Black and Cremè Story

Black and Cremè Story

Business Name and What It Does

Black and Cremè is a black-owned and woman-owned re-education, sustainable, and eco-awareness online retail boutique. It provides a platform for sustainable designers, small businesses, local California designers, and international fair-trade organizations to sell their products in our boutique. 

Black and Cremè provides economic and environmental re-education awareness via Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to teach people about equitable economics, diversity of sustainable fashion, and the cultures that make up this ecosystem.

People, land, and fiber are at the core of our boutique. We are here to align fashion with the Earth. Black & Cremè represents the connection to Motherland Africa, indigenous land, people all over the Earth with different complexions, the texture of fabrics, the colors of cloth, and the life force that flows through the Soul.

Our eco-fashion, vegan bags, recycled jewelry, vegan alternative shoes, sustainable accessories, and laundry items are timeless products that will leave consumers with memories that last a lifetime. Each item in our boutique has been sourced and curated consciously with love.

While sustainability and eco-friendly practices are a huge part of our boutique, we believe sustainability is bigger than this notion. Sustainability is giving marginalized communities opportunities to develop their businesses and communities. Rather than supporting smaller businesses or free trade organizations, we can all transform the web of relationships. Our packaging goal is to be 80% sustainable and reusable. We utilize biodegradable packaging that can be reused again as storage or gift packaging for others. https://blackandcreme.com/

Black & Cremè has 3 pillars: Shift, Root, and Inform.

Shift: Shifting the supply chain through increasing access to equitable economics.

Root: Environmental philanthropy rooted in racial equity

Inform: Environmental justice and re-education for all communities.

Black & Cremè’s eco-commitment demonstrates our connection to the people, land, and fiber. The boutique consciously curates clothing, jewelry, fabrics, and partnerships to align with sustainable, economic, and community development.

Founder’s/Owner’s Story and What Motivated Them To Start The Business

Le’Marqunita De’Sharay Lowe is the Founder and CEO of Black & Creme boutique. Le’Marqunita Lowe is a Ph.D. scholar, 10-year educator, author, entrepreneur of a clean beauty company, and social justice advocate. She is a Ph.D. student in Interdisciplinary Studies at Union Institute and University and holds a Master of Education from the University of Southern California, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She also holds a Bachelor of Liberal Studies from Bowling Green State University, focusing on political science, history, and ethnic studies. 

Ms. Lowe was a former Pageant Queen holding the title of Miss Elite Earth California 2016 and Miss Black US Ambassador 2014. She represented California as Miss Palo Alto in the 2014 Miss California USA competition. Currently, she is completing her Ph.D. program, operating as CEO of Mercury III cosmetics, a volunteer with Empower54, and a Board of Director member for the National African Student Association. Ms. Lowe is a hiring partner with Girls For a Change.

Founder’s Story

My name is Le’Marqunita Lowe. I am the CEO and founder of Black & Cremè boutique. As a conscious lover of Nature and the Cosmos, I have always endeared with sustainable fashion and clean beauty. My transition to a sustainable lifestyle began when I launched a handmade vegan cosmetic company called “Mercury III .”Growing up in inner cities like Cleveland, Ohio, the word “sustainable” fashion was rare because it was not accessible in the marginalized neighborhood. I moved to Palo Alto, California, and walked into stores like Anthropologie. However, I rarely saw Black-owned designers in the sustainable space; I did not see minority local designers’ fashion being sold in big stores without the seasonal tokenism attached. 

Black & Creme was my way of opening the door for all sustainable designers, such as small businesses, local businesses, Black-owned businesses, and free trade organizations, to sell on a retail platform where all can realign with the land, fiber, and people. My appreciation for indigenous communities comes with the direct experience of me living abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Ecuador. I gained a deep respect for farmers and people who truly understand the meaning of alignment with Nature.   Re-education is needed in a sustainable community that is more educational rather than shame-mongering. I am happy to use my fashion passion, Ph.D. research, and love for all to bring awareness to the sustainable fashion space.

The Challenges The Business/Market Is Facing

The biggest challenge is scaling the business as a solo founder in the sustainable fashion retail industry. Specifically, when it comes to internal operations, start recycling programs, have more transparency with the supply chain, and reduce waste. Achieving these requires merging with technology software that is expensive for small businesses. 

Expenses for scaling a business and funding it are another challenge. Access to funding is so competitive and limited that it leads to bootstrapping the business. Furthermore, the sustainable industry has been neglected. Indigenous and African communities and voices. Indigenous and African communities provide the land, soil, and time for fabric production, but other demographic communities are funded instead of African communities. This challenge can be resolved through re-education about sustainability, collaborating more with indigenous and African communities, and ensuring these comments receive an increased compensation that equals or is higher than the retail store’s amount.

Sustainable fashion is also a great market for collaborations across many different industries. For example, environmental organizations and non-profits are great sectors to find common ground. Many non-profits and environmental organizations focus on the root causes of climate issues, which is systematic. A sustainable fashion company collaborating with these organizations can bring awareness to existing platforms.

The Opportunities The Business/Market Is Facing

The company has the opportunity to integrate sustainable designers, small businesses, Black-owned businesses, local businesses, and international fair-trade organizations into sourcing. It has invented a conscious and curated inventory that enables the founder to connect with other businesses that impact their communities.

https://www.facebook.com/blackcremeboutique/

The sustainable industry is also growing at a time when people are redefining what it means to be sustainable. Hence making it a great opportunity to integrate education and customer feedback into sustainable fashion. This includes doing Instagram live questions and answers and using other social media and educational platforms to have conversations about sustainable fashion.

https://www.instagram.com/blackcreme_/

As earlier mentioned, finding affordable ways for small businesses to integrate technology into sustainable fashion companies is transformative. Bigger companies are already using solutions such as AI-integrated virtual styling, blockchain for supply chain transparency, and software to predict customer buying behavior. However, there is a huge gap and market availability to make these technology tools and software more affordable for small businesses in a sustainable fashion.

Advice to Others About Business

I would give other businesses the following advice:

  1. Don’t be afraid to bootstrap. Bootstrapping might take longer to scale your business, but you will have 100% control over your mission and 100% control over your finances.
  2. Take advantage of free resources, business newsletters, webinars, conferences, and workshops. Resources and networking can be more beneficial than money.
  3. Always have self-care first. That means balancing your Body, Mind, and Soul. Burnout leads to ineffective results. You are a human being first, and you deserve peace and rest.
  4. It is ok to be a small business. A small business does not mean you are not successful. The traditional route of seeking investment, scaling a business, and becoming a millionaire is unsuccessful. Many small businesses are successful. Embrace success. 
  5. Celebrate the small and big wins. I mean you celebrate!! Each time you achieve business milestones, have a reward jar. That reward jar could be something as simple as a small sheet of paper that says, “I did it. I will watch a new movie today”. It validates your self-achievement, hard work, and belief in yourself. 
Anastasia Filipenko
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Anastasia Filipenko is a health and wellness psychologist, dermatolist and a freelance writer. She frequently covers beauty and skincare, food trends and nutrition, health and fitness and relationships. When she's not trying out new skincare products, you'll find her taking a cycling class, doing yoga, reading in the park, or trying a new recipe.

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