This past weekend, social activism page RetailWhileBlack hosted its Do It Anyway Conference at Industry City in Brooklyn.
The event, which took place amidst New York Fashion Week, served as a commemoration of all of the Black-owned brands and their contributions to the overall retail landscape.
RetailWhileBlack says the conference aimed to educate both retailers and consumers about the experiences and journeys of Black-owned brands and the entrepreneurs behind them.
The Do It Anyway Conference featured several insightful panel discussions and interactive sessions, allowing attendees to engage with a number of industry leaders — including Marissa Kearney, who is an author, Webby Award-winning creator and the founder of the RetailWhileBlack.
A wide array of Black-owned and Black-founded brands were in attendance, giving guests the opportunity to explore and shop from a variety of collections. Among the brands that were present included Afro Unicorn, Be Rooted, CurlDaze, Positively Water, Woosah Bride and many more.
In addition to making their respective offerings available for purchase, some of the participating brands also immersed attendees in various activities.
Winchester distillery New England Sweetwater offered tastings of its select artisan spirits; Youmie Jean Francois, the founder and CEO of travel wellness company Flex-n-Fly, led a wellness break; music card game company Kulture Karaoke organized a massive karaoke party; and swimwear brand Avid Swim put up an affirmation wall for guests to share their inspirational stories on.
To give back to the community, RetailWhileBlack invited nonprofit youth mentorship organization, Yes Girls Create, to attend the event. Members of the organization received special gift bags, which were filled with items from numerous event sponsors.
