Advice

A Guide to Black-Owned Businesses to Shop in Scandinavia

Photo: Zozo Mposula from My Beautiful People

The first Black-Owned Business and Entrepreneurs Summit took place in Copenhagen on 4th May 2019. This event brought together black-owned businesses and community leaders to share their start-up stories and networks. The day included keynote speakers, brand exhibitions, and a banquet in the evening.

Whether you were able to attend the summit or not, it’s important that the information shared at the summit be available as a resource for those who would like to start their own businesses, find mentors, or simply learn how to support black-owned businesses in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and the entire Nordic region.

Here is a starter guide of black-owned businesses to support and buy from in Scandinavia:

Fashion

Beauty

Food & Drink

Creatives

Lawyers & Legal Advice

Consultants

Courses & Education

Mental Health

 


 

 

Fashion

Vinny’s

Founded by Virgil Nicholas, branding and marketing specialist of his own firm, Courtesy de V, Vinny’s has a simple mission: make the perfect loafer. Well, they seem to have succeeded. So what’s next for the ultra-cool brand?

 

 

Keep up to date on with Vinny’s latest drop with their Instagram and website.


 

 
 

Chioniso

Chioniso was launched in December 2020. Founder Adelaide Jumbe built the concept around promoting the visibility of women African jewelry designers on international platforms, and wanting to show the creativity coming out of Africa. These minimalistic designs embody the beauty, colours, nature, stories and diverse cultures of Africa. They are designed for the ethically conscious woman. Chioniso showcases women jewellery designers who are committed to supporting the empowerment of women artisans.

 

 

Shop Chioniso. You can see more on Instagram and Facebook.

 
 

Made in Congo

Lovers of vibrant textiles and patterns should also check out Made in Congo. The Jægersborggade hairdresser and central African boutique. They stock clothing, bags, shoes, beauty products and accessories.

See Made In Congo on Facebook and Instagram

Made in Congo

Jægersborggade 37
2200 København N

Opening hours:
Tuesday – Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Closed Sunday & Monday

 
 

Afrocolours Collecn

Ijeoma Mercy Seidlitz, originally from Nigeria, has been in Sweden for three years. The founder of clothing brand Afrocolurs Collecn, she is a self-taught fashion designer, producing ready-to-wear sustainable African clothes and accessories. The aim of Afrocolours Collecn is to turn African-inspired fashion global and create awareness of the
African textile market. The brand aims to be as eco-friendly as possible, making scrap fabric into accessories that are then contributed to charity organizations.

See the Afrocolours Collecn Instagram

 
 

Akuko

Akụkọ means story/storytelling in the Igbo language of Nigeria, and their sustainable bamboo socks do exactly that with patterns and colours that speak to their Nigerian roots. Launched in 2020 after a successful crowdfunding campaign, there’s now a wide range of socks to shop and a company-wide commitment to supporting the community that support them.

See Akuko on their website and on Instagram

 
 

BILAN RK

BILAN RK inhabits a world of unique and daring designs. Their inspiration derives from the traditional fabrics, colors and patterns rooted in the cultures of East Africa, subtly blended with Scandinavian styles. They communicate a cross-cultural and luxurious aesthetic for men and women.
 

 

See BILAN RK on Instagram


 

 

QIIM

QIIM is an African-inspired casual clothing line run by designer Céline Faty, originally from the French Caribbean. Prior to her fashion career, Céline was a singer for over 20 years, touring the world.

While she was touring in the Ivory Coast, West Africa, she was attracted to the amazing colors and prints that the local women were proudly wearing.

The timing was perfect for her, as she was ready for retraining in her professional career. As a result, in 2011, she created QIIM, a unique “African- inspired” clothing line. Through her journey as a textile designer, she met her husband, a Senegalese man. Since then, Qiim has become a small family business. Céline is also an author, motivational speaker, and mother of two children. She settled in Copenhagen five years ago with her family to share her love of art.

 

 

See QIIM on Facebook and Instagram


 

 

Soulland

Currently the only major Danish fashion brand co-founded by a Black person, Soulland is known as one of the best street-wear brands in the country, and is a favorite at Copenahgen Fashion Week. Co-founder Silas Oda Adler has been vocal about the racial disparities in the industry. The brand has a distinctively Copenhagen flair; cool and effortless.

