Make Manifest
Sure, Make Manifest sells clothes, accessories, home furnishings and more by independent Black designers — but the kaleidoscopic storefront is more than just a striking retail spot.
“We’re a creative space,” says Isha Ma’at (left), who co-owns the Bed-Stuy shop with Khadija Tudor and Hekima Happa (not pictured). It’s a school offering sewing and knitting classes, including a six-week fashion camp for kids aged 7 to 16. It’s a co-working space for artists. It’s a community hub that hosts game nights, clothing swaps and monthly #EmpressEvening gatherings for intention setting and other self-care practices.
But no matter what’s going on at Make Manifest, it seeks to be a platform for showcasing and supporting makers. “We use a cooperative economics kind of process,” says Khadija, explaining the collective’s promotion of small local businesses through its social media channels and pop-ups, in addition to the wares regularly carried in the store. Isha adds: “My hope is that you sit with us and vibe with us, and it adds value to your life. This is a space where you want to manifest.”
“ Being able to stay in the community as it’s becoming very gentrified and still remain true to who we are is revolutionary.”
Each of Make Manifest’s co-owners also runs her own business: Isha helms accessories and apparel brand InI Vibez; Khadija and her husband run apothecary/acupuncture and massage center Life Wellness Center; and Hekima is the designer behind the clothing line Harriets by Hekima and founder of the nonprofit Black Girls Sew.
“We used to vend together at different marketplaces, and we’d be the only Black vendors for the most part — if we were let in,” Isha says of tight competition and limited slots on the circuit. Rather than wait for Black artisans to get a seat at the table, they built a table of their own, opening Make Manifest in December 2017 to uplift local indie brands. ⠀
The highly adaptable store (all of its racks, tables and display shelves are on wheels, allowing for easy transformation) is packed with a colorful inventory of one-of-a-kind finds: tops and dresses sewn from African textiles and hand-dyed fabrics, updated vintage denim, batik bags and leather medicine pouches, beaded jewelry, mudcloth belts, patterned throw pillows, handwoven baskets, small-batch cosmetics, greeting cards and hand-poured manifestation candles.
“We’re showing the next generation that there’s a next level,” Khadija says, explaining Make Manifest’s goal to not only showcase local designers but also ensure their growth. “Everything we do is not just about today but the legacy of Black commerce, Black business and local business.”
So what is Make Manifest looking for in the brands they carry? “It’s cool items, but also things with a lot of intention,” Isha says, citing crystal-studded full moon candles by Essence of Ase, poetry-filled Black greeting cards from Adeyemi Artistry, brands that use African fabrics in contemporary ways, and a recently sold-out graphic tee featuring Sade with an AK-47.
“The people we’ve been able to have in this space wanted something special — things that are conversation pieces, that get people’s attention and spark an idea,” she continues. “We’re able to connect with young people, 18 to 20, where it’s a vibe right now to be into your culture, but we also connect with those fly older sisters who have been into this for a long time. Being able to stay in the community as it’s becoming very gentrified and still remain true to who we are is revolutionary.”
382 Tompkins Ave, www.makemanifestbk.com
