Published on Wednesday July 6th, 2016 by Afrocks
26 Cool UK Black Owned Businesses We Picked Up From Twitter Hashtag #UKBlackOwnedBusinesses
Back in March when I was right inside the twists and turns of setting up Afrocks and getting the word out, I was already thinking about writing a fantastic blog post about Black owned businesses. Now is probably the right time: there is great hashtag going viral on Twitter #UKBlackOwnedBusinesses featuring literally hundreds of dedicated black people doing their thing. Here is a list of the most creative, fun, cool Black Owned businesses we found through this amazing hashtag!
PS: This is has been put together by the Afrocks team based on our own criteria, which are of course subjective. It doesn’t mean that other businesses not listed below aren’t good…
Hair and Beauty
1. Shear & Shine
Entrepreneur Aaron Wallace has launched Britain’s very first black owned grooming brand, specifically tailored to black men. If you guys need to grow that beard or get an efficient shave, this is the place to go!
2. Afrocks
Ohey! Our website is now live and you can find and book your Locs, Natural Hair or Braids stylist in just a few clicks! So far we only had good feedback from clients and we are adding more stylists as we speak. Please note that we only service London at the moment but are planning expansion in Birmingham and Manchester in January 2017.
3. SimplyMoi
SimplyMoi is owned by a British couple of Jamaican and Sierra Leonean descent who are both long-term advocates and users of natural products for the hair.
The website is very well-designed, very eye-catching and full of information – if you want to buy your all natural products for your hair, this is the place to go!
4. Afrocenchix
Well this probably our favorite natural hair product website for the following reasons:
– They’ve been very supportive to Afrocks on Social Media
– There is a great expertise in terms of product formulation, away from nasty chemical.
– The website is absolutely stunning when it comes to design, and user experience.
– The blog is amazing with some great tips and inspiring stories!
5. JB The Make Up Artist
Judith Beya is an independent makeup artist based in London specialising in weddings and special events.
We love the minimalist website, the portfolio, the video. But what we really like is the ‘Book Your appointment’ feature! makes a difference!
6. Lovable Lashes
Here is a Black owned website bringing us high quality, affordable lashes! Oh! and they offer worldwide shipping!
Fashion/Jewellery/Clothing
7. Venus Island
We all love having unique/special/beautiful pieces of jewellery that we can show off to friends and family.
Venus Island is an African-Caribbean inspired jewellery founded in 2012 that will definitely make your heart melt. Plus shipping is free over £10!
8. Morts & More
Founded by Sena Mortoo and Joshua Umoren, Morts & More brings you the ultimate tailoring experience so men with suits have no other options than just looking good!
Every piece is bespoke so you will need to book a consultation directly via the website. Speaking about the website, we love it! Full width, hig-res, shiny pictures are amazingly well organised throughout! Well done boys!
9. Sophisticated Knots
Another one for our men!
Founded by Nathaniel Holder, Sophisticated Knots provides high quality service of tying knots.
Honestly, the website fits the brand perfectly and is up to market standard – probably one of the best we have seen around.
Get your tie styled and stand out from the crowd!
10. Dao London
Dao London creates uniquely designed garments combined with african print, wax fabric etc.
Designs are edgy, vibrant, ethnic while always keeping that fine/clean touch.
11. BlacShade
BlacShade is an independent company based in UK that is dedicated to having the latest trends and the best quality. Their mission is to be an inspirational destination for eyewear fashion.
So if you want to look good and be on the top of your game for summer, go check them out!
12. Vitae London
The watches are splendid! But there is more to it: When you purchase a watch from Vitae London, you directly help transform South African kids. Each watch purchased from their classic range of watches supplies a child with two sets of a school uniform, a bag and footwear to see them through the year.
What else do you need?
Home Accessories
13. Otando Home Interiors
Rugs, cushions and Wall paint with a very african twist! Oh yes! The various piece are amazingly designed and will suit your living room pretty well.
Lingerie/Swimwear
14. Lajoiswimwear
No dream is too big!
Lajoiswimwear was founder by two young ladies from London, designing these handmade pieces from their living room.
Pieces fit all size and shape while providing that sexy, classy touch. Very nice website too!
15. MyMilla
WE LOVE IT!
