Online Retailer Black Owned Everything Gives Voice to Black Businesses

If you're fashion lover with a commitment to finding emerging, diverse brands, go ahead and add Zerina Akers' online retailer Black Owned Everything, to your bookmarks. The new e-commerce site, which officially launched on Feb. 12 and coincides with Black History Month, highlights both established and emerging Black-owned businesses across the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle categories. Akers takes her shopping platform one step further by turning it into a content hub too, which according to a statement, means "creators [can] virtually connect with designers through immersive storytelling and activated experiences."

Akers, a stylist whose clients include Beyoncé and Chloe X Halle, initially started Black Owned Everything as an Instagram account back in June 2020 as a personal project. "I just wanted to create a 'finsta' where I could follow a ton of the Black-owned companies that were being circulated because of the movement– a place where I could easily locate brands to support," Akers said to the CFDA. "Once I started the page, I quickly realized that keeping the information to myself would be downright selfish so I posted it to my personal page asking people to refer companies to follow. The response was astounding. We received hundreds, even thousands of brands spanning many different categories."

The exponential growth of the Instagram (it currently has a following of 216k and counting) necessitated its upgrade to a full-fledge website. Back when Black Owned Everything was still just a bud of an idea, Akers spoke with the Coveteur about her vision for the platform's future. The stylist shared that her plans were to "create a safe space where people can come to market" and weren't "waiting to be validated or anointed or waiting to be given a handout." Aker's goals of amplifying Black-owned businesses and voices since then have come true and then some. Her online retailer launched with exclusive offers from Fe Noel (as photographed above), Sergio Hudson, Glemaud, Blackwood NYC, and William Okpo while her full roster of Black designers include the likes of Predominantly Black, Salone Monet, Kendra Duplantier, Lumier, and more. (You can see the full list of participants on Black Owned Everything's website.)

To continue last year's conversation of buying from Black-owned brands, Akers new marketplace provides a bevy of talent to do your shopping from. "Diversify your spending along with your surroundings. It will become second nature," said Akers to the CFDA. Peruse through some of the products featured on Black Owned Everything, ahead.

We only include products that have been independently selected by The Zoe Report's editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.