 

Follow Soulland on Instagram

Soulland

Gl. Kongevej 41
1610 København

Opening hours:
Mon – Fri 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sat 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sun 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm


 

 

Shadeshares

Shadeshares are quality sunglasses made of Finnish birch veneer with polarized UV protection lenses. All sunglasses are made in SOS Children’s Village in Nairobi, Kenya. Their workshop is currently training and employing 20 young people who come from the Kariobangi & Korogocho slums. Participating in World Vision’s youth programme in Kenya, these trainees get valuable life and professional skills, and are then employed by Shadeshares. The sunglass business benefit charitable causes locally and globally; for each pair of sunglass sold, a tree is planted.
 

 

See Shadeshares on Facebook and Instagram


 

 


 

 

Beauty

Barbara Mensah Beauty

With her cosy home studio space, Barbara Mensah knows how to create the ideal relaxing beauty treatment. She specialises in eyelash extensions, make-up, and shea butter facials, which will leave you glowing and totally blissed out. Find her wonderful raw shea butter for sale through her spa or in a number of stores around Copenhagen.

See Barbara Mensah Beauty on Instagram


 

 

GOB SKINCARE

GOB Skincare was established in 2016 by Somalian-born, Denmark-raised and based sisters Najad and Muna M. Ahmed.

The brand features an all-natural skincare line inspired by raw natural ingredients that women in East Africa have been using for generations. One of these ingredients is a facial mask called Qasil, made of from leaves from the Zizyphus Mauritanie tree, also known as the Chinese Date, Indian Jujube, or in Somalia, the Gob tree. The leaves from the Gob tree are dried and finely crushed to form a green powder, called “Qasil” in Somali. Qasil is used as a facial wash, mask or shampoo, and helps to cleanse the skin without causing dryness.


 

GOB Skincare’s goal is to help people with different skin types and skin issues achieve healthy-looking, glowing skin at reasonable prices. All of their products are 100% natural, cruelty-free, and produced in small batches in Denmark.

See GOB Skincare on Facebook

GOB Skincare

Elmegade 17
2200 København N

Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sat 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sun Closed


 

 

NETT Exfoliator

Yvonne Aboagye-Hobson (Norwegian-born, Australian-raised, Ghanaian heritage and currently UK dwelling) is the founder of the NETT Exfoliator, an exfoliating sheet, originally from Ghana, and now available to the world via her online store and various stockists.

The NETT provides a super effective physical exfoliation leaving your skin silky smooth and the length ensures that you can get those hard to reach places (when was the last time you exfoliated your back?) On top of that the product is sustainable (lasts for 2+ years) quick drying (ensuring no bacteria is able to grow), machine washable, ethically sourced (from Ghanaian market places at market value) and aesthetically pleasing (a choice of minimal and gorgeous colours) – finally you can throw out that ugly loofah!

Shop NETT Exfoliator on their website and follow along on Instagram

 
 

Nyah-Beauty

Nyah-Beauty is an online salon and beauty shop that sells Afro cosmetics and Afro hair. The brand started as a webshop in 2004, and by 2006 Nyah-Beauty opened its first store in Nørrebro.

Nyah-Beauty

Rantzausgade 8b, kld.
2200 København N

Opening Hours:
Mon 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Tues – Weds 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thurs – Fri 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sat By appointment only
Sun Closed


 

 

19-69

Also co-founded by Silas Oda Adler, 19-69 is a perfume brand for those who want both distinctive scents and stunning packaging (who doesn’t?).

 

Follow 19-69 on Instagram and Spotify


 

 

Sheforshepads

She for She is a social enterprise with the purpose of promoting and creating employment for vulnerable Ugandan women, producing and selling reusable pads, as well as offering menstrual products to the woman in Uganda at an affordable price. The products are produced by women in Uganda, and She for She ensures training, good working conditions and wages for the women who produce the products. She for She makes sure that the products primarily go to girls in school and women in the labor market, thereby ensuring the retention of women in the labor market and girls in school.

The idea behind She for She is to empower girls and women to take their lives into their own hands and reach their full potential through stable income and access to education.

 

Visit She for She Pads on Facebook


 

 


 

 

Food & Drink

SASAA

Pan-Africa restaurant SASAA is located on Blågårdsgade, putting it right in the center of one of Copenhagen’s coolest streets. With a delicious menu that includes meat, vegetarian, and vegan options, SASAA has fast become a local favorite and the place to go when you’re missing dishes such as jollof rice, peri-peri chicken, and chakalaka.

