6 Black and Indigenous owned businesses led by badass Ryerson members

6 Black and Indigenous owned businesses led by badass Ryerson members

By Ruby Asgedome

By Ruby Asgedome

Forbes reported in 2017 that women are the demographic that is impacted the most by the creation and consumption of fast fashion. 80 per cent of the workers creating the clothing and jewelry we buy and toss away so quickly are women, aged 18-24. Additionally, fast fashion traps these young women into working an average of 14 hours a day, to earn as little as $3 a day.

Instead, making the conscious effort and choice to shop locally can contribute to conserving energy, supporting local and struggling economies, and best of all, gives us a concrete way to show our support to racialized and marginalized communities. Specifically, supporting Black and Indigenous business owners through capital is a way to fully engage with their communities while realizing that the institution of capitalism isn’t always set up to aid or support them.

Instead of compiling a list of fast-fashion brands where you can get overpriced feminist slogan T-shirts, we’ve made a list of female-led Black and Indigenous businesses owned by students from the Ryerson community:

Forbes reported in 2017 that women are the demographic that is impacted the most by the creation and consumption of fast fashion. 80 per cent of the workers creating the clothing and jewelry we buy and toss away so quickly are women, aged 18-24. Additionally, fast fashion traps these young women into working an average of 14 hours a day, to earn as little as $3 a day.

Instead, making the conscious effort and choice to shop locally can contribute to conserving energy, supporting local and struggling economies, and best of all, gives us a concrete way to show our support to racialized and marginalized communities. Specifically, supporting Black and Indigenous business owners through capital is a way to fully engage with their communities while realizing that the institution of capitalism isn’t always set up to aid or support them.

Instead of compiling a list of fast-fashion brands where you can get overpriced feminist slogan T-shirts, we’ve made a list of female-led Black and Indigenous businesses owned by students from the Ryerson community:

Assinewe Jewelry - This jewelry brand was born from twin sisters, Edie and Jacquelyn Assinewe of the Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, who are both recent Ryerson business and fashion graduates. Assinewe Jewelry sells handmade beadwork and clay earrings inspired by traditional Ojibwe style and floral designs. The Assinewe sisters launched their first collection in August 2020 and plan to launch a new collection every month. You can find their work and other updates on their Instagram: @assinewejewlery.

Eman Idil - This clothing brand is owned by Eman Idil Bare, who started her brand as a project in The Fashion Zone at Ryerson. Bare, who is currently pursuing law school in New York City, showcased her 2019 collection in Sept. 2018 at the New York Fashion Week with a cast of all Black models. Her goal was to showcase women who reflect herself. The collection included a leather fanny pack, velvet slides and more. Although her clothing line is not available to the public, she plans to release something very soon. Check out her Instagram for more details: @emanidil.

Lagatos - Launched in 2020 by Farah Brunache with the help of Ryerson Digital Media Zone’s Black Innovation Fellowship, Lagatos aims to address the digital divide in developing countries. The program pays you to give to those who lack access to on-demand content, allowing them to use Amazon, YouTube, Wikipedia and more through your server. The software uses a private browser so that users can share their content freely, and it even provides a 14-day free trial and all that’s needed to sign up is an email. Interested? Check out, @lagatos on Instagram for more information.

Melahayz - Created by Camalee Cogle, a DMZ fellowship student, this digital vision board helps people save time from countless hair and skincare posts every day. Instead the board curates personalized content according to their previous searches. The Instagram-based business also pays homage to the original creator/influencer by tagging or mentioning them in every post. Head over to @melahayz on Instagram for some inspo.

Sacraspice - Founded by sisters Crystal and Celeste Ceres who both graduated from Ryerson with business degrees, Sacraspice provides cooking programs to give young people the confidence to cook for themselves and within their communities. Their goal? To provide not only cooking skills but also life skills that will last a lifetime. Be sure to check out their Instagram: @sacraspice for recipes and ways you can get involved in your community.

Moontime Productions - This production company is owned by recent Ryerson film studies graduate Victoria Anderson-Gardner, who comes from the Ojibwe lands of Eagle Lake First Nation. The goal of Moontime Productions is to promote Indigenous strength by producing multimedia created by Indigenous peoples. Their work has been featured on numerous streaming platforms including Netflix. Stop by @moontimeproductions on Instagram for more details.

Assinewe Jewelry - This jewelry brand was born from twin sisters, Edie and Jacquelyn Assinewe of the Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, who are both recent Ryerson business and fashion graduates. Assinewe Jewelry sells handmade beadwork and clay earrings inspired by traditional Ojibwe style and floral designs. The Assinewe sisters launched their first collection in August 2020 and plan to launch a new collection every month. You can find their work and other updates on their Instagram: @assinewejewlery.

Eman Idil - This clothing brand is owned by Eman Idil Bare, who started her brand as a project in The Fashion Zone at Ryerson. Bare, who is currently pursuing law school in New York City, showcased her 2019 collection in Sept. 2018 at the New York Fashion Week with a cast of all Black models. Her goal was to showcase women who reflect herself. The collection included a leather fanny pack, velvet slides and more. Although her clothing line is not available to the public, she plans to release something very soon. Check out her Instagram for more details: @emanidil.

Lagatos - Launched in 2020 by Farah Brunache with the help of Ryerson Digital Media Zone’s Black Innovation Fellowship, Lagatos aims to address the digital divide in developing countries. The program pays you to give to those who lack access to on-demand content, allowing them to use Amazon, YouTube, Wikipedia and more through your server. The software uses a private browser so that users can share their content freely, and it even provides a 14-day free trial and all that’s needed to sign up is an email. Interested? Check out, @lagatos on Instagram for more information.

Melahayz - Created by Camalee Cogle, a DMZ fellowship student, this digital vision board helps people save time from countless hair and skincare posts every day. Instead the board curates personalized content according to their previous searches. The Instagram-based business also pays homage to the original creator/influencer by tagging or mentioning them in every post. Head over to @melahayz on Instagram for some inspo.

Sacraspice - Founded by sisters Crystal and Celeste Ceres who both graduated from Ryerson with business degrees, Sacraspice provides cooking programs to give young people the confidence to cook for themselves and within their communities. Their goal? To provide not only cooking skills but also life skills that will last a lifetime. Be sure to check out their Instagram: @sacraspice for recipes and ways you can get involved in your community.

Moontime Productions - This production company is owned by recent Ryerson film studies graduate Victoria Anderson-Gardner, who comes from the Ojibwe lands of Eagle Lake First Nation. The goal of Moontime Productions is to promote Indigenous strength by producing multimedia created by Indigenous peoples. Their work has been featured on numerous streaming platforms including Netflix. Stop by @moontimeproductions on Instagram for more details.