Unless you have been living under a rock these last few months (kinda feels like I have to be fair) you can’t help but have seen all the horrific events taking place in the USA involving the many deaths of black civilians at the hands of the police.

This is for sure not a new occurrence, but has been shown more in the media so more people are starting to take notice of it. As a woman of colour myself, I have found it truly exhausting. I have also been educated on certain aspects of black history which have never really been spoken about. I guess in light of what has been happening, everyone has realised that enough is enough and we need to speak out on injustices as well as arm ourselves with knowledge in order to invoke change.

With that being said and with us being in Black History Month (which also happens to be my birth month - today is my birthday) it has made me reflect on things so I wanted to look at how I can change my own behaviours to help my own community from the inside out. As a community, a lot of us tend to tear each other down instead of building each other up, especially us females. I think this is something that has been instilled in us from the colonialism days whereby if we are turned against each other then it is easier for outsiders to break us down (this is just an educated guess by the way, not a solid fact) I don’t want to have to tell my daughter that because of her heritage she has to try twice as hard to be half as successful as her non coloured counterparts. Instead I want to use my voice to help change the narrative and start supporting my fellow POC to create an equal playing field for all.

In the UK alone the BAME community has a spending power of £300 billion according to Lydia Amoah’s Black Pound Report. 44% of the respondents were said to spend £600 a year on hair products, yet in so many beauty commercials we are sorely under represented. I know first-hand just how racist the fashion and beauty industries are as a former model going to castings and agencies being told that there is no market for “dark” girls or that “we have a brown girl on our books already” Right, ‘cause we all look the same. Seeing blatantly racist campaigns from high end brands such as Prada and Gucci shows me that nothing has changed.

As a fashion blogger I looked at my wardrobe and asked myself “who am I promoting?” Am I promoting brands that I love? Sure. But could I be promoting and buying from brands from within my own community more? Absolutely, 100. If you look at where a lot of inspiration for some fashion brands come from, it is hip hop artists, athletes and entertainers most of which are black so therefore a lot of these brands consumers are, you guessed it, from BAME backgrounds. But the people at the top of the chain reaping all of the benefits usually are not.

Since becoming vegan and looking to support more sustainable brands that don’t exploit animals or people, I have stopped purchasing from these mainstream brands and looked to independent brands who’s core values align with my own. And with all the noise in the media surrounding the BLM movement (not that it should have really taken this, but alas it has) I have started to further take stock of my life and the role that I play in things. The only way to make these brands wake up and take note is to hit them where it hurts the most. In their pocket! If we stop spending with them, then they will hopefully start to ask why and look at implementing change. If not, they will face closure. As consumers, we are now starting to demand transparency and diversity. A lot have started to greenwash and brownwash their campaigns in order to hush it’s consumers and make us temporarily happy. But it is too little too late and the majority of us can see through it, so would much prefer to consume our products from brands who have these principals at their core, not just as part of some “buy back the consumers” campaign.

In order to make it easy for you to know which brands are both ethical in their approach to manufacture and created by black owners, I have created a list that I have come across in my research or have previously bought from.

Firstly for fashion I have found this brand to be super innovative and to be honest it really has been a long time coming. For years we have been buying into the notion that “nude” is a colour. But one person’s version of nude differs to that of another. Mahogany Blues Dance Apparel owner Whitney Bracey wanted to create dance leotards for women and girls of all shades after her struggles of finding nude shoes and clothes for her own complexion, a struggle I can totally relate to. A lot of her clients are ballet dancers but with ballet being portrayed as a very white dance genre, of late things are starting to change. Thanks to dancers such as Misty Copeland and Michaela DePrince speaking out on their dance wardrobe struggles, the world of dance apparel really is evolving with companies such as Freed of London also creating a range of pointe shoes for ballerinas of colour. I mean, it’s only taken 200 years. But at least it is now happening.

