Brandice Daniel, CEO of Harlem Fashion Row (HFR) and ICON 360, has joined forces with a number of major retailers to create an online shopping directory for Black and Latino designers set to launch on November 21st.

It is no secret that Black-owned and Latino brands are significantly underrepresented in the retail industry; however, all that is changing due to the increased demand for Black-owned brands. In fact, a new survey commissioned by Bloomberg and conducted by Morning Consult revealed that over a quarter of Black Americans say that they purchase from Black-owned brands frequently. That share increases to 40 percent for Black people under the age of 35.

The new online shopping directory, HFR & CO, is a partnership between Harlem's Fashion Row and a group of retailers including Bloomingdales, Shopbob, and Macy's, and others, providing a curated list of emerging brands owned by Black and Latino designers. Instead of scouring the internet or a retailer's website for black designers, HFR & CO allows shoppers to easily find and support these designers through the partnering retailers' websites. Consumers will be able to shop a wide variety of merchandise including men and women RTW, children's clothes and accessories.

Daniel has been championing equity for black designers ever since the inception of Harlem's Fashion Row. This agency bridges the gap between retailers and designers of color through collaborations, pipeline programs, brand strategy and experiential marketing. Relentless in her quest for equity in the fashion industry, Daniel launched ICON 360 in 2020 - a nonprofit to eradicate the inequities challenging Black and Latinx designers and HBCUs.

When asked about the motivation for creating HFR & CO Shopping directory for Black designers, Daniel explained: "I want to build a community to increase awareness of emerging designers of color and to make it easier for consumers to find and support them. I am very thankful for the support of Macy's, Bloomingdales, and Shopbop in making this possible. As time progresses, I hope that other retailers will come on board."

The partnering retailers for HFR & CO are excited about the upcoming launch of the shopping directory.
"As a company committed to tackling barriers to representation, we at Macy's, Inc. are honored and proud to be a part of HFR & Co. This platform will not only increase consumer awareness of, and access to, Black and Hispanic/Latino-owned businesses and designers, it will also play a crucial role in creating an equitable and sustainable future for these creators, as well." - Shawn Outler, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer for Macy's, Inc.

For further information about HFR & CO, visit: https://hfrandco.com/.

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