Toronto is a multi-faceted diverse city made up of people from all walks of life. Supporting BIPOC-owned fashion brands and designers is an impactful way to celebrate Toronto’s diversity. With the rise and support of the Black Lives Matter Movement, change is slowly happening to pave the way for a new perspective on fashion and style.
Revenge of the Geek is a BIPOC-owned fashion brand that celebrates this community of unique leaders who choose to tell their own stories and create change by advocating their beliefs and sustainable practices through the fashion industry.
Here is a list of the best BIPOC-Owned fashion brands in Toronto that you should also be shopping at.
Spencer Badu
Spencer Badu is a BIPOC-owned unisex fashion brand based in Toronto, Ontario, specializing in streetwear fashion that challenges the ideas of gender rules. Spencer designs his pieces with the idea of creating a "uniform" for the modern individual who celebrates their gender fluidity. He describes his brand as "contemporary streetwear" that anyone could incorporate into their everyday life. The brand includes versatile materials such as denim that can be interchangeably worn daily or as activewear. Spencer utilizes colours and imagery from his cultural heritage of Ghana and isn't afraid to use bold colours with minimal details like topstitching in his collections to create a distinctive look for every piece.
Shop here and follow Spencer Badu to see his latest lookbooks.
Spencer Badu is a Black-owned sustainable brand that invests in sustainable production methods by utilizing deadstock fabric and upcycling materials and clothing to ensure nothing goes to waste during the production process. He sources materials based on his memory of seeing clothing donations from western countries sold in Ghana and wants to challenge this practice by upcycling the clothing to create a new item, making his pieces truly one-of-a-kind.
4YE
4YE is a BIPOC-owned fashion brand founded by Brampton natives Jae and Trey Richards. They began their fashion journey by designing a mini collection of durags in 2018 and have since become a fashion brand specializing in streetwear clothing. Their clothing features inspiration from their community and incorporates motifs of Black culture and history. 4YE incorporates unique prints and embroidered designs that are eye-catching and thought-provoking that represent stories of Black culture.
Shop here and follow 4YE for their latest collection
Their latest capsule collection explores the declaration of Marcus Garvey with a collaboration with Inkbox for a collection of tattoos that pays homage to the rights of the Black community to stand out and tell their own stories.
Warren Steven Scott
Founded in 2018, Warren Steven Scott is an Indigenous-owned fashion brand that started with a line of earrings. During the pandemic, his namesake brand of Indigenous-inspired earrings exploded into the mainstream allowing him to expand into apparel. Scott's inaugural fashion collection features inspiration from his Indigenous roots of Cedarwood and basket weavings which he recreates through ruching and gathering fabric. His fashion collection explores the multi-faceted duality of modern and traditional, incorporating his heritage and love for luxury fashion to create his brand.
Shop here and follow Warren to see some BTS of his work and inspirations.
Scott invests in sustainable fashion practices through his materials. His earrings are made of 100% recycled raw material and follow a zero-waste policy and upcycling acrylic scraps into graphic interior artworks.
Lesley Hampton
Founded in 2016, her self-titled brand based in Toronto, Ontario, is an Indigenous-women-own size-inclusive clothing brand. Lesley's clothing brand represents her cultural heritage with cross-overs into her multi-faceted travels and international upbringing. Many of her pieces are made to order, making her clothing incredibly special and one of a kind. She incorporates Indigenous motifs and silhouettes with a new-age millennial edge that features a wide range of sizes from extra-small all the way to double extra-large, making her brand truly size and body inclusive. Many of her pieces are made to order, making her clothing incredibly special and one of a kind.
Shop here for her latest collection and follow Lesley to see her latest work in advocacy and fashion.
Lesley is an activist and speaker for body positivity, BIPOC mental health, and Indigenous culture and rights. She actively gives back to her community, supporting new and upcoming indigenous fashion designers.
HoiBo
Hoibo is a BIPOC-owned sustainable womenswear clothing brand in Toronto, Ontario, specializing in unique hand-crafted garments with a zero-waste production methodology. Their clothing is designed for the modern woman who appreciates luxury handmade garments with a modern silhouette with a comfortable fit. Their combination of soft and rigid textiles and fabrics truly envelope the Hoibo experience of creating visceral pieces that the wearer will remember based on its textures and experience.
Shop here and follow Hoibo for their latest looks.
Hoibo invests in providing transparency through the information on the source of their materials and construction methods. Hoibo reinforces its zero-waste policy by advocating for proper clothing care to ensure that every item you purchase can last you a lifetime to minimize the fashion industry's environmental impact.
Conclude
Fashion is one of the many creative industries that artists and designers utilize to exercise their creativity, tell their stories, and celebrate their individuality while creating representation and creating change for a better future.
Revenge of the Geek started because of this mission to amplify the stories of BIPOC individuals and give back to the community by celebrating each other’s differences and harness change through style and creative expression.
Shop our latest Revenge of the Geek Limited Collection and follow us to get notified of new products so you can be a part of our community and celebrate your story.