The three-year-old pro-diversity brand Afro Unicorn has signed seven new licensing partners, says CEO April Showers.
Afro Unicorn was founded in 2019 with a mission to provide a platform to uplift, promote and remind children of color how unique, divine and magical they truly are.
“Our goal from the beginning has been to give girls of color a unicorn that represents them and encourages them to embrace their uniqueness, love themselves, and be empowered to go out into the world and trailblaze,” stated Showers. “We have been so fortunate to holistically create a buzz around Afro Unicorn early on, catching the eyes of such accomplished black women as Tiffany Haddish and Alicia Keys, who have all promoted Afro Unicorn because of its authenticity. We want all of our products to speak directly to the underrepresented black woman and child, and we are thrilled to work with our licensing partners to create products that accomplish that mission.”
Afro Unicorn is a conscious brand that uplifts and positively impacts Black women. Afro Unicornserves as a powerful representation of the beauty and uniqueness of vanilla, caramel, and mocha complexions. From clothing and accessories to educational resources, Afro Unicorn’s mission is to provide women with the confidence they need to embrace who they are.
Two years prior to launching Afro Unicorn, a close male friend of Showers kept referring to her as a unicorn.
“At the time I did not understand why I was being referred to as such,” Showers recalls. “I truly just thought I was doing what every woman would do in my position. It wasn’t until I suffered a rather significant upset and bounced all the way back that I realized I was indeed a unicorn the entire time.
“Looking at the current unicorn emoji I really couldn’t relate,” Showers adds. “I wanted a unicorn that represented me and all the fierce women that I knew. I reached out to a graphic artist, and shared with him the vision I had for a unicorn of color.”
Afro Unicorn’s message clearly caught on with its audience, as this week its founder announced several signed partnerships with a retail launch planned for later this year.
Showers launched her concept with a direct-to-consumer program of apparel and accessories, featuring the characters Unique (the leader), Divine (the motivator), and Magical (the persuader).
With a rapidly growing awareness across social media, Showers has organically grown a solid young fan base for Afro Unicorn, eager to engage with her brand and messaging. That growing popularity helped Showers sign with multiple licensing partners, which include H.E.R. Accessories (accessories), Jay Franco (bedding), MAD engine (apparel), Unique (party supplies), Handcraft (underwear), Silver Buffalo (drinkware) and Centric (sleepwear).
In the party supply category, Afro Unicorn will be one of the first (if not the first) from a Black Woman-owned brand. A range of products will begin rolling out this year with holiday-themed products also planned for Q4 2022. Additional key categories in the works for the brand include publishing, toys, and animated content, among others.
You can learn more about this young brand at afrounicorn.com or follow the brand on Instagram @afrounicorn_official.