The 2024 Inspire Tour will expand its legacy
of amplifying Black women-owned businesses with an international
debut in Toronto, Canada
NEW
YORK, June 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- After three
years of continued impactful collaboration,
H&M Americas and Buy From A Black Woman (BFABW) are
celebrating the fourth year of their partnership to advance the
non-profit's mission of empowering, educating and inspiring Black
women business owners and the people who support them.
Presented by H&M, the BFABW Inspire Tour is an
annual multi-city pop-up shopping event that features products from
Black women-owned businesses in H&M stores across the country –
rallying communities to shop from local vendors and providing
important networking opportunities for business owners. The 2024
Inspire Tour will touch down in 6 cities this July activating
around the theme 'Black Women Are Still Here' – emphasizing an
ongoing need for support.
"When you support a Black Woman Business Owner, you support a
whole community. Since our partnership with H&M began in 2021,
we have transformed communities and created more opportunities for
Black Women's Businesses through initiatives like the Buy From A
Black Woman Inspire Tour," says Nikki
Porcher, Founder of Buy From A Black Woman. "Which is why
it's disappointing to see what's happening with programs being
defunded and cut. Buy From A Black Woman and H&M are still
working together to ensure that Black Women Business Owners are
seen, heard and supported. Because Black Women are still here."
The tour will kick off in New
Orleans, LA with a 2-day event and culminate in
Toronto, ON – marking the
Inspire Tour's official international debut. Additional stops on
the tour will include Chicago,
IL, Tulsa, OK, Washington D.C., and Macon, GA.
In addition to the Inspire Tour, H&M Americas will reinforce
its ongoing support of Buy From A Black Woman through a variety of
activities that underscore a shared mission of addressing the
unique obstacles that Black women face in their entrepreneurial
journey. Throughout 2024, H&M Americas will continue to power
the BFABW Black Woman Accelerator Program, a grant program for
business owners ready to be certified as minority-owned businesses,
as well as the annual Buy From A Black Woman Holiday Market, which
will take place this December.
With the 2024 Inspire Tour and since first partnering in 2021,
together H&M Americas and Buy From A Black Woman have:
- Spotlighted over 65 Black women-owned businesses in
H&M stores across both the Inspire Tour and Holiday Market,
which has directly impacted the business owners' bottom line – from
increased brand credibility and visibility to important networking
opportunities.
- Activated 42 pop-up events and rallied local
communities in 14 cities to amplify Black women-owned
businesses across both the Inspire Tour and Holiday Market.
- Supported 30 Black women-owned businesses in the process
to become certified minority-owned businesses through the Black
Woman Accelerator Program.
"H&M is proud to continue our partnership with Buy From A
Black Woman and introduce the Inspire Tour into the Canadian
market, deepening our commitment to promoting economic inclusion
for Black women entrepreneurs," says Donna
Dozier Gordon, Head of Inclusion & Diversity, H&M
Americas. "At a time when corporate inclusion and diversity
initiatives are under scrutiny or being abandoned altogether,
H&M is committed to reinforcing our efforts, as we maintain the
belief that I&D is a critical cornerstone for the success of
our business."
Buy From A Black Woman is a nonprofit organization that supports
Black Women Business Owners by providing funding, education and
access to the highest-ranking online directory of Black Women-Owned
Brands in the world. Founded by Nikki
Porcher in 2016, #BuyFromABlackWoman has now become a
movement with over 220,000 supporters. Despite funding cuts last
year, Buy From A Black Woman helped Black Women Entrepreneurs drive
over $2.7 million in revenue.
The 2024 Inspire Tour will kick off with a 2-day event in
New Orleans on July 6,2024:
New Orleans, LA –
July 6 and July 7
Presenting: AQUA Waterproof Headwear, Grace The
Collection, Imani Smile, Kate
Lynn & Adwoa, My Tribe
Essentials and Sibahle Teas
French Quarter
418 North Peters Street
70130 New Orleans
Chicago, IL – July 13
Presenting: Mahogany Brown Candle Co. and Natural
Radiant Life
Roosevelt Collection
150 W Roosevelt Rd
60605 Chicago, IL
Tulsa, OK – July 14
Presenting: LAMIK Beauty and Mamie L Pack Media
Woodland Hills Mall
7021 South Memorial Drive, Suite 225B
74133 Tulsa, OK
Washington D.C. –
July 20
Presenting: AcARRE, Copper and Brass Paper Goods, Joy of
Beauty, and On the Edge Baby Hair
The Shops at Georgetown Park
3222 M Street
Northwest, Washington, DC,
20007
Macon, GA – July 21
Presenting: Emmerse and The Artsy Girl
The Shoppes at River Crossing
5080 Riverside Drive, Suite 214
31210 Macon, GA
Toronto, ON –
July 27
Presenting: Coo-Mon Accessories et Cultures with more to
be announced soon.
Toronto Eaton Centre
1 Dundas Street West
M5G 1Z3 Toronto
About H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) was founded
in Sweden in 1947 and is quoted on Nasdaq Stockholm.
H&M's business idea is to offer fashion and quality at the best
price in a sustainable way. In addition to H&M, the group
includes the brands COS, Monki, Weekday, & Other Stories,
H&M HOME and ARKET, as well as Afound. For further information,
visit hmgroup.com.
For more information, please contact:
MediaRelations.US@hm.com
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SOURCE H&M