10 Latina-Owned Businesses You Need on Your Radar
The beginning of the year marks the start of a journey toward improvement and trying new things
Photo: Instagram/ellasevecosmetics
The beginning of the year marks the start of a journey toward improvement and trying new things. These 10 Latina-owned shops showcase different products that’ll make the start of 2020 make you feel like a diosa who got it together. These recently-launched brands include Yola Mezcal, a company that exclusively works with indigenous Mexican women to make mezcal from a family recipe. There’s also Piritees, an anti-gentrification apparel line founded by an Afro-Latina, as well as, La Vida Pompoms selling colorful and handmade earrings by an LA-based Mexicana artisan. The Latinx community has a $1.7 trillion buying power in the U.S. and here’s an opportunity to support Latina-owned businesses while treating yo’self!
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Yola Mezcal
https://www.instagram.com/p/B51DyKvHMmu/
Yola Mezcal employs solely female farmers and distillery workers founded by Yola Jimenez, a Mexico City native who spent summers in Oaxaca with her family which inspired her to found the company. She spent time in her grandfather’s mezcal farm in San Juan del Rio and he’s the source of the recipe they’ve used for their mezcal since 2008. The purchase of a bottle of Yola Mezcal (available for $69.99) directly helps indigenous women in Mexico so not only do you get to enjoy a good mezcal but you’ll also be providing economic support to the indigenous community with your purchase.
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Ella’s Eve Cosmetics
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6irPYclPgP/
Dominican sisters Melissa and Lissa developed their cruelty and paraben-free makeup line Ella’s Eve cosmetics a little more than a year ago after noticing the lack of Latinx-owned makeup lines. This small company offers a variety of liquid lipsticks, highly pigmented lip lacquers and they recently added a highly pigmented eye shadow palette with 15 colorful options with inspiring names like fierce, fearless, and radiant.
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Sunday Energy
Beauty blogger/ Youtuber Melissa Flores founded jewelry line Sunday Energy in May of 2019 selling dainty jewelry pieces including a mal de ojo inspired necklace and bracelet. The Dominican-American came up with the name because she considers Sundays “magical” and an opportunity to start fresh and she liked the idea of approaching her line with that vibe.
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Yo Soy Afro Latina
Afro-Mexican Detroit native Bianca Kea founded Yo Soy AfroLatina to not only sell empowering gear but to provide a platform to celebrate AfroLatinidad. From mugs to tees and sweaters and even dad hats, the line carries the same message of AfroLatina magic. “My hope is to create a community with Yo Soy AfroLatina; that promotes the visibility of the Black Diaspora within Latin America and the Caribbean, spreads love to fellow Afro Latinas and celebrates our beautifully diverse culture,” she explained on their website.
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ShopLatinx
Nicaraguan-Guatemalan entrepreneur Brittany Chavez started the ShopLatinx Instagram three years ago and late last year she launched the official online marketplace for and by us. Some of the vendors she carries are beloved Latina-owned brands like Hija de tu Madre, Jen Zeano Designs and Brujita skincare. “That’s what I want Shop Latinx to be known for: Beautiful, culturally relevant, one-of-a-kind products that just so happen to be made by Latinx,” she told HipLatina ahead of the launch.
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Herbal Hermanas Co
Mexican-American sisters Celia and Adriana Serrato launched Herbal Hermanas Co., an herbal shop selling handmade candles, balms, scrubs and soap out of California in mid-2018. They’ve got big plans for 2020 including vegan lip gloss and hosting empowerment and self-care workshops. Treat yourself to a lavender soy candle with a rose and lavender salt soak knowing it’s all-natural and made by hand. According to their Instagram bio, they’re “focused on healing through nature, community, and sisterhood— everything handmade & plant-based.”
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B.Serene
Bianka Vanessa turned her love of hand wrapping crystals into a business with a mission that’s evident in the name, b.serene. The shop offers jewelry, decor, and art centered around crystals that’ll help your energia throughout the day. The crystal necklaces offer the most variety with about 12 different crystals available for your every emotional/cleansing needs including, quartz, amethyst, and citrine.
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Passport Polish
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Hm202lpEi/
Mari Alejos-Puente is a New Orleans-based Cuban-Nicaraguan entrepreneur whose love of travel inspired her to develop Passport Polish. In a little over a year, she’s released nail polish collections inspired by the Caribbean, Carnaval, flags of different Latin American countries, and South America. She also released the “Passport Pout” lipstick collection with colors inspired by countries and their famous foods including Nicaragua for the chicha drink with a dark pink shade and Argentina’s red wine. Other fun products include press on, hand cream, and disposable dip powders plus, naturally, a travel manicure kit.
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La Vida Pom Poms
Yaquelin Hernandez is an undocumented Latina living in LA who took her love of bold and colorful designs and turned it into a brand with La Vida Pompoms last year. “The need to create something that I know would stand out inspired me to think outside the box. That’s how I started making fruit earrings because they are big and colorful,” she tells HipLatina. “Being a Latina I get inspired by the textiles which also have patterns and colors and a great way to show a bit of my culture.” In addition to her signature fruit earrings, the shop also carries t-shirts and tote bags that are just as vibrant as her earrings, all available for purchase via direct message through Instagram.
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Piritees
Sandra “Bibi” Martinez is an Afro-Latina of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent and founded Piritees in mid-2017 as an anti-gentrification apparel line. Growing up in Spanish Harlem she witnessed the injustices marginalized communities faced and started Piritees as a passion project to amplify the anti-gentrification movement. From a brujeria tee to a self-care tote to “gentrification is warfare” sweatshirts, this advocacy line will make you feel like you’re raising awareness of an important cause while doing it in style.
