You know those women with seemingly effortless personal style — the ones who layer eclectic pieces and accessories, mixing high-end garments with Jordans, taking risks and…
All in Style and Beauty
You know those women with seemingly effortless personal style — the ones who layer eclectic pieces and accessories, mixing high-end garments with Jordans, taking risks and…
We’re here for Black joy, and Curlfest in Prospect Park delivered it in droves over the weekend. Organized by the Curly Girl Collective, the annual natural hair festival…
“Sometimes people will say, ‘You’re a businesswoman,’” begins Debbie Hardy, owner of the Crown Heights boutique Martine’s Dream. “But, with that term, it feels like business comes before woman. I’m a woman first.” Having designed and sold her line of fluid frocks in electric hues and opulent prints for 12 years (running her always-bustling shop for nearly five), Hardy certainly has the credentials of a shrewd style maven.
Khane Kutzwell, owner of Camera Ready Kutz barbershop, doesn’t really dig the term “LGBTQ-friendly.” It shouldn’t be necessary. “It reminds me of ‘Colored people are welcome,’” she says. “You should just be friendly, period.”
“A brand is always a personal evolution,” says Ouigi Theodore, owner of The Brooklyn Circus, a menswear boutique specializing in “tailored casual” clothing designed to go from business meetings to the barber shop.
For Anjaneth “Angie” Aguirre, owner of She’s Polished, her nail care obsession started early. “I’ve been doing nails since I was 13 because every time I went to salons, I would leave with polish on my skin…
“I’m in the back-to-Africa business,” says Sandra Marshall-Haye, who co-owns Tafari Tribe boutique with her husband, Michael Haye, and their daughter Saidah (pictured). “I think every Black person should own a piece of Africa and get back with our roots, you know?”
As he worked on Jordan Heads, his documentary about collectors with a deep love and affinity for Air Jordan sneakers, Calvan Fowler noticed two things. One: Folks who eat, sleep and breathe Air Jordans are all over the world, obsessively collecting the kicks and related paraphernalia — but there was no retail destination for this avid customer base.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Sometimes, it’s also the mother of hustles. After Mary Wormworth was laid off from her job as an airline reservation agent, her sister mentioned that a friend was making jewelry — and the casual comment planted a seed.
“Any woman who has a great deal to offer the world is in trouble. And if she’s a Black woman, she’s in deep trouble.”
Achuzia Maha-Sanchez, co-owner of gift and home design haven Peace & Riot, believes her neighborhood deserves certain amenities.
Karla Carrington, owner of The Nail Belle, is a trove of fun facts: 1.) Her nail salon is eco-friendly — strictly toxin-free polishes, and no acrylics.
