The fashion industry has only recently begun to acknowledge the existence and importance of African American talent. The social outcries following the Black Lives Matter movement sparked never before seen opportunities for black designers and business owners to have their work seen by more people than ever. Initiatives like the 15 percent pledge opened the doors of retail to black businesses that would have otherwise may not have been considered for shelf space. Despite all of the emerging opportunities, many of the brands who are actually benefitting from these programs prefer to avoid being classified as a Black-owned business. “I don’t think it’s so crucial that you say you’re Black-owned if you have a good product and you have great marketing and you’re really telling a story.” said Samara Walker, founder of Àuda.B (Butler-Young & Fernandez, 2021). This apprehension is mirrored in other quotes by recipient's of inclusivity incentives that felt that self identifying as a black-owned business was a poor decision for their long term marketing strategy. “If I’m just saying, ‘Hey, we’re Black-owned,’ and we’re only getting customers based on us being Black…. That is not sustainable,” said Walker. “I don’t want pity support. I want true, authentic genuine followers, support [and] community” (Butler-Young & Fernandez, 2021).
As a proud black-owned business owner and supporter of woman and minority-owned businesses these comments are insulting. To equate supporting a business with a historically and currently disenfranchised owner who may face more challenges and less funding opportunities with ‘pity support’ shows an ignorance to the logic of the consumers. Supporting minority owned brands is about spending your dollars intentionally to take part in creating the world where people don’t have to conform in order to succeed. It means giving shoppers the option to fill their closet and beauty bag with products that not only satisfy their wants and needs but are created by companies that they feel good supporting. Quality of the product and a great customer service experience will always come first but younger consumers are making more morally conscious choices about the brands that they choose to repeatedly purchase from. If a black-owned business has great products it can only gain from giving potential customers more reasons to spend with them.
It is back handed to take up space in inclusivity programs created to support black-owned businesses and not want to be referred to as black-owned out of fear of being apart of a fleeting trend or alienating consumers of other races. These fears are easily dismissible with facts. Consumers are no longer limited to the faceless brands that have large market share but non-existent or uninspiring brand messaging. Online marketing and storefronts allow all businesses owners to reach customers and persuade them to try a new brand. Minority shoppers have long been ignored by luxury and non-luxury brands that have gotten away with having little diversity in their teams and advertising. Even if a black-owned brand cultivated support from mostly black shoppers that will in no way limit their ability to be profitable and serve all of their customers effectively. Minority shoppers are willing to spend more on luxury goods in comparison to the rest of the population in the United States dispite having a lower income than many of the other ethic groups.The collective spending power of the black consumer alone is projected to hit $1.8 trillion dollars this year (Campbell, 2021).
Black-owned businesses and the support they generate are not a trend. Consumers will continue to be thoughtful in supporting brands that are aligned with their needs and wants, not only for themselves but for the future world they are creating for the next generation.
References:
BOF Team (2023, October 20). The BoF Podcast | Christian Louboutin on Balancing Personal Identity and Public Brand. Business of Fashion. https://www.businessoffashion.com/podcasts/luxury/christian-louboutin-on-balancing-personal-identity-and-public-brand/
Butler-Young, S., & Fernandez, C. (2021, August 23). Why Some Black Founders Are Uneasy About Fashion’s Diversity Initiatives. Business of Fashion. https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/entrepreneurship/why-some-black-founders-are-uneasy-about-fashions-diversity-initiatives/
Campbell, J. (2021, April 1). The Truth About Black Buying Power. Business of Fashion. https://www.businessoffashion.com/opinions/retail/the-truth-about-black-buying-power/