DD cup size and can’t find a style you like in your size? Problem solved! Read what Founder Nicole Kanjere says on the website. Very inspiring!
“For a long time I have had to either sacrifice my style of lingerie for whichever bra I could find in my size or money for an expensive set I liked. Sometimes I squeezed into bras that didn’t fit me just to wear a particular style until I learnt the amazing benefits of wearing a perfect fitting bra and the various brands out there that offer both style and comfort at a price I could afford.
My clothes fit better, I felt lighter because the support was finally there and my focus was not on how uncomfortable or in pain I was because of my HH cup size. I want women to feel the same way so I want to share my knowledge of the different brands out there that are affordable and stylish.
Design/Branding/Photography
16. Special Touch Design
Lovely little business created by Georgina Fihosy in 2015 whilst on maternity leave. She designs bright, colourful and beautiful african inspired greeting cards for all occasions.
17. Marssaie
Get all your artistic/Design jobs done by Marssaié. This London born & bred graphic designer will tell your brand story across various fields: Art direction, branding, logo design, print design, packaging. We really liked the simplistic, clean and fresh website look. Very inspiring.
18. Xocubic
Sleek looking creative/branding agency created back in 2010. Xocubic will provide 360 degrees creative services for new and existing businesses: Web design, video/film, graphic design, UI/UX design and much more.
19. BoyWonder Management
Another fine looking creative/Branding/Marketing Agency promising ‘Endless Creativity, Uncompromising Quality and Efficient Planning All Inspired By You.’
Go through their past projects to check out how good they are. To us, they seem quality.
20. LCMP Photography
The website and the portfolio is pretty cool. Why not book a session for some edgy shots?
21. Elen B photography
Elen B has been specialising in wedding photographer 10 years and has been featured within Freelance Photographer Magazine, Wedding TV, The Serpentine Gallery, Ninety Nine Magazine, Sparkle and Wow Weddings and the Mahogany Bridal Show.
Have a look she’s incredibly talented!
Food
22. Nari Juice
Nari Palm Juice is an Africa-inspired lifestyle brand. For thousands of years the sweet sap of the palm was identified as a ‘spiritual’ drink. The brand and products embrace the spirituality and colourful, creative, ancient culture of West Africa. And it’s 100% natural!
Haven’t tried it yet but looked delicious!
23. Vanilla Orchid Bakery
Cake! Cake! Cake! Cake!
Created 3 years ago by Hope, Vanilla Orchid Bakery continues to provide scrumptious bespoke cakes to thrilled clients including Canary Wharf Group, Tommy Hilfigher and The Asantehene (King of Ghana) to name but a few. The cake pictures are fantastic! Half of the marketing is done and we all feel like eating them all!
Coming soon
24. Jamii
This one is looking like it’s gonna be a huge one! They will basically connect customers to discounts at African-caribbean businesses in the UK. You can sign up to get notified about the launch.
Can’t wait!
25. Tropic Bamboo
Fast Casual Tropical Restaurant opening in 36 days from now! You can register your email address for more information.
We saw the video on their twitter account and it’s amazing!
26. Trim It
Also check out http://www.herbalsdirect.co.uk
Hi Sharon, thanks for your comment. We’ll check it out! We are thinking about drafting another list. There are so many fabulous businesses around!
Check out Sidelle. Online women clothing store. Specialising in party dresses.
http://www.sid-elle.com
Hi Chantel, thanks for this, we will check it out for sure!
[…] in Your Area (you can register to get notify when we launch) – and following our blog post on 26 freakin cool UK black owned businesses: here is a new episode! A quick video at the Calabash of Culture in […]
Hello Afrocks,
Just dropping by to thank you very much for featuring SimplyMoi on the list. Much appreciated for sure. Have a blessed day!
Thank you for your comment. You are most welcome!
Also check out this inspirational Entrepreneur Coach who is great at helping people get started on their journey: http://www.andyshvc.com
Hi James, thanks for sharing. We’ll check it out!
I think you totally forgot BeansList – http://www.beanslist.co.uk
It is a platform for people who are looking for businesses that cater to the Afro Caribbean community. The best part is that Beanslist is FREE
The intention is to creating more black entrepreneurs by giving them a platform to promote themselves, circulating money within the black community as attracting money into the community also.
