Behind every great brand is a great story. And behind some of the most beloved Black-owned businesses is an even greater woman, a mother, a grandmother, an auntie who probably didn’t know she was planting seeds. It’s often said there’s nothing like a mother’s love, but these founders prove it can do something even more remarkable than nurture, it can inspire. And for this 6 Black founders, their brands pay homage to the matriarchs in their family.
Didi Rose Jewelry
Founded by Benedicta Awere-Malik, Didi Rose Jewelry is a heritage-driven fine jewelry brand rooted in storytelling and Nigerian culture. Through its rings, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, the brand creates a balance between personal style and cultural legacy, all anchored in the memory of Awere-Malik’s grandmother.
“My grandmother was the blueprint for my life, she was a strong woman from whom I learned that failure was not an option especially when you have people relying on you for support,” the jewelry founder told theGrio. “Her resilience through a lot of loss reminds me that no step is too small as long as I remember to get up everyday and try. Even if I never achieve the level of success I aim for, it won’t be for a lack of trying. I hope that she’ll still be proud of me if she can see me now. Her & my mother were my biggest cheerleaders and inspiration behind Didi Rose Jewelry.”
Bask & Lather Co.
Founder Shaina Rainford, a nurse practitioner and mom, built Bask & Lather Co. from remedies passed down by her own mother. A haircare inspired by a mother mixing oils in the kitchen, determined to restore her family’s confidence one bottle at a time led Rainform to grow a brand with a mission to share that same care with the world.
“My mother is the foundation of Bask & Lather. Her instinct to care for us first started everything,” Rainford shared with theGrio. “She initially created these oils within our family to restore confidence and nurture our hair, and years later during COVID, she recreated them for me when I faced my own challenges. Experiencing that level of love, care, and real results firsthand made it clear this was something bigger, something that deserved to be shared with the world. That’s what I’ve been building ever since.”
The Haitian Croissant – With Love From Scarves
The Haitian Croissant is a brand rooted in Haitian heritage. The brand’s With Love Collection centers on the art of headwrapping, a tradition that has been passed down through generations of women in its founder Ayida Solé’s family, as both elegance and protection.
“Headwrapping has always been a part of my childhood and my womanhood, growing up in a Haitian household. I remember how regal my mother looked when she wrapped her head in silk for special events; it felt like a quiet kind of elegance I didn’t yet have words for,” Solé told theGrio. “My grandmother, our queen, has always been at the center of that memory. She turns 95 next week, and for most of her life she had the longest, most beautiful hair. She always kept a silk mouchwa (handkerchief/scarf in kreyol) nearby, reminding me to protect my hair. My mother, who was tenderheaded, used scarves to cover her hair in public, but my grandmother and I used them more as a form of care and preservation. When I left home for college, she didn’t have much to give me, but she gave me one of her silk twill scarves. I still have it to this day, and I still use it to protect my hair. So when I began designing the With Love Collection, rooted in Haitian heritage, it felt natural, almost necessary, to center her. I collect vintage Haitian artifacts, and she collects scarves. Featuring her in the campaign was more than a creative decision, it was an honoring.”
Octavia Morgan
This eponymous luxury fragrance brand, designed for sensitive skin, is an ode to the founder’s grandmother. The fragrance founder recalls her grandmother introducing her to the power of fragrance, often reminding Octavia that “a woman is never fully dressed until she sprays her fragrance.”
“This is really me honoring my grandmother. We started this as an honor to her,” she told theGrio in an interview. “This is a legacy brand.”
Estelle Colored Glass
Estelle Colored Glass is a luxury brand of hand-blown and specialty-made colored glass cake stands and stemware in a mix of jewel tones and soft pastels. Founded by Stephanie Summerson Hall, the brand’s colorful ethos is inspired by Hall’s grandmother’s love for antique glass.
“Estelle Colored Glass is inspired by my grandmother, Estelle, who loved antiquing and had a special day of the week where she visited her favorite shops looking for new treasures in small neighboring South Carolina towns,” Hall said. “Under my grandmother’s tutelage, I learned my first fundamental cooking techniques, all the while spending invaluable time side by side with her in the kitchen and accompanying her on shopping trips. Most of all, I am indebted to her for teaching me the gift of being a fine hostess. I hope our heirloom-quality pieces help create special memories for you, just like the memories I have of time spent with my grandmother, Estelle, affectionately also known as “Big Mama.'”
SunkissOrganics
SunKiss Organics is an organic skincare line founded by Jessica Jade, a Black Latina from the Bronx who turned to her roots after developing chronic eczema that covered more than half of her body. The formulas she now sells are rooted in recipes passed down through generations of Caribbean women in her family, with the overall mission of making self-care a natural part of everyone’s day.
“SunKissOrganics is an organic skincare line founded by me, a Black Latina from the Bronx, inspired by the skincare recipes of her Puerto-Rican great-grandmother,” Jade told Shoutout Atlanta. “In 2011, I developed chronic eczema that covered over 50% of my body. Out of pure necessity, for gentle skincare alternatives, I began formulating products with recipes orally passed down to me by my great-grandmother. Mama Teresa’s in-depth knowledge of healing herbs and plants stemmed from a long line of women in my family, who for generations handcrafted beauty and hair products from organic ingredients grown in their very own backyard- the Caribbean. Since its inception, SunKiss is deeply rooted in tradition and culture.”
Harbison Studio
Harbison Studio is a fashion brand that wears its inspiration in every polished silhouette and considered detail. Designer Charles Harbison grew up watching his mother, who spent nearly 20 years doing grueling work on a factory floor, transform on the weekends into a vision of grace and confidence. That image now lives in everything he designs.
“During those formative years, I would watch her come home from really grueling work and still navigate her life with grace and poise. On the weekend, I would just watch her transform into this more confident, elegant version of herself. That was also the version I got to see on shopping trips and things that we would do together as our special time.” Harbison told WWD.
