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Upskilling Black-owned fashion brands with a new accelerator

Zalando and ADAN foster diversity and innovation within the fashion industry by launching a six-month accelerator programme for small Black-owned brands

June 13, 2024
Blog
Apply Now - ADAN for Zalando Black-owned brands accelerator

Launching in September 2024, the Black-owned Brands Accelerator is a programme that aims to upskill small, Black-owned fashion brands looking to expand their business to major e-commerce platforms such as Zalando. The application phase started at the beginning of June and is currently open: apply here. We are working together with ADAN (Afro-Diasporic Academics Network) – a long-standing community partner of Zalando based in Frankfurt – that seeks to showcase and promote diversity in the business world.

Zalando’s strategic focus is to become a partner of choice for brands that stem from underrepresented groups with the commitment to diversify our partner portfolio. Over the last four years, we have continuously advocated for communities that are underrepresented in the Western world. We’ve listened to and worked with our Black Employee resource group on understanding how we can support the Black community internally and externally. As part of this, Zalando has set the goal to onboard 70 Black-owned Brands and support them in their success on our platform. Building on the work we have already done, we are kicking off an accelerator programme to support brands serving or stemming from underrepresented groups, initially focusing on small Black-owned fashion brands. 

The design of the accelerator is based on qualitative research led by ADAN and Zalando in 2023 which identified a gap between the knowledge small brands are expected to have to complete the onboarding process and their actual experience and ability to onboard onto Zalando. Small brands, typically in operation for less than five years, often have limited operational experience and knowledge, and thus struggle to comply with the contractual requirements and face more obstacles in accessing e-commerce platforms like Zalando.

Black bearded guy wearing purple vest and white t-shirt in front of a black background

“Such programmes are not just about supporting the brands with their work; they are about rectifying historical inequities and empowering Black entrepreneurs to thrive in the competitive fashion industry. By providing tailored support, this accelerator will help level the playing field, enabling Black-owned brands to contribute to economic growth through scaling and innovation as they increase their visibility and customer base,” says Allie Bangura, Co-Founder of ADAN Impact.

During a six-month programme, Zalando tutors will equip the brands with knowledge distributed over six modules that will cover brand building, onboarding requirements, building marketing presence, product assurance as well as safety, logistics, and finance operations. The content of all modules applies to any multi-brand platform, not only Zalando.

Black woman, wearing a white t-shirt in front of a coloured grey and blue wall

“Supporting fashion brands that stem from underrepresented groups through programmes like this is crucial for fostering diversity and innovation within the industry. By providing targeted assistance, we can help these brands overcome unique challenges and pave the way for a more inclusive market,” says Britni Olivia Stewart, Team Lead Buying at Zalando.

At the end of the programme, the brands will have the chance to present their assortment to Zalando buyers in an in-person Pitch Day in Berlin. As a result, we hope to have five Black-owned Brands ready to be onboarded onto our platform.

Requirements and selection

The programme is targeting Black-owned fashion brands (i.e. brands where at least 50% of the owners identify as Black) that have a EU VAT number. They should already be actively selling their products online (e.g. via their own website), have a yearly business turnover between EUR 20,000 and 499,000 and be interested in scaling their business via Zalando.

The selection of the applicants will be fundamental to the success of the programme. For this, a designated selection panel will be in charge of reviewing applications and identifying the most promising candidates. We’re very excited to welcome the following industry experts who will evaluate the brands’ creativity, innovation and market potential: 

  • Allie Bangura, Founder of ADAN;
  • Lena-Sophie Röper, General Manager Designer at Zalando;
  • Stella Jean, fashion designer;
  • Jean-Claude Mpassy, editor and stylist;
  • Barbara Kennedy Brown, Founder of Fashion Minority Alliance

We look forward to receiving your application: APPLY HERE!
(applications are open until 14th of July 2024 23:59 CEST)