We are so excited about our monthly round-up of incredible content being created by members of the BIPOC community. From books on our TBR (to be read) list to fashion designers we’re eyeing, we want to make sure that those who catch our attention are also on your radar!
What are you following/loving/shopping/reading and listening to? Share the love by telling us in the comments!
SHOPPING
We are dazzled by the vibrancy of Lauren Good Day’s Instagram. The Indigenous designer’s recent collection, Matriarch, is a glorious combination of modern and tradition.
“Exemplifying cultural aesthetics of the Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation with the history of trade epicenter villages of the Great Plains. Bridging tradition of excellence with cultural continuance. Bright bold feminine colors, beaded florals, geometric patterns, Teton Trade Cloth inspirations and ledger art celebrating the beauty of womanhood.”
Make sure you check out the flowy, bright collection from Lauren Good Day.
LISTENING
Alabama Shakes’ lead singer went solo last year, and we’re deeply bummed by the canceled tour. That being said, Brittany Howard is still a force of nature in these uncertain times hosting a performance for #SmallBizLive and a powerful version of “13th Century Metal” for #BearWitnessTakeAction.
QUOTING
During #BlackoutTuesday and many of the weeks following we have heard the wisdom that penetrates our souls. One wordsmith always rises to the occasion and we were grateful to also work with her during our Spring collection. Morgan Harper Nichols is no stranger to sharing her heart, but her words surrounding the death of George Floyd will echo for years if not decades to come.
Engage in the long, faithful work.
Surrender the need of striving
to be the best or always right
and focus instead on leaning into Light,
that reveals all things.
All that is good
and all that stands to be corrected,
and redirected.
And as you lean into Light,
be gentle with the word “darkness.”
For more than it merely means wrong or bad,
it is also the color of a full, starless night sky,
and actual bodies
of human beings
who have been overlooked
too many times.
LEARNING
There’s no end to the amount of learning we can all do. The more we grow our minds the more we can grow our hearts. EbonyJanice Moore is a womanist scholar, author, and activist doing community-organizing work, most specifically around black women’s body ownership as a justice issue, black women’s access to ease, joy, and play, and Hip Hop as a tool for sociopolitical and spiritual/religious movement making, according to her site. She is also the founder of Black Girl Mixtape, a podcast, online learning institute, and lecture series jam-packed with wisdom.
READING
We have a lot more reading time than usual and so we thought it would be okay to double down on the books. If you’re in a fiction mood, Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia is a must-grab.
With reviews like this, how could you pass it up?
From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico—“fans of classic novels like Jane Eyre and Rebecca are in for a suspenseful treat” (PopSugar).
If you’re leaning more towards pleasure than practical, we recommend you check out Living Lively: 80 Plant-Based Recipes to Activate Your Power and Feed Your Potential from 19-year-old CEO of The Happy Org
WATCHING
It feels like we’ve watched our way through just about every watchable show or film at this point, so we’re jumping for joy that we’ll have a new/renewed heroine to root for with our kids. While we’re bummed that the live-action release of Mulan has been pushed back again, we still can’t wait to see Yifei Liu bring one of our childhood Disney favorites into 3D glory. We’ll just be playing the soundtrack on repeat until then.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to grow and share in this space. If there is more you would like to see and hear from us or ways we can arrive better, let’s talk! We’d love to hear from you.