Attention all accessorizing and glamorizing sistas!! The sistas who love a beautiful statement piece. The sistas who love good, quality accessories. Adele Dejak is the brand for you. Eponymously named after its Nigerian creator Adele Dejak in 2008, the brand creates the most beautiful afro-futuristic jewelry ranging from rings to chokers and they also carry an array of rustic calfskin clutches.
Although I am not an avid accessorizer, the ÁMI I & II collections of chokers are truly a masterclass of metalwork and craftsmanship. The pendants are either hammered brass or aluminum and are paired with a smooth black leather cord or are attached to a large brass ring. I would not be a reliable fashion contributor if I did not tell you how wonderfully brass and gold hues compliment melanated skin.
Aside from being wonderfully and carefully crafted by African artisans, Adele Dejak has been endorsed by the Queen Bee herself!! Flaunting the Afrika Comb in the Black Is King film and, on another occasion, wearing the Margret Aluminum Statement Bracelet in tandem with the Dhamani Kanini bracelet in the music video for My Power from the soundtrack of the 2019 remake of the Lion King.
AD is also big on sustainability, according to their website, only using recycled and upcycled brass and aluminum for their jewelry. They also have a partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Australia to train people in the Dadaab and Kakuma camps to produce goods using upcycled materials to sell to provide for their families.
The pieces may be a little pricey for some (150$+), but the cost of supporting a black business is priceless. Besides, who doesn’t want to step into their next board meeting looking like they stepped off the first flight back from Wakanda? Go check out Adele Dejak and tell them I sent you ♥!
This is the second piece in a 5 part series about my favorite Black Luxury Brands, check out the first part here!
Black Honey Toys is here for you – whether you are a Black person looking for pleasure enhancing toys which reflect your skin color or you are of any other color and have a particular preference for such toys.
Bougie Luminaries is an experience born out of a love for candles, culture, romance, and beauty. In 2014, a candle making workshop reignited Erika Parker-Smith’s, founder, childhood passion for the art. Flames always fascinated her. Initially, she made candles for family and friends who wondered why she and her husband, illustrative artist Jamaul Smith, weren’t in the candle business. The idea was considered and shelved until 2016. Bougie Luminaries came to life in 2017 when the duo decided to just go for it. They began brainstorming names and concepts and, eventually, their focus narrowed when two themes repeatedly emerged: pinup art and pop culture. Those themes inspire all that they do.
In 2018, Erika walked away from corporate America to launch Bougie Luminaries. Today, the family is owning bougie-ness and learning to be comfortable in it. This business reminds and reflects daily the varied beauty that exists throughout the African Diaspora. It teaches self-love and to take bougie as a compliment. What’s next? A culturally-inspired brand & boutique experience. In 3-5 years, Bougie Luminaries will be a boutique staple & continue being an excellent gift for the culturally inspired.
As a highly skilled, extensively trained Master Cosmetologist with over twenty years of experience behind the chair, Lakia Diggs’s, of The Kia Xperience, LLC, takes her passion for hair far beyond creating innovative styles for her recurring clientele in New York, the DMV area, and Atlanta. Her work has been featured in New York Fashion Week, Baltimore Fashion Week, for media like Vogue and Vogue Italia, and for brands like Roberto Cavalli, Oscar de la Renta, and Jeremy Scott to name a few. Using innovative techniques for weave installation, precision cutting, and advanced custom coloring, Lakia is well versed in the styling and care of all hair types and textures. Yet, she also works continuously to perfect her craft through continuing education coursework, discovering new ways to empower women through haircare products and services.
With an inside-out approach to healthy hair, she is a certified Pravana Colorist and is aspiring to complete her certification in Trichology, making her a specialist in the health and treatment of hair and scalp conditions. Ever the entrepreneur, she used this knowledge to develop the TKX Hair Follicle Stimulant Drops, her own line of premium hair extensions named Bundles From Mary that feature a diverse assortment of human hair textures and densities from a variety of origins that blend flawlessly with many hair types, and her wig unit line entitled The Peruca Collection.
All entrepreneurs experience occasional self-doubt and those nagging questions of “what if I’m not successful?” or “what I am doing wrong?” Your squad will remind you that you’re amazing. Remember, you’ve already done the hardest part by simply getting started. Your support system will provide the encouraging words you need to move forward during the toughest of times. In my lowest moments of the process of launching my business, I knew that I could always rely on my close friends, and even some acquaintances, to let me know that they were proud of me. That support alone has kept me going and tenacious when facing the daily challenges of entrepreneurship
Lyrica, Zaira, and Nadira, ages 11, 10 and 7 respectively, are a budding sister trio of kidpreneurs. In 2013, the eldest, Lyrica, started a bread ministry at the age of 6. She would bake bread and other goodies to distribute them throughout their community of Woodville, FL. In order to fund their generous donations, she pitched the business venture to their parents. Over the years, the trio has created their own recipes and branded their business into Bourne Brilliant LLC.
Her name is Briana Barksdale, but she is known in the entertainment industry as First Ladii Briana B. She is originally from Greensboro, NC but she lived in Virginia for two years before relocating back to North Carolina to the state’s Capital, Raleigh.
Rutendo’s inspiration for writing the book was derived from a number of experiences. One of the key reasons, was her passion for African culture and the need to promote more positive views of Africa. She has always been passionate about celebrating and embracing her African heritage. During her years in secondary school, she was awarded the Jack Petchey Award for her 5 year contribution and commitment to the annual black history competitions. However, she encountered negative stereotypical views from friends and colleagues, who would innocently ask whether Africans lived amongst wild animals and in tiny huts. These views were a far cry from the fun and happy childhood she and her sister had experienced and the modern Africa that we know and love. It appeared to them that some people did not realize that Africa is a continent of many nations, languages, cultures and values. Thus they wanted to write a book that moved away from the stereotypes and showed African children having fun adventures.