10 Black AF Lingerie Brands To Buss It In This V-Day & Forevermore
February is such an extraordinary month full of extra love and extra blackness. We can't help but feel all the feels through and through. The day of love aka Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and after seeing thousands of Black women serve it up to Erica Banks' hit, "Buss It", we want to keep this feminine power going.
Valentine's Day isn't just about showing love to a partner, it's also about showing love to yourself. Whether you're single or married, we want to empower the xoTribe to elevate your sexy with confidence. Being in a panoramic/potpourri/pandemic means that we have to get innovative with our 2021 plans. We want to make sure that you take the uplifting energy of this month into V-Day with some Black AF lingerie brands. Ahead, find brands by us and for us!
1.A'zaira Intimates
A'zaira Intimates
Evangeline Poku does it for the full-busted woman. The mom of three created A'zaira Intimates in 2017 after seeing the lack of representation in the lingerie department. To mind the gap, she made sure her line represents that diverse community by offering sizes 28-36 DD-H. A'zaira Intimates' depiction of passion, strength, and femininity is unmatched.
2.Sablier
Sabiler
Sab-lee-ay, which means hourglass in French, wants to help you enhance your beauty. Sablier fashions sensual lingerie for the modern and discerning African woman who loves the best of both worlds. The collection's creator, Tolu Oniru-Demuren aka Toolz told Bella Naija:
"The journey to accepting my body hasn't really been a smooth one. Growing up, I wasn't particularly confident. As a plus-size and curvy girl, you tend to feel out of place – my body type wasn't the hot thing back then. I just didn't fit in. I became very self-conscious – I thought my hips were too wide…my bum was too big, and I was on the short side. My experience strengthened me and gave me a voice – one which I have decided to use in empowering and boosting the confidence of plus-size women like me – those who are currently in a physical and psychological battle to accept their own bodies."
3.Anya Lust
Anya Lust
Consider this boutique your lingerie wonderland. In 2015, Anya Lust created a portal to find the most luxurious treasures right at your fingertips. Made up of curated collections for every woman, it desires to lace your body with the best fabrics and textures. The brand also supports the empowerment of women around the globe with its collaboration with Free The Girls. "We chose to work with Free The Girls for their incredible dedication to empowering women and girls, as well as for their unique approach to a cause that is near and dear to our hearts."
4.D Bleu Dazzled
D Bleu Dazzled
You may have seen some of our favorite celebs dripping in D Bleu Dazzled. From Beyonce to Meg Thee Stallion to Lizzo, Destiney Bleu has created a brand that is trusted by the greats. This specific house specializes in custom crystallized hosiery, lingerie, swim, athleisure, and performance wear. D Bleu Dazzled is at the intersection of stage and street; a place where everyone dazzles.
5.Beautifully Undressed
Beautifully Undressed
Their motto is 'Love, Luxe, Lingerie' and Black women deserve all of those things and more. Lingerie addict turned Lingerie Boss, Annabelle Mu'azu, spent a chunk of her life curating African art. Then one day, she decided to pour into her other passion of wanting real women to feel comfortable in their skin. And not just comfortable but flirty and seductive too.
6.Tempting Curves
It's really the body positivity for us. This one-stop-shop was once just a place to get a fly waist trainer. Now, Tempting Curves is a six-figure boutique where you can get shapewear, swimwear, and lingerie. Founder, Javanna Palm, wants nothing more than to help women find their inner diva and give her unconditional love.
7.SADA by Sara Dawson
SADA by Sara Dawson
Brooklyn-bred Sara Dawson is the product of pure ingenuity because of the freedom she had as a young creative. She's been designing since the tender age of 13. For this FIT graduate, her goal is to disrupt the intimate apparel game by dismantling the taboo around it. "...it doesn't have to be about looking sexy for someone else, it's about expressing your own confidence and comfortability as a beautiful person. Confidence in yourself is beauty in itself." If you want custom lingerie, SADA is where it's at.
8.Savage x FENTY
Do I even need to say anything else? Savage x Fenty is a game-changer. Rihanna birthed Savage x Fenty to push the boundaries and have a sexy space where all women could see themselves. 2018 marked the beginning of the icon building the third column of her growing empire. Savage x Fenty offers an optional membership program where you can shop fearless pieces every month. It's affordable, fun and ultra-stylish.
9.Blue Reign
Blue Reign
Do you sometimes need a reminder that YOU ARE THE SHIT? This is it. Blue Reign is it. The moment you slip into these vegan and faux leather pieces, you'll have no choice but to own your body and gain real agency. "We design lingerie to elevate and adorn. Each piece has been hand created to not only sculpt and support the body, but to also be available to as many bodies as possible."
10. Love, Vera
Love, Vera
One thing about Love, Vera, they are going to show up and show out for Black women. And it shows by their loyal followers and customers because no one does it like Vera and Nate when it comes to removing limits and increasing invisibility of all Black women. More than anything, we stan this eCommerce business because they aim to illustrate us as the beautiful, multi-faceted beings we are. It doesn't hurt that the lingerie is straight fire too!
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Featured image by Shutterstock
Joce Blake is a womanist who loves fashion, Beyonce and Hot Cheetos. The sophistiratchet enthusiast is based in Brooklyn, NY but has southern belle roots as she was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Keep up with her on Instagram @joce_blake and on Twitter @SaraJessicaBee.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images