 

 

See SANSAA on Facebook and in The Monthly Bite Vol. 2.


 

 

Yam CPH

A modern Caribbean food concept run by Copenhagen-based chef Kai Semple, Yam CPH creates gorgeous, tasty dishes unlike anything else you can get in the city. Hire Yam CPH for event catering or takeaways!

 

 

Follow Yam CPH on Instagram.


 

 

The Caribbean Housewife

Jamain Brigitha of The Caribbean Housewife in Copenhagen focuses on traditional recipes from the West Indies and South America, including local flavors from Cuba, Surinam, and Jamaica.

She provides catering services year-round, and her Vesterbro store opens each year at the beginning of October. Jamain shares the location with gelateria Siciliansk Is, where they trade using the space seasonally; gelato in the spring and summer, and hearty Caribbean and Latin inspired food in the autumn and winter.

“To me, the name the Caribbean Housewife represents someone who is independent, someone who is freed from slavery, and who uses her skills of her own free will to nourish and heal her people. That’s what I aim to do with my food,” Jamain tells us.

The word “housewife,” she says, has a particular meaning when tied into the full title “The Caribbean Housewife.” Jamain explains, “to me, [being] the present-day housewife is an art form. It is someone who takes care of her family, friends, and community through healthy food and loving care. Housewives, and housemen for that matter, are very much needed in our current society, where people are always in a hurry.”

Pssst! Jamain is looking for a new full-time restaurant space (preferably in Vesterbro). Contact her here on her website if you know of a space.

 

 

Read our interview with Jamain here. See the The Caribbean Housewife website, Facebook and Instagram

 

Abyssinia Restaurant

Ethiopian restaurant located at Karlbergsvägen 46 in Stockholm, serving up the best ethiopian food there is to offer! The food consists of the sour pancake “injera” and a selection of hearty stews, meat dishes, and vegetarian mains. Everything is made using imported wheats and spices from Ethiopia and is delicious. Use your hands and get stuck in.

Book a table at Abyssinia Restaurant online or check out their Instagram


 

 


 

 

Creatives

Author Lesley-Ann Brown

Lesley-Ann Brown is a Caribbean-American author who now resides in Denmark. Her groundbreaking blog “Blackgirl on Mars” was the first to write from the intersections of race/gender/sexuality and class in Denmark. Decolonial Daughter: Letters from a Black Woman to her European Son was published in 2018 and her upcoming Blackgirl On Mars: Tales of Subaltern Errantry will be published in May 2022 both by the UK publisher, Repeater Books.

See Lesley-Ann Brown on Instagram. You can purchase Decolonial Daughter here (DK), here (US), here (UK) and wherever books are sold

 

Judy Wanjiku Jørgensen

Judy Wanjiku Jørgensen is a journalist, writer, and photographer who runs the blog Mama Fadhili: Memoirs of a Kenyan Mom Abroad. Her writing covers parenting, racial and cultural dynamics in Denmark, and much more. She is a freelance content creator who specialises in SEO, CMS, and social media marketing.


 

See Judy Wanjiku Jørgensen on Facebook, Instagram, and the Mama Fadhili: Memoirs of a Kenyan Mom Abroad blog.


 

 

My Beautiful People

Born in South Africa, Zozo Ntokazi Mposula moved to Copenhagen when she was 21 years old. She studied modern dance and dance pedagogy at the Copenhagen School of the Performing Arts. In 2009, she first realised her interest in photography after discovering tumblr, but it was not until 2012 when she bought her first camera that the love story began.

Zozo began taking street portraits photographs in 2014 and became specifically interested in Afro-street style. Now her work consist of portraits, videos, beautiful stories as well as Afro-street style.

 

Find our more about Zozo in her Artist Spotlight: Denmark-Based Photographer Zozo Ntokazi Mposula

 

See My Beautiful People on Facebook and Instagram


 

 

Ruben Hughes

Ruben Hughes, the art director at department store ILLUM, also has an impressive freelance art direction and photography portfolio. Well-known for his stylish Instagram profile, Hughes is a master of creating artistic, poetic, and chic imagery.

