Black love comes in all forms and should be shared all year long, but February is the perfect time to do it for the culture while celebrating Black History Month and the loves of your life. With these Black-owned brands, you can order gifts for your bae for Valentine’s Day or your platonic girlfriend for Galentine’s Day. Or best of all, you can celebrate and show yourself some love.
Your heart on their sleeve
You can write your sentiments on a card or across the sky. Better yet, gift a soft, comfortable T-shirt with a phrase so positive, the recipient might not want to take it off. Kalilah Wright, owner of Mess in a Bottle, has found a way to “create MESSages that evoke change, give a voice to the voiceless, and create a community of unapologetically authentic humans” with the unisex apparel line she launched in 2016. Find onesies and tees with messages like “As strong as the woman next to me” and “A Black woman created this” or a Coretta + Martin sweatshirt featuring a quote by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Prices for items mentioned are $21 and up. (MessInABottle.com)
A space to exhale
Breath work is a time-tested way to help ease burdens and stressors and foster better mental health. Black Girls Breathing has pledged to impact 1 million Black women and girls by 2025 by providing a safe space to help Black women heal from trauma through virtual breath work circles. These 90-minute sessions, facilitated by CEO, founder and breath work practitioner Jasmine Marie, help support your mental health. Virtual circles cost $25, but BGB offers a sliding scale to assist the financially strained to have access on a first-come, first-served basis. (BlackGirlsBreathing.com)Sweets for your sweetie
Instead of a box of chocolates, change it up a bit. The Grey, located in Savanah, Georgia, was named by Time magazine as one of the world’s greatest places in 2018. Co-owned by James Beard–winning chef Mashama Bailey, the Grey (TheGreyMkt.com) ships its famous pies nationwide, including its famous salted honey pie ($63). (Goldbelly.com/the-grey)
A toast to the two of you
The Sip, a Black-owned, woman-owned company, makes sparkling wine accessible to all with their bimonthly subscription ($60 per box). Started by Erica Davis and Catherine Carter, the Sip even allows one-time purchases for the perfect occasion, no membership required. (TheSip.com)
Save the date
Journaling is said to help you release, heal, create and discover your inner self and inner muse. Jasmin Foster founded Be Rooted to give Black women a space to do just that. With vibrant, colorful journals and accessories, the author can see their likeness and remember how beautiful and powerful they are inside and out. Check out the You Are Deserving Undated Planner ($22) and the 2023 Wall Calendar ($20). (Berootedco.com)Hoodies and more active goodies
Actively Black, founded by former professional basketball player Lanny Smith, is a luxury activewear brand working to build up our communities by improving physical and mental health. Check out their unisex line of joggers, tees and hoodies; their luxury vegan leather bags; and their apparel collaboration with Marvel Studio’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. We like the Unisex Wakanda Athletics classic hoodie ($95). (ActivelyBlack.com)
Put a ring (or a cuff link) on it
One little accent can pull together an entire look. Matthew Harris of Mateo New York founded his men’s jewelry company in 2009. While the company later refocused on women’s jewelry, Mateo still fashions unique pieces for men, such as sterling silver scissor cuff links ($150). (MateoNewYork.com)
A beautiful thing
Art is said to inspire and motivate. Create a mood in their home or office with colorful artwork from visual artist and author Reyna Noriega, whose work showcases women of color. Add a splash of color to any wall. Pictured: “Unity” (from $80). We also like the affordable stationary, mugs, throw pillows and nail wraps. (ReynaNoriega.com)