Another brand helping to tackle this “nude” issue is Nubian Skin owner Ade Hassan, who was also frustrated with the lack of nude options for her skin tone so she created a lingerie brand that comes in all shades. I have often wondered over the years why there is not a nude bra for me, it still looks like I’m wearing white when I put it against my skin so how is it called nude?! It’s so strange to think that despite woman of colour having the same needs as everyone else, we are not being catered to until now. With Ade’s help, we can now shop lingerie, hosiery and swimwear. She’s even got the men covered with an organic cotton boxer for when the guys want to rock those white trousers without the risk of their underwear showing.

If you are looking for everyday essentials then check out Ethcs who are a young fresh brand passionate about sustainability. All products are ethically made in fair ware factories using organic and recycled materials, these guys are leading the way for street wear brands, winning PETA UK’s best vegan streetwear award last year and showing the conscious youth that you don’t have to buy from fast fashion houses to be on trend.

When it comes to hair care, us ladies love to look good and women of colour are definitely no exception with the UK black hair industry worth a staggering £88 million according to a study carried out by Stylist Magazine, with WOC spending 6 times more on their hair than our white peers. And with us still being fed up of being under represented, this has spurred on the growth of black owned hair care brands deciding to cater to our own needs. With more and more black women putting down the straighteners and picking up the afro comb more products have come on the market for women rocking their natural curls. One that I have myself used is Afrocenchix which use a blend of natural vegan friendly ingredients to produce such yummy scented products that quench thirsty curls. Their products are all ethically sourced and any preservatives used are sure to be environmentally friendly. With funding for their business coming in from Diddy and Ashton Kutcher via the WeWork Global Creator Award, they have been able to scale up their business. And I can totally see why they received this as, I kid you not, these products are really luxurious and feel magic without breaking the bank. They have sets for specific needs such as protective styles like braids or for use under your wig and they have webinars and events with talks on how to care for your natural hair. These boss lady’s are showing that they are actually helping the natural hair community not just with their products but by nurturing it and building it up with knowledge.

Afrocenchix Founders Joycelyn Mate and Rachael Corson

Another hair care brand I have loved for a while is Curly Ellie created by a mother of a mixed race girl (Ellie) with combination textured hair. She wanted products that helped her when wash day came around so that she could comb her daughters hair without the pain – oh how I remember the days of pain as my mother would pull my hair whilst combing it through after being washed. The natural vegan hair products are formulated for children aged 6 months and beyond but I have myself used them and have found them to be amazing. My favourite product of theirs is the intensive hair mask which left my hair manageable to avoid tears on wash day. Both of these hair care brands can be found in Whole Foods stores, which is such a refreshing feeling to know that as a vegan woman of colour, our needs are being met and products are becoming more accessible.

For most black families, food plays an important role with a lot of family recipes passed down through generations and preparing as well as meals together creating a unique bonding experience. I know for me, some of my most precious memories growing up are those of me and my Mum in the kitchen together. Now as a mother myself, I look forward to creating those same memories with my own offspring. So when we eat at local restaurants with homecooked style meals, I feel like we are invited in as extended family so to speak. There is one that stands out to me as super welcoming is Deserted Cactus in Peckham. It feels like a home from home with smells wafting out that remind me of my childhood. Their mac no cheese is just heavenly and their dahl is just banging. You really have to check these guys out.

I have also found this fabulous book “Vegan Flava” by brothers Shaun and Craig McAnuff which was created by using their mothers and grandmothers recipes and adding their own little spin on them. First they created “Original Flava” which was filled with chicken and fish recipes, as these are some of the staple dishes in most Caribbean households. but when Shaun decided to follow a plant based diet, he found that he loved the food that he was creating so much, that he wanted to share these recipes with the world. The brothers initially started out by doing “Original Flava” online videos with step by step guides on how to create some of their favourite dishes. These videos went viral, sky-rocketing them to fame. You can totally see why as these recipes really get your mouth watering and your tummy rumbling. They say that you eat with your eyes first and these recipes use of colour and vibrancy really are a feast for your peepers!