 

 

See Ruben Hughes on his personal and studio Instagram


 

 


 

 

Lawyers & Legal Advice

JJM Advokatfirma

Jacqueline Mwenesani is a 33 year old advocate from Zimbabwe. Her family moved to Denmark in 1996, when she was 11 years old. As a young girl she was taught that education is the key to success and self-empowerment, and always wanted to be a voice for the voiceless in her community. In 2015 she opened her own law firm, JJM Advokatfirma. She is also a founder of the business network Dansk-Afrikansk Erhvervsnetværk (DAEN), where ambitious Danish Africans meet and network to better their careers.

See JJM-Advokatfirma on Facebook


 

 


 

 

Consultants

In futurum

Co-founded by former Cover and DANSK editor Moussa Mchangama and Frederik Larsen, In futurum is a consultancy firm that focuses on helping businesses understand complex and interconnected issues like sustainability, diversity, and more. Their nuanced understanding and approach to the subject makes them an incredibly important voice and change-maker in the Danish business scene.

Disclosure: We have previously worked with Moussa Mchangama when he spoke on our Diversity and Inclusion in Danish fashion panel during Copenhagen Fashion Week AW20.

See In futurum on LinkedIn and their website


 

 

Yanibes

Yanibes Consulting is a boutique consultancy firm based in Stockholm, that provides marketing, communication, PR, and general business advisory services to business owners and entrepreneurs in various sectors. The company is owned by Prudence Kolong, whose focus is primarily on supporting Africa and its diaspora. Kolong herself has spoken at the Berlinale at the Africa Hub and co-organised the African Pavillon at Cannes Film festival 2019.

She provides coaching and pro-bono work for young filmmakers, some government agencies, and young entrepreneurs, and recently launched a mentorship program for those in need of practical business insights with limited means. Crucially, Yanibes Consulting also helps European-based companies reach out to reliable contacts in Africa or within the afro-communities, connecting communities and offering cultural exchanges that encourage diversity and inclusion in doing so.

 

 

See Yanibes online


 

 


 

 

Courses & Education

ALTAR Space

Founded by Stockholm-based, American born Mia Bonhomme, ALTAR Space is a well-being community for Black Womxn (women and non-binary individuals). ALTAR Space offers private wellness classes & events for Black Womxn designed to nurture well-being through affirmation & community. Their mission is to create safe and inspiring spaces for Black Womxn and non-binary individuals to decompress, recharge, and connect.

Navigating white-dominant environments daily, where your lived experiences are seldom understood takes a great toll on Black mental & emotional health. ALTAR Space aims to mitigate this emotional wear by cultivating a community where Black Womxn are seen, supported, and affirmed. They believe representation & community are the keys to Black well-being.

 

 

Visit the ALTAR Space website, Facebook, and Instagram.

 
 

Activist & Educator Mica Oh

Mica Oh is a Danish activist and educator who facilitates anti-racism courses for universities and companies across Denmark. As part of her most recent course, “I Am Not a Racist, But …”, white people learn what everyday racism is, how it impacts Black lives, and how to challenge it.

Contact Mica Oh for course enquires or follow her on Instagram.


 

A2Z Lessons

A2Z Lessons, launched by Brazilian teacher Hildenize, offers educational consulting and tutelage in Danish, English, and mathematics, as well as lessons in Portuguese. A2Z Lessons focuses on individualized learning so that every student can be successful.

See A2Z Lessons on Facebook and Instagram


 

 

ConfidentGains: Nutrition Therapy/Wellness Coaching

ConfidentGains is a holistic wellness coaching service available to individuals who are stressed and burned out from their busy day-to-day routine, wanting to achieve a more balanced, fulfilling, and confident life. As a wellness coach, Golda Fania, who has an MSc in Nutrition, is skilled at approaching people with compassion and understanding of their unique situation.

 

 
She offers a helping hand by providing guidance, evidence-based nutrition therapy and practical strategies that can inspire a long-lasting internal change in her clients. The core principle of her business is that the client is in the center, and she is the guide. Together with her clients, Golda strives to pursue and achieve their personal health goals, so they can gain more energy to live well and thrive!

See Confident Gains on Instagram


 

 


 

 

Mental Health

Yema Ferreira Psychotherapy and coaching

Yema Ferreira has been practicing culturally appropriate psychotherapy and life coaching for black women, addressing both mental and spiritual health. She works with clients online both locally and internationally from her base in Copenhagen.

See the Yema Ferreira Psychotherapy and Coaching Facebook and Twitter


 

To stay up-to-date with the organisation Black-Owned Business, follow them on Instagram.

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