Support These Sustainable BIPOC Brands This Holiday & Beyond
Systemic racism has contributed to many injustices that have affected BIPOC entrepreneurs. One way to be an ally is by using your purchasing power to support businesses owned by Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. We've found some unique brands that are doing good for both people and the planet. We want to continue to support and highlight these sustainable companies and help break the barriers set against these marginalized groups. Below you'll find a list of sustainable BIPOC brands, but this list is not exhaustive and we would love to continue updating it. Please drop us a note if you know of, or have suggestions for other brands that should be added to our list.
b. YELLOWTAIL
This Native American owned and operated fashion brand specializes in storytelling through wearable art. Designer and founder Bethany Yellowtail is a member of the Northern Cheyenne Nation and strives to support the entrepreneurial spirit of Native American, First Nations, and Indigenous creators.
Breedlove Beauty Co.
In 2016, Kelli Palmer started Breedlove Beauty Co. in her kitchen just as a hobby and for personal use. This natural skincare and beauty company's products are made with natural oils, herbs, clays, minerals and extracts. No artificial fragrances, colors or dyes are used. Only clean Ingredients and zero plastic.
girlfriend collective
This body-inclusive brand creates bras, leggings, and active-ware that's made from recycled plastic bottles and waste. Founded by husband and wife duo Quang & Ellie Dinh, transparency is at the heart of everything they do and seen in this extensive list regarding their manufacturing process.
Natives Outdoors
This Native American owned outdoor apparel and accessories company aims to empower indigenous communities through their products to create a sustainable world. Len Necefer of Diné (Navajo), of the Tachiinii and Naakai Dine’e clans, founded Natives Outdoors as a way to highlight the stories of Native people in outdoor recreation and to address the lack of representation of indigenous people in the outdoor industry.
Goose Grease
This sustainable Fair Trade company creates wooden dolls of all gender and races. We personally love "The Peace Makers" collection! Each piece is hand-chiseled in Bogotá, Colombia using sustainably forested wood and hand-painted using non-toxic water-based materials. They even offer customizable family sets where their attention to detail is remarkable!
Orenda Tribe
Amy Yeung, founder of Orenda Tribe, is the daughter of a full-blooded Navajo, and who's family comes from the Bisti Wilderness-Chaco Canyon region. She has long believed in sustainable design processes—handmade, restored and repurposed vintage, one-of-a-kind upcycling of textiles. Recently, her small team has turned their efforts toward aiding their Diné relatives, who have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You can support their efforts by purchasing through their SPREAD LOVE + SHINE LIGHT auction, where 100% of the proceeds will go to critical aid on Dinétah.
Expedition Subsahara
Founder Sofi Seck, originally from Senegal, West Africa, created Expedition Subsahara to celebrate Senegalese culture and craftsmanship through radical respect. Offering authentic and stunning handmade goods is just the beginning. The company's main mission is to build a STEAM school for girls in Senegal - 20% of every sale will be put toward the school, which will empower young women and give them the opportunity and education to choose their path in life.
Eighth Generation
This Seattle-based art and lifestyle brand owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe is proud to be a nationwide leader in the Indigenous effort of reclaiming the market for products featuring cultural art from corporations normalizing the use of fake Native art. Their Inspired Natives Project, anchored by the tagline “Inspired Natives, not Native-inspired,” builds business capacity among cultural artists while addressing the economic impact of cultural appropriation.
Devi Arts Collective
Founder, Bayoush Mengesha, created Devi Arts with the perspective that responsibly made jewelry could also be affordable and accessible. Each piece is handmade, responsibly sourced, and ethically produced. A major part of the collective is in Jaipur, India - a family who specializes and cuts all gems by hand. Their operations are not only safe, with no child-labour, and fair wages, but every step of the process is mindful of the environment and responsible jewelry practices.
Novel Supply
This conscious apparel brand for the urban adventurer was created by Kaya Dorey. Her products come from a love for comfortable basics, rad prints, minimalist design, relaxed fits, natural fabrics and non-toxic everything. They aim to make apparel with the most minimal impact on the planet and even offer a take-back program called AFRESH.
About Duebest
Duebest began with two best friends over one bowl of egg noodles! We were at a restaurant in lower Manhattan when Daphne pulled out her own personal set of chopsticks. We never would have guessed that this small gesture would spark a whole chain of events! Today, we're doing our best to support the zero waste movement through our line of sustainably sourced products including our on-the-go reusable wooden cutlery set, reusable mesh produce bags, and our reusable glass straw with case.