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A BLACK-OWNED SUMMER STARTER PACK

Turning the calendar to the summer months always feels like crossing a finish line. After months of braving the cold, fake spring, second winter, and whatever April thought it was doing, the first real taste of summer feels like a reward. The days get longer. The drinks move outside. And suddenly, getting dressed feels less like survival and more like a tiny act of self-restoration.


And summer has a way of making every purchase feel urgent. Suddenly you need a swimsuit that makes you feel snatched, a tote big enough to carry half your apartment, sunscreen that doesn’t leave you looking ashy, sunglasses with enough attitude to do the talking for you, and a sauce good enough to earn you a permanent invite back to the cookout.


No matter what your summer holds—patio drinks, beach days, backyard hangs, or standing near somebody’s grill, so not judging; you’re just here for a plate—consider this your Black-Owned Summer Starter Pack: a shoppable guide to doing summer right, poolside, beachside, grillside.


wear this to the pool.




Amini Swim is for the pool day with a conscience, but without the crunchy granola mood. Childhood friends Cierra Porter and Aubrey Maggard started the beachwear brand with a focus on sustainability, long-lasting swimwear, and giving back 10% of profits. Cute, flattering, and planet-minded without making the whole thing feel like a lecture.




Andrea Iyamah has the kind of swimwear that makes a pool day feel like an event. Founded by Nigerian designer Andrea Dumebi Iyamah in 2011, the brand is known for bold colors, sculptural shapes, and resort pieces inspired by culture, travel, and nature. Basically, this is where you go when you want a swimsuit with some architecture to it.




DIARRABLU brings prints with a little brain behind them. Founded by Senegalese creative mathematician and multidisciplinary artist Diarra Bousso, the brand blends math, art, and easy summer dressing in a way that feels bright, wearable, and fun. Perfect for pool plans that might accidentally turn into lunch, drinks, and photos.




Nomads Swimwear brings size-inclusive luxury to the swim lineup without treating comfort like an afterthought. Founded by plus-size model and designer Taylor Long, the brand makes sustainable, destination-inspired swim and resortwear in sizes XS to 5X. The pieces feel polished, wearable, and built for people who want to look good near water without spending the whole day adjusting their suit.




Miami-based rielli feels soft, feminine, and a little dreamy without veering into precious. Founder Arielle Baril started the luxury swimwear brand in 2019, after learning to sew from her grandmother, which makes the whole thing feel even sweeter. The pieces are the kind of pretty, easy swimwear you pack when you’re romanticizing the entire day.


pack this for the beach.




The beach-to-dinner shoe is an important category, and Brother Vellies understands the assignment. Its Summer Huarache is a handwoven braided leather shoe made in México, available in easy neutral shades like Whiskey, Nutmeg, Blush, and Midnight. It’s flat, unfussy, and polished enough to make a cover-up feel like an outfit.




A beach bag without sunscreen is just a bag full of delusion. CAY SKIN’s Isle Glow Face Moisturizer SPF 45 gives broad-spectrum protection, hydration, and a radiant finish without the chalky cast that has traumatized many of us before. Founded by mizz Winnie Harlow, CAY SKIN blends skincare with SPF and was created with all skin tones in mind.




A beach hat that protects your face and your hair is doing the Lord’s work. LAYD makes high-quality hats with removable, washable silk linings designed to help prevent frizz, breakage, and moisture loss, which makes it an easy add to the beach bag. Cute, practical, and not trying to flatten your whole situation before you even make it to the sand.




Because sometimes “beach essentials” means something sparkling. The Sparkling Brut Rosé brings the fresh, celebratory energy: light, bright, and very much made for pouring into a cute cup while the sun is still out. The company was founded by sisters Robin McBride and Andréa McBride John, who've built one of the most recognizable Black women-led names in wine.




A good beach blanket needs range. It has to work for lying out, picnic spreading, wrapping up when the breeze gets disrespectful, and eventually living on your couch when summer is over. The Nazarine Woven Blanket is made from 100% cotton using a woven production process rather than a printed technique, which gives it a softer, more textured feel. Basically, it’s doing more than the average towel.




