it's no secret that retail has a diversity problem.

Diversity and inclusion in retail is not always a comfortable or fun topic right? But it’s a critical one.

It's no secret that retail has a lack of diversity.  All you have to do is go to an industry trade show and look around to see it.

Calling companies out on social media, or going on a cancel campaign is just a start.  You can look at where we are today versus in the summer of 2020 to see that there's still much more work to be done.

Has there been change? Yes.
Has the "hype" died down? Quite a bit.
Has the change that happened been mostly talk (and no action)? Seems so.

This is why we exist, to be an active solution to bridge the gap from where we are today, to becoming the industry we want to see tomorrow.  We exist to not just bring change, but to create a long-lasting impact on the future of this industry.

There is so much more to this $6.5 trillion industry than what meets the eye.  According to the National Retail Federation, the retail industry in the US supports 1 in 4 jobs.

So as you can see, we have so much potential to change the face and future of retail, with your help.

But let's call out the facts.

We know that what we're working to accomplish isn't something that can happen overnight, but every single person we reach, and business we transform, and partnership we forge, is another step closer to where we need to be and to the change we want to see.

We know that there are many retailers, big and small, who want to begin sourcing BIPOC brands for their stores ongoing, but it's admittedly more difficult.

Since the industry isn't diverse, Buyers can't just go to trade shows to source BIPOC brands...because they aren't showing there (yet. We're on it).  Buyers are then forced to source in unconventional ways.

This is why we established our buying office - to be the solution to sourcing BIPOC brands effortlessly and inspirationally.

They need funding, retail-specific training (this piece is critical), and ongoing support to create retail businesses that will sustain.

This is why we designed our events and opportunities for BIPOC brands and retailers to be a welcoming space to get exactly that, from a host of Retail Industry Experts.

BIPOC brands and retailers need more than awareness, more than shout outs on social media and press features. 

we're solution-driven

Being in retail has been immeasurably hard over the past few years.  First there was a pandemic.  Then there was a strong call-to-action to increase diversity.  Then there were major supply chain and staffing issues.

We understand that there are so many urgent priorities on your plate right now, but let us take one of those off of it.

We cultivate mutually-impactful partnerships with diversity-driven companies to fulfill your need of actively and consistently making increasing diversity a key priority through our work together.

You see so many opportunities to increase diversity in your organization, but you don't currently have the bandwidth, and we get it.

The solution to the "pipeline" problem is to get minority youth excited about what a career or business in retail could look like for them.  It's not a "traditional" career like many of us are taught to pursue, and since the industry isn't as diverse as we would all like, there are even less people within BIPOC communities who have had these experiences to share.

This is why we created our summer camps and student experiences to expose minority youth to the vast opportunities that await them within the retail industry.

Increasing diversity in the retail industry long-term begins with training the future of it - our youth.