I couldn't be a hypocrite.
I built MBG because I wanted discovering Black-owned businesses to be easier, more exciting and less dependent on Google searches or Social media saves.
So this summer, I decided to put my own advice to the test. I made Black-owned my first stop whenever I needed anything: from fashion and beauty to restaurants and travel.
I wanted to know if I could shop Black-owned brands without lowering my standards or spending recklessly.
And after shopping with over 51 brands, I saved more than £800 using the strategies I learned along the way. Honestly, I could have saved even more if I'd known all of this before I started.
I documented the wins, questionable purchases, shipping drama and surprise favourites on socials. If you missed Black-Owned Summer, go binge the series. You'll want to see a few purchases and reviews for yourself.
But if you want to shop Black-owned without overspending, here's what I'd do differently from the start.
The Black-Owned Summer Guide
1. Start With What You Already Need
Don't force yourself to buy something simply because it's Black-owned. You don't need to reinvent how you shop.
Need new trainers? Search Black-owned trainers first.
Going on holiday? Look for Black-owned swimwear, bags, jewellery or resortwear.
Need a birthday dress?
Start there.
The goal isn't to buy something just because it's Black-owned.
Black-owned first. Not Black-owned at any cost.
It still needs to be something you actually want, something that works for you and something you're happy to spend your money on.
2. Build a Black-Owned Shopping Wishlist
This is genuinely my biggest shopping hack and has saved me a lot of money.
Instead of seeing something on Instagram and immediately reaching for my card, I started saving things I actually wanted and waiting for the right moment to buy them.
A sale. A holiday. A birthday. A particular outfit I needed.
Or simply the moment when my bank account stopped looking at me aggressively.
That's exactly why I used my MBG Wishlist throughout Black-Owned Summer. I could save brands and products in one place instead of having 47 Instagram saves, a Notes folder I haven't opened in months, 20 screenshots in WhatsApp and a TikTok video I could no longer find.
Find it. Save it. Come back when you're ready.
Create Your Free Shopper Account
3. Check Shipping Before Buying Internationally
If you're shopping internationally, do this before you get emotionally attached to the product.
I had dresses where shipping was almost the same price as the dress. I had orders where shipping costs changed after checkout. I had brands that arrived faster than expected and others that took months.
So before you buy, check:
Where is the brand shipping from?
How much is delivery?
How long is processing?
How long is the actual shipping?
Is there a local stockist?
Can you combine your order with someone else's?
Do you have a friend travelling from that country?
That five-minute check can completely change whether something is actually good value and how much you spend.
Sometimes the product isn't the problem; getting it to you is.
4. Wait for Sales and Shop Strategically
Finding a brand you love doesn't mean you have to buy it immediately.
Some of my best purchases this summer came from waiting.
I saved the pieces I wanted in my MBG Wishlist, watched the brands and waited for the right opportunity.
That meant getting pieces I already wanted at prices that made much more sense.
So follow the brands. Keep your Wishlist working in the background. And join the MBG WhatsApp community for sales, pop-ups and new finds.
Shopping intentionally doesn't mean shopping less. It means knowing when to shop.
You don't have to buy immediately just because you found a brand you love.
5. How to Shop Black-Owned Brands Internationally
International shopping can be expensive. But that doesn't mean you have to write off every brand outside your country.
This summer, I used friends travelling internationally, consolidated orders and found ways to combine purchases from different brands.
And honestly, this changed the game and saved me so much money.
If you have friends or family travelling, coordinate.
If several people want things from the same country, consider combining orders.
And don't forget that second-hand counts too.
I found myself looking at places like Vinted differently this summer. If the brand is Black-owned, buying second-hand still supports the ecosystem, and sometimes it makes an otherwise expensive purchase much more accessible.
International doesn't have to mean inaccessible.
Brands With International Shipping
6. Discover Black-Owned Brands You Don't Already Know
The best part of Black-Owned Summer wasn't buying from brands I already knew. It was discovering brands I now genuinely want to keep shopping.
Some came through MBG, some through pop-ups, some through friends and some because I went down an extremely addictive rabbit hole.
And that's the point.
The value of discovering Black-owned businesses isn't just finding the brands everyone already knows.
It's finding the ones you didn't know you needed.
That's where MBG comes in.
Instead of relying on the algorithm to randomly introduce you to a brand, you can actually search. Fashion. Beauty. Jewellery. Food & drinks. Hospitality. And more.
Filter by category, location and price. Save what catches your eye. Come back when you're ready.
It's basically the shortcut I wish I'd had years ago.
Find Your Next Fave Black-Owned Brand
Your Black-Owned Summer Doesn't Have to Look Like Mine
You don't need a summer in London, Paris and the South of France.
You don't need £1,000 to spend.
You don't need to order from five different countries.
And you definitely don't need to replace your entire wardrobe overnight.
Your Black-Owned Summer could be as simple as:
Getting your next pair of trainers from a Black-owned brand.
Trying a Black-owned restaurant in your city.
Finding a local jewellery designer.
Booking your next beauty appointment with a Black-owned business.
Buying second-hand.
Or checking whether the thing you were already planning to buy exists within the Black-owned ecosystem first.
Start with what you already need.
Then do it again. And again.
That's how a shopping challenge becomes a shopping habit.
And if you want the shortcut…
This is exactly why I built MBG.
I wanted a place where you could discover Black-owned businesses with ease.
And during Black-Owned Summer, I became the exact shopper I built it for.
I used the directory to discover brands, my Wishlist to keep track of what I wanted and stay within budget, and the MBG WhatsApp community to hear about sales, pop-ups, new finds, recommendations and what other people were actually buying.
That's what MBG is: the place you go when you want to discover something new, and the community that keeps you coming back.
You don't need to wait until next summer to start.
The next time you need something, search Black-owned first.
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