For the person who says they are “packing light” and then brings three swimsuits, two books, snacks, backup snacks, and an emergency outfit. Ubuntu Life’s Baule Collection bags are roomy, graphic, and made for the kind of beach day that could easily turn into a sleepover. The Kenya-based lifestyle brand focuses on meaningful employment for makers in Maai Mahiu, so it brings function, print, and purpose all in one very cute carryall.


pour this on the wings.




This D.C. classic belongs on the summer table. Capital City was started by Charles and Arsha Jones to bring a taste of Washington, D.C. mambo sauce to more homes, and the brand’s sweet, tangy sauce is basically built for wings, fries, grilled chicken, and anything else that needs a little carryout energy.




Ting A Ling’s Every Ting Jerk Sauce is a warm, spicy-sweet finishing sauce made with Jamaican scotch bonnet peppers, beer, and a blend of spices. The brand comes from a Jamaican mother-daughter duo, and the sauce is built for range: wings, rice, tacos, veggies, fries, sandwiches, whatever needs a little Caribbean flavor and a better personality.




Gloria’s Shito Chili Honey is for the person who understands that sweet heat can fix almost anything. Made with honey infused with Gloria’s Shito chili oil, it brings together honey, ginger, garlic, cayenne, tomato paste, and habanero for a glossy, spicy-sweet finish that would be very happy on wings, salmon, vegetables, pizza, or a cheese board.




Hot N Saucy ain't here for boring heat. The Black woman-owned brand makes vegetable-based sauces with big personality, and its Dive Bar Hot Sauce leans fully into the bit: it was developed with Miller High Life and actually has the beer in the sauce. It’s giving wings, fries, late-night sliders, and the kind of bottle people keep reaching for after claiming they only wanted “a little.”




For anyone trying to keep the sugar lower without bringing sadness to the grill, Que Queen’s Jammin’ Reduced Sugar BBQ Sauce is a solid move. The line uses organic tomatoes, avocado oil, monk fruit, and sugar-free fruit jams for a sweet, tangy, smoky sauce that still tastes like it came to the cookout with purpose.


throw shade.




At exactly 12PM, Jenee Naylor decided luxury needed a new lens—one rooted in intention, storytelling, and the kind of personal style that doesn’t need to scream to be seen. Enter 12PM Studios. Co-founded by Naylor and Joshua Prieto, the brand offers statement sunglasses with a designer feel at more accessible prices. The frames are sleek, bold, and very much made for the kind of summer day that starts with errands and somehow becomes drinks outside.




Anwuli means “joy of the heart,” and the frames lean into that spirit with bold, confident designs. Founded by Atlanta optometrist Dr. Nwamaka Ngoddy, the Nigerian-designed luxury eyewear brand was created with Black and African facial features in mind, which means style and fit are both part of the point. A strong option when the sunglasses need to sit right and say something.




Coco and Breezy is eyewear with a built-in point of view. Established in 2009 by twin sisters Coco and Breezy Dotson, the brand treats frames like wearable art: bold, expressive, and made to do more than simply block the sun. These are the shades for when the outfit is easy but the accessories still need to clock in.




Elisa Johnson is the kind of sunglasses brand that makes a simple summer outfit look sharper fast. Based in Los Angeles and designed by founder Elisa Johnson, the independently owned brand focuses on timeless, modern frames with just enough edge to feel current without being too trendy. Good for beach days, patio drinks, and pretending your errands were actually a styling opportunity.




Kimeze brings a little luxury to the summer shade lineup. Founded by British-Ugandan sisters Clare and Christina Kimeze, the brand was created with Black and brown facial features in mind, because sunglasses should not be sliding down your nose before you even make it to the cabana. The frames are designed in London, handcrafted in Italy, and polished enough to make sun protection feel like part of the outfit.



Together, these brands make the case for a summer that’s stylish, stocked, and Black-owned from head to toe.

 
 
 

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