Wayfair supports Black-owned businesses with expanded product assortment

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BOSTON — Wayfair has expanded its assortment of home products from Black-owned businesses and made it easier for consumers to shop for them through the launch of Celebrate Black Makers.

With the launch, the retailer has established its Supplier Diversity@Wayfair program, which was designed with help from Black-owned suppliers such as AphroChic and Candice Luter Art + Interiors to support them through dedicated resources.

“Through Celebrate Black Makers, we hope our diverse customer base will have the opportunity to shop everyday products for their homes made by Black designers and makers, while also exploring the many unique styles and design aesthetics available to them on our platform,” said Shardé Marchewski, Wayfair’s head of Supplier Diversity.

“It is more than fitting that we launch this program at the start of Black History Month, where we honor the struggles and accomplishments of African Americans who came before us, paving the way for generations to come.”

AphroChic, Amur table lamp
AphroChic’s Amur table lamp

Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason, the husband-and-wife founders of AphroChic, founded their business in 2007 as a blog and product line in response to what they saw as a lack of representation of Black homes and home décor in retail and in the media. The assortment started with pillows and has grown to include wallpaper, bedding and more.

The Black home aesthetic has been pivotal in their brand development, the couple said on Wayfair’s website. African American design is not rooted in a specific color palette, medium or shape but in a particular “feel” that typifies and connects Black homes, they said, “grounded in and reflective of the many diverse moments and experiences that have shaped African American history specifically and the African Diaspora as a whole.”

Rain Sky Home, coasters
Rain Sky Home Décor’s Shades of Melanin Africa Coasters

Wayfair customers can shop for these and other products through a dedicated landing page, a “Black-owned or Designed” search filter and an identifiable badge featured on applicable product description pages. Wayfair has also created a video series highlighting Black designers and the perspectives they bring to the home industry.

“At Wayfair, we recognize that we’re one of the largest home retailers on the planet, and we’re committed to leveraging our platform to elevate underrepresented suppliers both throughout our business and across the home industry,” Marchewski said.

The company created a feedback form and said it welcomes input from customers, current or prospective suppliers or aspiring entrepreneurs.

Click here for a curated list of Black-owned home brands at Wayfair.

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