Essence Launches Black Ladies-Led Market

[ad_1] by Jeroslyn JoVonn December 22, 2025

Essence is supporting Black founders in a difficult financial local weather with the launch of Weloveus.store, a market showcasing Black women-led manufacturers.

Amid a difficult interval for small companies, Essence is supporting Black girls entrepreneurs with the launch of Weloveus.store, a web based market showcasing Black women-led manufacturers.

Launched on Dec. 3, WeLoveUs.store, powered by Essence, is a neighborhood commerce platform designed to help Black women-led and culturally rooted manufacturers. {The marketplace} goals to help Black-owned small companies with visibility and direct entry to shoppers throughout the vacation season and past.

Showcasing a curated choice of 100 manufacturers and 1,000 merchandise throughout magnificence, wellness, house, way of life, and gifting, all vetted by Essence’s editorial staff, consumers can confidently help Black founders whereas shopping for Black the block.

“Black girls are constructing companies within the midst of financial uncertainty, and so they usually do it with out entry to the retail infrastructure their friends depend on,” stated Chief Content material Officer at ESSENCE Communications Inc., Michele Ghee, in a press launch. “The WeLoveUs.store platform was designed to supply stability and an actual pathway to scale in a second the place that help is required most.”

{The marketplace} launches amid challenges for small companies, together with the affect of Trump’s tariff insurance policies, widespread job losses throughout sectors, and the lack of visibility for Black founders after Goal and different retailers rolled again their variety, fairness, and inclusion initiatives.

“There was plenty of pushback, particularly on social media, and also you couldn’t actually discuss being in [Target],” LaToya Stirrup, founding father of Kazmaleje, advised Digiday. “That limits you from with the ability to promote, as a result of we have been getting the response of, ‘We’re not procuring there.’”

Stirrup debuted on Goal’s cabinets in 2022 alongside 20 different Black-owned magnificence manufacturers as a part of the retailer’s plan to spend over $2 billion with Black-led companies by 2025. Nevertheless, Goal’s rollback of its DEI initiatives earlier this yr sparked backlash and a boycott, main many loyal consumers to keep away from the shop.

Stirrup skilled “a whole gross sales slowdown” earlier than Goal eliminated her haircare merchandise from cabinets, promoting them on-line solely. This prompted her and different founders, like Brittny Horne of RVL Wellness Co., to hitch Weloveus.store. For Horne, who was additionally affected by Trump’s tariffs, {the marketplace} launch has supplied a “actually huge increase” in gross sales.

The platform affords bi-weekly payouts, real-time stock syncing through Shopify Collective, centralized customer support, and a clear 30%-35% fee construction. Whereas larger than different marketplaces—Amazon, for instance, takes 8%-15% per sale, relying on the product class, but additionally expenses for companies like promoting and success—WeLoveUs.store’s fee gives entry to Essence’s full media ecosystem, together with editorial protection, social promotion, newsletters, and PR help. Manufacturers have additionally expressed appreciation for the bi-weekly payouts, in comparison with the everyday 90–120-day fee cycles in wholesale and consignment preparations.

“For [Essence] to have the ability to put their media energy behind extra Black-owned manufacturers at a time of nice want, when small incomes are struggling, can actually help them,” stated Sky Canaves, a principal retail analyst at eMarketer.