At Brightly, we often talk about voting with your dollars to create change in the world. In addition to doing research to ensure your elected officials value equality for all and supporting local organizations that fight racism in your community, you can also uplift the Black community by supporting businesses owned by Black leaders.
We want to use our platform to support Black-owned businesses during Black History Month and beyond. No matter what you’re in the need of—be it sustainable fashion, home goods, beauty products, jewelry, and more—here are some of our favorite places to shop for eco-essentials.
Black-Owned Sustainable Businesses to Support
1. OUI the People
OUI the People is a one-stop shaving revolution. Founded by Karen Young, the brand has body care and shaving products that incorporate many ingredients that protect and nourish the skin.
All of the products are free of parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, petrolatum, and synthetic fragrance. Then there are the containers, which are glass, recyclable, and refillable.
2. Golde
Golde, the buzzy wellness brand founded by Trinity Mouzon Wofford, makes health-boosting ingredients—like matcha, cacao, and turmeric—accessible, exciting, and easy to use.
Aside from being delicious, each product is also organic, vegan, and cruelty-free. You’ll find matcha (which is made with 100% pure, shade-grown green tea leaves from Uji, Japan), latte blends, superfood face masks, and more.
3. BLK + GRN
BLK + GRN founder Kristian Henderson and her team carefully curate all-natural products from Black business owners in order to make shopping ethically and sustainably easy and impactful.
Currently, over 136 Black artisan brands are featured on BLK + GRN—all of which are non-toxic, cruelty-free, and kind to the planet.
4. JADE Swim
Founded by Brittany Freeney, JADE Swim creates soft, chic swimwear that looks good and does the planet good.
The eco-friendly and sustainable swimwear is made using recycled and regenerated materials at the brand’s California factory. All styles are cut in-house and fabric scraps are upcycled and repurposed.
5. Mented
Ethical and sustainable clean beauty formulas that perform and are inclusive to all are extremely hard to come by. Mented fills that gap.
Mented’s line of cruelty-free, vegan cosmetics was started by KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson—and the idea came over a glass of wine. Since launching, they’ve touched the lives of thousands of women with their innovative and kind-to-the-planet formulas.
6. Brother Vellies
Aurora James has been reinventing the way we pair luxury and sustainability in the fashion industry for years with Brother Vellies. Her sustainably crafted statement pieces are made ethically and elevate any outfit.
When shopping from Brother Vellies, you’ll find “vegetable-tanned leathers, soling from recycled tires, hand-carved wood, and floral-dyed feathers, along with a collection of other by-product materials sourced from farmers across the globe.”
7. AAKS
Akosua Afriyie-Kumi founded AAKS with the goal of introducing the world to the weaving techniques done by the women of Ghana, as well as creating jobs within Africa.
Handcrafted, ethically made handbags in colors this gorgeous make AAKS’ offerings hard to resist. Knowing the bags are made sustainably by female artisans makes them even more special.