Brands we love - Women of Colour

Here at Mustard we are huge believers in supporting small female owned business. We've been asking ourselves how we can help and contribute to the conversation Black Lives Matter has put firmly at the centre of our minds.  We'd like to celebrate some brands and businesses that we love in our own communities that are owned by Women of Colour.

Being a business boss is a brave and wonderful thing, Ladies, we salute you!  

ULO 

Ulo transforms traditional wax fabric into products that are made in small batches with the aim of bringing joy and colour into people's lives. 

We met founder Dinzi Amobi at a trade show and she was a smiley ray of sunshine and positivity! The name Ulo means ‘Home’ in the native language of the Igbo people in Nigeria, West Africa. Her brand brings that warm fuzzy feeling of home to her kids clothes and homewares range through colour and print. The brand new, small batch produced, collection of Womenwear has just launched to so now you can dress in Ulo too!!  

You can shop for your kids, home and yourself over at ULO and follow at @uloaustralia

Styling: Alex Carter of Harlow and Willow, Photography: Jody D'Arcy 

Growme Melbourne 

Growme Melbourne make minimalist homewares products designed to be practical and space saving for urban dwellers.

We discovered Joey Azman through a collaboration, we got to use some of her first products in shoots and we've been business friends ever since! Joey released a range of Moody Boards and magnets that clearly are a perfect match for our lockers. Like Mustard, Growme Melbourne was born from the life changing experience of have a baby. Becoming a mum gave Joey perspective on what mattered most and what truly made her happy. "It made me push myself to create this idea into a reality. It gave me courage, to lead by example and to pursue my dreams. (And hope that things work out!)"

You can check out Joey's beautiful products and shop at Growme Melbourne and follow at @growmemelb 

Natalie Jade

Natalie Jade is an Australian artist with indigenous roots that inspire her and naturally express themselves through her artwork.

We first discovered Natalie's work through Greenhouse Interiors and it's not hard to see why we were drawn to her colour palette! Natalie was born into a family of artists who often say they have paint running through their veins! Her work is intuitive, colour driven and draws upon her from her indigenous heritage.

You can buy both originals and prints from her website and follow at @Natalie_jade_collective

Prick 

Prick is London's first boutique dedicated to plants that are hard to kill and easy to love! You'll find unusual and exotic succulents, plants as well as all the accessories to turn you into a committed plant parent!

We first discovered Prick years ago when we bought the beautiful book founder Gynelle Leon wrote as a gift for a special plant lover in our lives. Plants truly bring life and joy to a home and their hardy plants make perfect gifts too!

Visit their Hackney store (when it reopens post lockdown!), shop online and follow over at @prickldn for plant inspiration.

La Basketry 

La Basketry celebrate all things woven through workshops, a curated collection of products and a beautiful book to learn techniques for yourself.  

Tabara N'Diaye was introduced to us through a friend and we invited her to be part of our panel discussion at our first birthday party for Mustard in London. Tabara's passion for her products and the Senegalese women who create them is contagious and we've loved following her journey ever since. Not only can you purchase her woven goods, you can also get your hands on her book and learn the art of basket weaving yourself.

Shop baskets and books (in both English and French!) online and follow her at @labasketry

The Work Club 

The Work Club in London is a supportive space for women who needed to separate their home/work life and build strong connections with like-minded women. A community to celebrate your wins and share your struggles with.

When we met Seyda, the founder of this Women's co working space, it was actually delivering her a sample Blush locker on a very rainy night after a long trade show. We immediately adored the space she'd created and wished we lived near enough to work there too! Since then Seyda has done shoots for us (she's also a freelance photographer) and have watched The Work Club evolve, move location and offer an inclusive environment for the members. 

The work Club has shared a database of Black Freelance Women and Businesses which is a great resource.

If you're in London and looking for a community space to work from we can't recommend this one enough! Find them online and follow at @theworkclub

Adore Magazine 

Adore Home Magazine is a quarterly Australian-based interiors magazine celebrating beautiful, colourful, modern homes and spaces. 

Founder and creative genius Loni Parker has been a big supporter of Mustard from the early days. Adore is meticulously designed, artfully curated and showcases small businesses. A flick through is guaranteed to leave you brimming with ideas and hunting down your new must-have brand. 

You can get your hands on an issue and browse the blog posts over on Adore's website and follow at @adoremagazine

Inside Jo B 

Inside Jo B is slow fashion label that’s focused on one of a kind pieces using natural dye processes. 

Years ago Becca used to regularly do markets and one of the many lovely people she met was Joanne Broederlow aka Jo B. In a world full of mass produced fashion Jo is taking a different path, slowly, intentionally creating garments that bring out the colours of nature. You can learn for yourself at one of her workshops, shop her unique one off pieces or even commission Jo to create something just for you! 

You'll find her at markets in Sydney and Newcastle, online and over at @insidejo.b

Samson & Charlie 

A Melbourne based apothecary creating products that are versatile, high functioning and designed to fit seamlessly into busy lives. Their focus is to noticeably improve the complexion's vibrance and help bolster your confidence giving you that 'glow'.

We've featured these gorgeous products in our images a few times and their pink products go perfectly with our Blush lockers! (Because you gotta match your beauty products to your lockers right?) Confession: We keep a little bottle of Samson & Charlie's Famous 24k Glow in our office for when we need little sparkle! 

Hop over to their website to get yourself a bit of glow or check out their instagram @samsonandcharlie

J E Communications 

Jean may not post many pics of herself on socials (so the pic is from House Of who are also a client of Jeans!) but she does make sure our images are shared with all the important people! Jean Egbunike is our PR guru who has spread the locker love across the pages of magazines and online media. We've loved working with Jean and her team, it was something we were quite nervous about as a small but growing brand but we've found it such a great experience with loads of positive outcomes!

If you're looking for PR you can get in touch here or follow over at @je_communications

Kemi Nekvapil 

Kemi is a coach, speaker, author and podcaster. Kemi works with other women offering a judgment free space and with the underlying belief that we’re all human, doing the best we can with what we have. 

It was at a Business Chicks event in Sydney that Becca first discovered Kemi as she opened the event with her captivating story telling and fundamentally down to earth mediation guidance. In a room full of thousands of women Kemi shone and no doubt left everyone feeling more uplifted and focused. Since then we've loved her podcast The Shift Series, the sharply insightful episodes are short but oh so mighty! 

You can listen to Kemi's podcast here and learn more about her books and coaching.

Koskela 

Koskela puts quality at the very core of what it stands for. For almost 20 years Koskela has been designing furniture and homewares for workplaces, educational institutions, and homes throughout Australia.

Lastly, we've included Koseka as a culture-creating example of raising up the voices of the Aboriginal community in Australia. It's a great place to start if you want to support Aboriginal artists. As a business they have always promoted, valued and shared the stories behind the artwork and design that they sell. Koskela is one of those brands that we truly look up to and are grateful that it exists to lead by example. 

Shop their collection online, visit their Sydney store or follow at @koskela_