How Black-owned brands on Zalando are reshaping the assortment for underserved audiences  

At Zalando, we want to create a space for value-driven and authentic content, we partner with and empower diverse brands, to create a space where underrepresented customers can find products made for and by members of their own communities. Read more about the inspiring stories behind the Black-owned We Are We Wear and Aaron Wallace brands, and how we continue to build a carefully curated assortment that celebrates diversity and inclusivity on Zalando. 

All Sizes Included

When Chelsea Williams and Nathalie Paul founded We Are We Wear, they had one goal in mind – to build a brand where both of them could find their sizes in the same place. As best friends who are about eight dress sizes apart and admire each other’s style, they could never shop in the same place. Feeling underrepresented and fueled to fill this gap, they started to work with each other to build We Are We Wear from scratch.

“We felt we were put in boxes: ‘This is your size, this is what you look like.’ We just want to break those boxes.”
- Chelsea Williams, CEO & Co-Owner, and Natalie Paul, Creative Director & Co-Owner, We Are We Wear

We Are We Wear has a finger on the pulse of its audience because the brand was created by two people who have experienced themselves the lack of size-inclusivity in fashion. The brand was born in a front room in London in 2019, out of a need to provide options to people who wanted to find lingerie and swimwear that would make them feel beautiful in their own skin and size. They quickly outgrew their front room and joined Zalando in 2021 with an extensive range of more than 180 size-inclusive pieces. 

“Why does everything have to be so categorized?” says Natalie, “Everything you find in our assortment is available in every size – from XS to 3XL.”

84% of Zalando customers¹ consider body positivity to be an important topic, whilst 67% of our audience ²  has bought a brand for the first time because of their position on a socially relevant issue. We Are We Wear stands out for putting the representation of different bodies and sizes at its core, finally catering to an audience who wants to feel seen and represented by a brand. 

Harnessing the power of business owners who understand their audiences intimately, Zalando can now provide a shopping experience designed for everyone. Partnering with brands like We Are We Wear means that we can offer a truly diverse assortment; by providing flawless choice, we cater to underserved customer segments through every size and style.

¹ Source: Zalando ZMS Inclusivity Survey 2020 survey conducted by ZMS amongst 929 consumers in 20 markets.
² Source: Edelman Earned Brand: Brands take a stand”, Edelman, October 2018, * of belief-driven buyers in 2017. Definition: The belief-driven buyer is a consumer who is informed and conscious about their purchase decisions.

The Gap in the Market

Aaron Wallace and his journey to founding a grooming line that catered specifically to Black men is another great example. He started his career as a barber in the South London neighbourhood of Croydon, often taken aback by how difficult it was to help his clients source products to address their beard, hair, and skin care needs. He felt as though he was sending them on a “treasure hunt” across town. And even when they arrived at the right shops, they were forced to search through an assortment of mostly women’s haircare to find the right products that were designed for them. 

In the mid-2010s, the products available in the market for Black men were neither easily accessible nor high quality. It stemmed partly from the misconception that Black men didn’t care about their appearance and therefore, products were not marketed to them.

“I wanted to create a range of high-quality products that look premium, are vegan-friendly, good for the hair, and lack chemicals,” explained Aaron, “That ‘fresh haircut, left the barbershop’ feeling is what we wanted to put in a bottle.”

Thanks to Aaron Wallace’s vision, Black men can now access high-quality hair and skincare products that are made for and with them as the primary target audience in mind. By partnering with Zalando since 2021, Aaron was able to tap into numerous new markets – Germany, France, Italy, and more – bringing his products to Black men beyond the UK and across Europe.

“We want to be accessible and so working with Zalando and its European focus has been especially helpful for a brand like us with a small budget. Zalando has the resources and access to markets outside the UK and makes my products available more widely so Black men feel catered to.”
- Aaron Wallace, Co-Founder & Managing Director  

Diversity Drives Inclusivity

“It's about ensuring that you’re not just ticking boxes but you’re mentoring and giving opportunities to make sure that any brand, no matter what size, has the chance to come onboard so that we can serve a wider audience."
- Jemma Garner, Principal Business Developer and Initiative Project Owner for inclusive assortment, Zalando

As part of our do.Better strategy, we aim to become the Starting Point of Fashion that is welcoming to everyone all over Europe. With this as our focus, we are motivated to drive towards a more inclusive and diverse fashion e-commerce experience, in every category across price, size, or style. But that’s not all.

We want to build lasting relationships with partners from and for underrepresented communities and support them through their experiences with us. By bringing brands like We Are We Wear and Aaron Wallace to our customers, we want to show them that we care for their needs and are committed to being the platform where they can find all of their love brands. 

With our commitment to onboarding 70+ Black-owned brands on Zalando, we welcomed Lisou, Dechase, and LVMH Prize winner Thebe Magugu to the platform. All three Premium brands bring a unique perspective to design, and a story of heritage and innovation.

While we see our pool of Black-owned brands growing, we want to celebrate some of them as representatives of the entire community of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) business owners. We wish to continue highlighting how our assortment is evolving to serve a community of diverse customers in 25 countries who seek and expect inclusion as part of their fashion and lifestyle shopping journey.

Through our experiences of collaborating with Black-owned brands on Zalando, we have learnt how to do better in partnerships with diverse brands and their audiences. Firstly, we aim to create a positive and empowering environment for those we work with and for their underserved audiences. Secondly, we continue to drive our vision and engagement to pursue partnerships with inspiring partners through Diversity and Inclusion advocates such as NGOs, thought leaders and members of the academia. It guides us towards our effort to become a platform where partners from diverse backgrounds feel welcome and appreciated.