More

    Amira Rasool: Building the Global Bridge for African Fashion

    Amira Rasool’s journey began in South Orange, New Jersey, where she started a fashion blog and interned at prestigious outlets like V Magazine, Marie Claire, and Teen Vogue while studying African American & African Studies at Rutgers University. She later earned her master’s in African Studies from the University of Cape Town, which deepened her appreciation for African fashion’s diversity.

    In 2018, Rasool launched The Folklore, inspired by her discovery of talented African designers during a trip to South Africa. Initially a curated e-commerce platform to bring these brands to U.S. consumers, she realized there was a deeper problem: lack of infrastructure to scale wholesale operations.

    By 2022, The Folklore pivoted into a B2B wholesale platform, The Folklore Connect, designed to help African and Black-owned brands connect with retailers worldwide—overcoming barriers like high shipping costs, limited logistics, and absence of retail know-how.

    Rasool quickly gained recognition, raising $1.7 million in pre-seed funding in 2022—making her one of the youngest Black women to do so.. In 2024, she further secured $3.4 million in a seed round led by Benchstrength, bringing total funding to around $6.2 million, which enabled a suite of brand support services: The Folklore Source, Capital, and Hub.

    The Folklore offers:

    • Supply chain support: reducing shipping costs from $50 to under $20 per item,
    • Line-sheet and logistics assistance,
    • A labor marketplace for freelance talent,
    • Funding access via Folklore Capital,
    • Educational resources through memberships priced at $39/month

    For Rasool, The Folklore is more than commerce—it’s activism. She frames economic empowerment of marginalized entrepreneurs as a form of Black liberation: enabling designers to earn and grow on their own terms. By early 2025, over 400 brands were active on the platform, and major U.S. retailers—including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Shopbop—stocked Folklore-listed brands.

    Rasool is building a global fashion infrastructure: staging showrooms in New York, Paris, Cape Town, and more to showcase African talent during major fashion weeks. Her aim: to expand presence in global retail and help designers gain sustainable, cross-border visibility.

    Amira Rasool stands at the intersection of fashion, tech, and cultural advocacy. Launching The Folklore from a journalistic impulse to curate African aesthetics, she evolved it into a full-fledged wholesale platform enabling tangible growth for emerging brands. Through smart funding, strategic services, and unwavering belief in cultural representation, she is building the infrastructure that connects global consumers and retailers to African designers—transforming fashion into economic empowerment.

    Image Credit: Essence

    Sign up for our free Daily newsletter

    We'll be in your inbox every morning Monday-Saturday with top business news, inspiring stories, best advice and exclusive reporting from Entrepreneur.

    Related Posts

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here

    Captcha verification failed!
    CAPTCHA user score failed. Please contact us!

    Latest

    Rosemary Ogu Appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor at University of Port Harcourt

    The University of Port Harcourt has announced the appointment of Professor Rosemary Ogu as its new Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics).  The election by the university’s...

    Zimbabwe’s Mining Labs Struggle to Keep Up as Gold Prices Hit Record High

    Zimbabwe’s mineral testing laboratories are facing mounting backlogs as a surge in gold prices fuels an exploration boom. Gold reached an all-time high of $3,500...

    South Sudan Denies Talks to Resettle Palestinians from Gaza

    South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed reports alleging that it is in discussions with Israel to host Palestinians displaced from the war-ravaged...

    AfDB Pledges $40 Million to Boost Green Infrastructure in Africa

    The African Development Bank (AfDB) has committed $40 million to the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa – Project Development Fund (AGIA-PD), marking the...

    South African court blocks offshore oil exploration by UK, French-backed energy firms

    A South African court has blocked an offshore oil exploration venture led by France’s TotalEnergies and the UK’s Shell, ruling that the project’s environmental...