Slay Like A Black Girl Apparel is one of the most exciting new stores in Shopify. At Growth Suite team, we contacted Slay Like A Black Girl Apparel team to learn more about their journey for this great store. You'll learn their amazing story and vision. Before going to our interview questions we firstly want to thank Slay Like A Black Girl Apparel for this great interview.

1. Can you introduce yourself and Slay Like A Black Girl Apparel?

Hello! My name is Madison Kittrell. I am 19 years old, and I am a third-year business student at The Ohio State University from Columbus,Ohio. I am the founder of Slay Like A Black Girl Apparel (SLABG). Slay Like A Black Girl Apparel is an empowerment clothing line that promotes self love. I love being a Black woman, and I wanted to create stylish clothing that reflected that love of my people, and other underrepresented communities.

2. How was Slay Like A Black Girl Apparel born? How did you start?

Slay Like a Black Girl originated as a passion project for me as a social media activist. I started an Instagram account in July of 2016 during my freshman year of highschool, called Slay Like A Black Girl. I originally started under the alias Vienna, due to the political climate at the time. In 2016, many black activists were killed by white nationalist after leading protests or speaking out against injustice. I was very afraid to put my face out there, and if I did, it was rare. I started SLABG because I wanted to have a platform to express my thoughts on current political and social events. I wanted to educate women on topics like feminism, birth control, and promote self love and acceptance. At the height of this page, I had over 22,000 followers and I was averaging over a million impressions a week, with over 3 million likes.
I always wanted to create a clothing line and have been called a fashionista for as long as I can remember. As I grew older and more into my activism, I recognized the lack of stylish and affordable activism/empowerment wear. That’s when I decided that I was the person who had to fill that void in the market. I created SLABG so that people feel beautiful in the skin that they are in. I was initially very hesitant but at the end of 2020, I decided to choose faith over fear and I started my shop! I designed my own website and consulted my friend, Jaden (@jjadentaylor) , a talented photographer and designer who brings my designs to life. From there, I started to release my own t-shirts, masks, hoodies, and crewnecks. In the upcoming weeks, I have new items coming like sweatpants, bonnets/edge scarves, and dresses!

3. What makes Slay Like A Black Girl Apparel different? Can you explain your products with details?

Slay Like A Black Girl is different because our designs are authentic and originaI strive to center our focus on underrepresented communities. We prioritize quality, comfort, and community.
We offer a wide range of products, including masks, t-shirts, crop-tops, hoodies, and crewnecks. Our masks are soft, washable, have adjustable ear loops, and enough space for a filter. Our most popular mask is the “Black Girl Magic'' facemask which is black with ‘Black Girl Magic’ in soft pink cursive letters. One of my favorite pieces being an early 2000s inspired racerback crop top that says “Black Girls, synonym for the blueprint”. My first design was the SLABG Logo tee, with the “Slay Like A Black Girl '' logo in hot pink on the front, with Black Girl Magic on the back (with an option add-on: the Black Girl Magic mask). This style is offered on tees, crop tops, and hoodies. My favorite piece, inspired by my grandmother, has our original SLABG logo with bright blue monarch butterflies, which is her favorite insect. It is a super soft crew neck made with recyclable materials, so it's cute and great for the environment.

4. What reactions do you get from your clients? Do they love your products?

The reactions from customers are the best part! They love my products; it is clear from the feedback I receive. I’ve had customers who buy something nearly every launch and it really warms my heart to know that my customers genuinely support me! I am still learning, and they are extremely patient and encouraging. Customers send product pictures, reviews, and tag me on Instagram, it honestly means the world to me!

5. What are the advantages of Slay Like A Black Girl Apparel?

Slay Like A Black Girl Apparel’s mission is to encourage women around the world to celebrate their beauty and the uniqueness in diversity. I don’t think there is another brand out there that specifically creates activism wear the way we do it here. We are a small black-owned business that prioritizes the customer experience. In addition to that we offer fast shipping, ShopPay (which allows you to pay in 4 installments), and we operate completely sweat-shop free with a goal to make all of our products environmentally-friendly.