re ected in the brand’s uniqueness of materials and designs. Today she lives in New York City, which also in uences her creations via structure, shape and t. Comfort is a key focus for the brand’s footwear and Gi tests each shoe herself before it joins the collection, wearing every design continuously over several days before making tweaks. Each style is made in Portugal and features arch support and a three-layer foam insole to support the feet. Key styles include leather sneakers in eye-catching prints, bold towering party shoes and kitten heels. e brand also aims to be inclusive in its sizing, o ering shoes running from EU 35 to 45. CONTACT:E: orders@emmecadeau. com emmecadeau.com LOLA TARA

Founded by IB Oyerinde, a fashion model with Nigerian roots living in the US and Europe, Lola Tara o ers a capsule collection of luxury jumpsuits, dresses and coordinates. e label’s timeless investment pieces can be dressed up or down, o ering versatile garments that can be worn for work, special occasions and o -duty. Its premium range includes high-end made-in-the-UK pieces cra ed in materials such as Japanese poly satin. Standout styles include the Sahara jumpsuit, Aspen shirt dress and wide-leg Siena trousers. Buyers can choose from a selection of styles and colourways to create their own unique edit. CONTACT: E: hello@lolatara.com lolatara.com SHAHINI FAKHOURIE

Emerging black-owned fashion brand Shahini Fakhourie creates minimalist, high-end streetwear designs with a focus on art, fashion and sustainability. Its eponymous Miami-based designer focuses on sustainability, a ordability, quality and transparency while delving into the past to create a collection that is as bold and innovative as its wearer. Founded in 2017 with the rst capsule range produced in 2019, the label’s garments feature sustainable, UPF 50 and vegan fabrics, which are made in Brooklyn NYC inside a zero-waste factory. Key pieces include the open back Kelly dress (pictured) with woven metal straps and zipper trim along the neckline. CONTACT:shahinifakhourie.com

APRIL AND ALEX

UK-based womenswear brand April and Alex creates bold and edgy fashion-forward pieces for the empowered woman. e label is the creation of British/Nigerian awardwinning journalist and creative director Didi Akinyelure who was inspired by her mother’s career as a fashion designer and grandmother’s success as the owner of a tailoring business. e brand launched in 2018 and o ers striking garments for powerful and independent women. Its pieces are edgy, daring and innovative with standout designs including oversized pu sleeved tops and showstopping dresses. CONTACT: E: so a@blackpr.co.uk aprilandalex.co.uk HOUSE OF RG

e decadent glamour, beautiful embellishment and vibrant opulence of Nigerian culture is embodied by contemporary womenswear brand House of RG, which fuses designer Dorothy L Ogwuru’s African heritage with sharp, bold designs. Each of its garments are made from 100 per cent cotton and are hand-beaded, elegantly hand-cut and custom handcra ed with limited runs. e brand is now stocked by Selfridges as part of the retailer’s new initiative to increase its representation of black-owned brands. Its capsule collection for the luxury department store includes the striking Erinma split-hem embellished mini dress with front split, capped sleeves, scoop neck, velvet texture and all-over bead and rhinestone embellishment. ere’s also the head-turning Ume V-neck embellished mini dress, with long sleeves, wrap-over front and all-over bead and rhinestone embellishment. CONTACT: E: info@houseofrg.com houseofrg.com SANTE + WADE

Established by Shola Asante and Agnès Cushnie in 2019, SANTE + WADE is a premium disruptive footwear label that focuses on inclusivity. e brand o ers high quality, comfortable and versatile products in up to a size EU 46 in both standard and wide t. Its customers are modern women looking for choice, comfort and quality. Each collection o ers a range of beautifully cra ed and comfortable shoes that will take the wearer from one occasion to the next with ease. e brand works with multi-generational factories in Portugal that share its values, while it sources long-lasting leathers of Spanish and Italian origin for each of its collections. e label also uses 100 per cent recycled packaging, recycled cork beds on its sneakers and veg-tanned leathers wherever possible. SANTE + WADE’s designs have been worn by celebrities such as Kate Winslet and Paris Lee, while it was recently short-listed for Best New Brand and Team of the Year in the Drapers Footwear Awards 2021. CONTACT:E: hello@santewade.com santewade.com

Going global

B2B markEtplacE tradEGala is partNEriNG with thE Uk GovErNmENt to hElp fashioN BraNds ExpaNd iNto NEw iNtErNatioNal markEts

Fashion businesses that have their sights set on global expansion can take advantage of the latest initiative from leading UK-based B2B fashion marketplace TradeGala. The company has partnered with the Department for International Trade (DIT) – an arm of the UK government that helps businesses export and grow into global markets – for its exciting E-Exporting Programme.

TradeGala joins an elite group of global marketplaces already taking part in the programme, which has helped thousands of UK brands and retailers launch into new international markets.

The E-Exporting Programme will enable TradeGala to expand its reach into new international markets, giving its brands greater visibility to buyers around the globe. The company will also be running a recruitment drive to onboard more UK brands that want to expand internationally. This means that its marketplace will be able to offer a bigger choice of brands for UK buyers and their boutiques. To launch the partnership, DIT and TradeGala will hold a joint webinar on 29 June 2021 (visit tradegala.com for updates).

TradeGala’s joint CEO Mina Melikova says the DIT collaboration is an opportunity to make a positive change for the fashion industry: “2020 was an unprecedented year for UK fashion on all fronts,” she says. “The realities of Brexit have caused confusion among both brands and retailers, and the pandemic has made us all rethink how we need to move forward as an industry. Our collaboration with the DIT has come at the perfect time for TradeGala, helping us to help business owners reach a wider audience than ever before and give a much-needed boost for international trade within the UK fashion industry.”

TradeGala is the brainchild of Kuganeswaran Thangarajah and Mina Melikova who share almost 25 years’ experience in the fashion and wholesale industries. The online marketplace was created to fill a gap in the market for a user-friendly online platform offering a B2C style user experience for B2B fashion companies.

Since its launch in 2019, the site has already helped a number of emerging brands take their first steps into the international wholesale market. Its new partnership with DIT will see it reaching a wider range of fashion businesses and entrepreneurs, helping its brands navigate the network of international trade.

While TradeGala works with wellknown fashion brands such as Paradox London and Gatsbylady London, its zero-cost registration and membership plans makes it ideal for emerging brands and entrepreneurs wanting to take their first steps into fashion wholesale and international trade.

Smaller brands can be eased into wholesaling slowly by setting lower minimum orders and offering their available stock alongside their other retail channels. Using simple merchandising techniques that are common in the B2C sector, brands are able to showcase their products on TradeGala in front of thousands of pre-screened buyers from all over the world.

The company also helps its customers adopt Fast Provisioning, which is appealing to boutique buyers as it enables them to react quickly to new trends and buy only what they need. Its B2B marketplace model is especially geared up for this type of buying and wholesaling as it offers live stock visibility ensuring that products can be delivered in a matter of days. CONTACT: E: support@tradegala.com tradegala.com

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