Hi Deynah, thanks for your comment! We didn’t know about BeanList but this is so exciting! We will get in touch with you soon for upcoming blog post!
[…] , right? A few weeks ago we even wrote a viral blog post based on the super trendy hashtag 26 Cool UK Black Owned Businesses We Picked Up From Twitter Hashtag #UKBlackOwnedBusinesses. We went to meet with the team behind the hashtag and asked them a few […]
The creators of this hashtag and the movement are @ukblackowned they started out on twitter and have launched their website ukblackowned.co.uk . It is free for all consumers and it is a great platform as it is the largest central directory of UK Black owned businesses. Check them out 🙂
Yes indeed! We just wrote an article about them! 🙂
[…] super cool blog post on UK Black owned businesses written a couple of months ago? Back then we had featured SimplyMoi as one of the hottest website […]
Good afternoon. Just seen your blog post and it’s a great read. We are advocates of the Black pound and using it to build our community.
We own and run an independent, Black family owned funeral business in the north of England, specialising in celebration of life funerals, funeral planning and international repatriation. Visit us at:
http://hughgoodingfunerals.co.uk/about-us/our-team
[…] Be grateful for the support you can get from fellow entrepreneurs! As hard as starting a business is, being supported and encouraged by other entrepreneurs can something turn an awful day into a great one. I am very grateful for the likes of SimplyMoiUk, Jamii, Cleva Collection or Xsandys sparring a retweet, a share or an email to support. It means a lot, especially when you start your adventure! It also means I always try to help whenever I can by featuring fellow Black businesses […]
[…] maintain the momentum that started in 2016 – our blog post about 26 Cool UK Black Owned Businesses We Picked Up From Twitter Hashtag #UKBlackOwnedBusinesses got about 800 shares on social media – here is the second round! Here are 35 (There are 2 […]
We would love to be featured on your platform. Check out the first marketplace for small to medium black businesses within the UK, http://www.densu.co.uk
Another black owned Womenswear brand: http://www.the7962.com
Thanks for putting this great list together. However, you missed my new eCommerce website for black-owned vendors. All vendors registering with us before the end of June 2017 will be offered 1 year FREE subscription when they have registered and upload their products to the website before the closing date. The website details are http://www.shopsnoir.com
Hugely inspiring to see this list continue to grow!
I’m Nicola, founder of Nicola Lespeare, a new dynamic brand that specialises in creating stylish, on-trend celebration cards inspired by black culture and style.
New lines are in progress, check out the current collection >>>>> https://www.nicolalespeare.com/
Hello,
I would love it if you could feature my training company: Knowledge Through Growth (KTG) C.I.C. http://www.ktg.org.uk
A newly created Facebook page is changing the way women of African decent in the UK can come together to co-produce, connect and converse. ‘Meeting of Minds UK’ was launched on the 8th of January 2018 and has already amassed over 24K followers. It is a platform for women to socially mix at selected events, in order to stimulate debate about self care, gender and race. The Founder Uchechi Eke, started the page because in a vibrant and culturally active city like London, it is not uncommon for one to be surrounded by people, but still feel incredibly socially isolated. Uchechi is not talking about being alone or feeling lonely, but she is more concerned with the lack of authentic relationships. Uchechi wants to cultivate an organic sisterhood and create an assembly for women who share common ideals, ambitions, concerns and experiences. Like many women, she craves intellectually stimulating discourse on everything from identity politics, environmental racism and gentrification, to marriage and gender bias in the workplace, home and society. Uchechi yearns to engage in meaningful discussions on faith, love and wellness, and topical issues affecting Black women – how they can better relate and empower one another, as well as identify the barriers that affect our social, political and economic advancement. The page https://www.facebook.com/Meeting-of-Minds-UK-2060606080825865/
showcases everything from talks, tours and theatre, to the latest cinema releases, exhibitions, master classes and outdoor events on this page, in the hope that women can have a MEETING OF MIND’S – discussing not only the impact of what they have watched, seen, heard or learnt, but to converse on it’s relationship or potential impact on our lives.
A website, Instagram account and YouTube page is in the works. Please check it out!