Fact: there needs to be more recognition and appreciation for Black-owned fashion brands. All around us is the influence of Black designers and their apparel brands. The rise and popularity of the skater boy aesthetic is Pharrell Williams’ Billionaire Boys Club. The Y2K mania influencing Gen Z-ers is all Baby Phat-inspired. Sporty chic fits that resemble Serena Williams’ U.S. Open getup? Yeah, that’s The Daily Paper.
This Black History Month, we’re spotlighting seven Black-owned fashion labels that have influenced the styles and aesthetics found in your closet. Because, yes, the #mobwifeaesthetic, sports jerseys, and other mini trends are just existing Black fashion in disguise. From the luxury label that redefined Black streetwear to the affordable shapewear that makes size inclusivity sexy, here are the seven beloved Black-owned fashion brands to bookmark.
1. Baby Phat
You can’t talk about cult-favorite Black fashion brands without mentioning Baby Phat. The Kimora Lee Simmons-founded brand had a chokehold over the early aughts fashion, with just about every celeb from Lil’ Kim to Devon Aoki wearing their fur-trimmed puffer jackets and rhinestone-encrusted denim mini skirts. There was no 2000s fashion without Baby Phat, and even now, decades later, you see the influences of the brand in today’s streetwear: baby tees, pink velour tracksuits, and low-rise jeans sprinkled with faux rhinestones and Swarovski crystals.
2. Telfar
Name a more influential accessory brand than Telfar. The affordable luxury handbag was created by Telfar Clemens in 2014. However, the brand didn’t gain mass popularity until Beyoncé and Oprah were spotted with a pair in 2021. Since then, Telfar has sold millions, launched a line of puffers, belts, and shoes, and has collaborated with big-name apparel companies like Ugg and Eastpak.
3. Yitty
Size inclusivity remains a stagnant issue in the fashion cycle, but Lizzo’s athleisure and shapewear line, Yitty, has moved the needle slightly. The brand is “centered around self-love” and offers expansive size options (XS to 6X) for all its products, including lingerie and bodysuits. The goal is for plus-sized folks to have “innovative fabrics, bold colors, and stylish silhouettes [that] fit every single body type,” per its website.
4. Savage x Fenty
Onto the next lingerie brand! A sister brand to the beauty empire, Fenty Beauty, Savage X Fenty offers sexy and size-inclusive lingerie at an accessible price point. Its bras, garters, corsets, and panty collections are all about inspiring confidence and inner beauty, according to RiRi.
“We want to make people look good and feel good,” she says, via her website. “We want you to feel sexy and have fun doing it.”
And feeling good isn’t limited to just women — the brand offers lingerie for men, too!
5. Billionaire Boys Club
Many might not know this, but Pharrell Williams moonlights as a fashion designer in his spare time. The Grammy-winning producer founded the streetwear line, Billionaire Boys Club (BBC), in 2003. Unlike other celeb-owned fashion lines, BBC has remained a pervasive apparel brand with influences over youth and culture. Its eclectic skateboard boy aesthetic has survived countless fashion cycles and, more famously, retained a cult following in both the underground music scene and the R&B crowd.
6. Brandon Blackwood
Another accessory brand that has reached cult status is Brandon Blackwood. In the fall of 2020, the brand entered the cultural zeitgeist with its “end systemic racism” handbags, after being worn by the likes of Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, and other celebs on social media. The hype hasn’t fallen off in the four years since; rather, a loyal (and growing!) following has consistently outsold its over-the-shoulder purses and classic handbags.
7. Off-White
Fashion icon Virgil Abloh reinvented luxury fashion with Off-White. Launched in 2012, the Italian-based apparel line is adored by Black fashion icons like Rihanna, Kanye West, and A$AP Rocky for fusing architecture and design elements into streetwear. The result? Hoodies, cargo pants, and chunky sneakers with elevated stitching and lots of blank space that appeal to the eye. You can see his influences in veteran and indie fashion houses like Louis Vuitton and Nom Uh Nit.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of all the Black-owned fashion brands. Indie and local apparel brands like I Am Socialite and Cee Cee’s Closet have affordable and trendy options that your closet is begging for.
What other local (or legacy) clothing lines should we have included? Let us know in the comments.
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