Photo courtesy of Black News

Negast Footwear is based out of Lithonia, GA and is owned by Tarik Edmonson. Tarik looked up to Reginald Lewis. (If that name doesn't look familiar, read the book Why Should White Guys Have All The Fun?) He launched his brand in 2015 after realizing that there was not a lot of offerings in the space.

Negast's custom footwear puts an African spin on such popular sneakers and Chucks, Air Max and Timbs. They can be ordered online or found at select retailers such as The Shrine of the Black Madonna in the West End of Atlanta.

Photo courtesy of blogspot.com

Negash Apparel and Footwear is based out of Detroit, MI and is owned by Rocklin Negash. The name Negash is of African Amharic and Tigrinya origin. The meaning of Negash is "in line to be king" and is generally used as a boy's name. 

Staying true to the name, Negash Apparel and Footwear has lines for Kings, Queens and Young Royals. Their line consists of sneakers, leggings, jackets, boots, loafers, onesies, sweats hats, t-shirts, backpacks and more. Our community loves to look good, so why not do it while also supporting our community!

Kingdom of Mel is based out of New York City and is owned by Tiffany Hill. Mel is short for melanin so you already know that this brand is African-inspired. Hill has always been fascinated with Kente cloth, ancient Egypt and Victorian era. She brings a combination of art and fashion to the Kingdom of Mel line.

The pieces that stand out are the waterproof duffle bags that display the terms "King" or "Queen" and are adorned with an outline of Africa on the end. You can also get African-inspired sneakers, watches and bracelets from this creative entrepreneur!