Now is an excellent time to support local black-owned businesses and black creators. While kawaii style is originally from Japan, the style has been on the global stage for the past 15+ years. Kawaii style includes lolita fashion, menhera, fairy kei, and generally colorful pastel styles. Now there are numerous overseas brands that were inspired by Japan’s unique fashion. Today I want to share with you some of the amazing black-owned kawaii brands! Here are 50+ black-owned kawaii brand you can support.
This majority of this list was curated referencing black creators. Please follow them as well!
Black Lolita Community (BLC) – This community operates as a safe space for black and dark-skinned P.O.C. lolitas to share experiences and advice pertaining to the African diaspora. Please be respectful of it being a safe space for those who are specifically black and dark-skinned lolitas.
Adorned by Chi is an clothing and accessories brand designed for misfits and magical girls. They also produce original magical girl manga series. Adorned by Chi has been featured on Afropunk, Blavity, Nylon, The Huffington Post, and Buzzfeed.
GDBee Art is a self-taught digital artist based in North Carolina. The majority of their works feature black subjects painted in beautiful vivid settings. Purchase their art through prints, apparel, books, and stationery.
Bisoulovely makes handcrafted magical girl themed jewelry. They have made designs based off popular anime such as Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Inuyasha.
Elegy Clothing is a gothic and lolita indie brand based in Cincinnati, OH. Elegy makes both lolita and ouji designs with original prints leaning towards gothic and classic styles.
SugarySymbiote is an apparel brand focusing on guro and yamikawaii themes in pastel colors. Each artwork features black and brown women/non-men of color.
Dollbe specializes in creating lolita fashion for all sizes. Their designs lean towards classic and sweet lolita with sizing going up to 6x. Dollbe is based in Los Angeles, CA.
Formerly known as Un-Re Designs, PlushHii Kawaii is creating plus-size friendly apparel and accessories. Their designs range from creepy to kawaii and everything in between.
Fantastic Grim Jewelry creates jewelry based around fairy tales and fantasy. Their designs lean towards classic and gothic styles. They are located in the US.
Empire Noir is a gothic and lolita brand. Their designs are inspired by the Baroque period and also explores the regal and the macabre of African culture.
Starlight Deco Dream specializes in cute resin jewelry and accessories. Their designs are inspired by 80s pop fashion, pastel cute, and mahou kei. Starlight Deco Dream is based in Houston, TX.
Milkribbon is an artist inspired by folkloric European myths, traditions and a modern Marie Antoinette attitude. This European indie brand makes prints, brooches, and other small accessories.
Lilith et Adalia is a lifestyle brand created by a duo in New York City. They create one-of-a-kind pieces for in both adults’ and children’s sizes. Their gothic and classic lolita pieces are inspired by a mix of vintage, classic, whimsical, and elegant elements.
A Lovely Rainbow Sparkly Party is a a digital artist. Their artwork is available on various surfaces such as T-shirts, hoodies, bags, stickers, and mugs.
Miss Candyholic is inspired by many cute elements of Japanese street fashion. They make kawaii clothing and accessories. Many of their items are animal-inspired.
Kiyoko’s Closet by Ichigo Black is run by a mother and daughter team on the east coast. Together they create creepy and cute designs ranging from lolita, steampunk, and cosplay.
Kawaii Kogals Creations is an artist in Michigan. Their artwork is available on a various accessories such as leggings and home goods such as pillow cases, stickers, and mugs. One of their goals is to start fundraising for inner city families with children with special needs.
Ivy Frozen Productions has been creating garments since 2008. Their designs take inspiration from 40s, 50s, 60s, Victorian, Georgian, Rococo, and the Renaissance periods. Clothing is made-to-order and accept custom commissions as well.
VVednesdays is an artist currently based in San Antonio, TX. Their art is inspired by both happy and dark elements often featuring monster girls as the subjects. Art is available as prints, keychains, and apparel. They also create handmade bracelets.
Pupcakes + Cupcats combines two cute things together: animals and food! Their artwork is available on apparel and various home goods. They are based in Ashburn, VA.
CiAyeTea Bath and Body makes small-batch, cruelty-free, and vegan-friendly bath products. Products include bath bombs, bath litters, soaps, and scrubs inspired by anime and fairy kei.
Kumahime is an artist based in Philadelphia, PA. Their artwork cute girls and animals and is available in many formats from shirts, pillows, mugs, and other home goods.
