Wayfair announced a new push to diversify its suppliers with the Celebrate Black Makers initiative. The program was designed to recognize and promote Black-owned businesses selling their products on the home goods e-tail platform.
“Through Celebrate Black Makers, we hope our diverse customer base will have the opportunity to shop everyday products for their homes made by Black designers and makers, while also exploring the many unique styles and design aesthetics available to them on our platform,” said Shardé Marchewski, Wayfair’s head of supplier diversity.
The initial Celebrate Black Makers offering highlights three companies. Candice Luter Art + Interiors offers home decor pieces that include fiber art wall hangings, mirrors and occasional furniture. AphroChic was created by husband-and-wife duo Jeanine Hays and Brian Mason to celebrate creativity across the African Diaspora. Their collection includes throw pillows, wallpaper and fabrics in an array of colorful patterns.
And Clean Design Home is a hypoallergenic and eco-friendly bedding, bath and mattress line designed by Robin Wilson. Wilson also created a line in partnership with Martex last year for Macy’s.
Related Stories
Celebrate Black Diversity marks the launch of a new supplier diversity program at Wayfair, focused on traditionally underrepresented suppliers to support them through dedicated resources that are tailored to their businesses.
“It’s very important to us that we’re working with companies where we feel a strong sense of collaboration and that we can grow with — but also that we feel will speak to our customer base,” Hays and Mason said.
Products from the first group of Celebrate Black Makers suppliers will live on a dedicated landing page on the Wayfair site, and the company also has added a “Black-owned or designed” search filter and badge to make finding these products easier. The company will continue to add to its Celebrate Black Makers lineup going forward.
“Our goal is that this program will not only support our mission to help everyone, anywhere create their feeling of home, but also drive meaningful impact to these suppliers’ businesses and create additional momentum for others in our industry to further DEI in their commercial strategies,” Marchewski said.