Pixistix is a cosmetologist with the goal of “bringing more alternative hair options to the natural hair community one braid at a time.” They create colorful braided wigs and cute braid jewelry to match.
Sugar Trampoline is an independent clothing and accessories brand based in England. They started as a small jewelry brand and now have expanded to making garments such as bloomers and skirts. Bespoke orders are welcome.
Moshi Melon is a small group artists from south Florida. They design cute characters featured on prints, enamel pins, acrylic charms, apparel, and more.
*Moshi Melon is partially black-owned. The art seen on their IG and website is created by Ellis who is Latina. The crafts are created by Panda who is indigenous and Afro-Latinx; the crafts are usually one-of-a-kind and sold at conventions, so they are not listed on the website.
Deco and Dice creates fake sweets, dice, and natural-themed jewelry. Their work can be found at the 3 Gear Studios store inside The Historic Savage Mill Mall (8600 Foundry Street , Savage MD 20763).
Kid Taro, formerly known as Taro Sweet Design, is a multimedia artist specializing in resin and decoden. Their designs use a lot of nature and technology motifs in a colorful way.
House of Aris creates what they call “slow fashion.” Started in 2018, this brand creates unique, bold, and avant garde clothing and accessories with an eye for patterns and textures. House of Aris is currently based in Vietnam.
Jadedisland is a kawaii writer and artist. Read her captivating words about the kawaii community through her eyes as a black femme creator. Hire Jadeisland for many writing services such as writing blog posts, conducting interviews, and consulting for creatives.
Moon Noodle Shop is creating for creators. They make silicone resin molds and glitter mixes in the cutest designs. Their molds are very popular within the resin community.
TealTeacup is an enamel pin and sticker maker who loves anime and corgis. Their renditions of popular media such as Sailor Moon, Animal Crossing, and Studio Ghibli are so adorable!
Star Whisp makes polymer clay charms, acrylic charms, stickers, buttons, and more. They also make illustrations with watercolor, acrylic, and gouache. Their designs are inspired by good magic, life, and all things spooky-cute.
Harajuku Tattoo is Florida’s only black woman-owned inter-sectional kawaii tattoo shop. Their designs are inspired by anime, magical girls, and more. Find their studio at 9951 Atlantic Blvd. Suite 312, Jacksonville FL 32225.
Chala Supplies creates silicone molds and supplies for resin and decoden crafts. They have a ton of designs inspired by video games, sweets, and cute mascot characters.
LABillustration is an Austin, TX-based illustrator creating art prints, enamel pins, and zipper pouches. They illustrate original works and create anime and video game fan products. 100% of their print sales will be donated to Black Visions Collective and BLM. All other proceeds will go back to other black-owned shops.
Bon Bon Magazine is an independent magazine about J-fashion and kawaii culture. The content in the latest issue (vol. 2) is centered around black, brown, and olive skin tones and how minorities make a difference in the kawaii community.
Maeykoh Menhera is a menhera and yumekawaii artist based in Washington, D.C. They sell shirts and pins with their menhera artwork. *Maekyoh Menhera is partially black-owned.
Kawaii Body and Bath creates handmade and cruelty-free bath products based on anime and all things kawaii. Their products include bath bombs, scrubs, and more.
In Control Clothing is an apparel shop based in Houston, TX. Their designs come in both pastel and dark colorways with inspirations from anime, vaporware, outer space, and much more.
Polka Dot Cute Shop is an artist creating apparel, buttons, home/office goods, and other trinkets. Their designs include a lot of chibi animals and foods.
Dandy Puppeteer is a delicious-looking jewelry and accessories brand based in the US. Their whimsical food designs come in sweet and spooky flavors. They plan to produce clothing in the future.
Did you seen anything you liked? Buy it! If you can’t buy it now, make sure to follow them on social media! Supporting these brands or your local black-owned businesses is just one out of many ways support equality. If you’d like to donate directly to the cause, some organizations to donate to are the Black Visions Collective, Reclaim the Block, the North Star Health Collective, and your local bail fund for protestors. There are additional resources on how to help on this Black Lives Matter Carrd which is constantly updated. If you are unsure where or how to start supporting, I highly recommend reading Jadeisland’s “Pink Energy: Where’s the Kawaii Riot” post for steps you can start taking. Remember, black lives matter.
All images belong to the respective brands. If you are a business owner who would like to be added to the list, please feel free to contact me to be added.