Feeling left out is never good, but for some, exclusion translates to fruitful motivation.
Such was the case for Erica Smith, the creator of the Afro-American baby tees that highlight Black American culture and heritage.
Cultural representation via cute, fitted t-shirts is not a new concept. From Brazil to Nigeria, many countries have proudly represented their heritage through fashion in a globally celebrated manner. This celebration of cultures is something Smith looked at with fondness, but the longing for something of her own was inescapable.
“We’ve all seen these tees with the different flags, and I was like, you know, I wish we could do one,” she tells EBONY.
Demonstrations of our heritage are a bit harder to display through our clothing. Red, white and blue ultra-patriotic clothing does not reflect the country’s tainted history. “Most Black Americans aren’t wearing a t-shirt that says America, and they were definitely not wearing the American flag due to what it represents in how we became Americans,” she said. “I just wanted us to have these shirts to be included and show pride in a cute and fashionable way.”
Initially released in a limited edition Juneteenth drop, the collection included two baby tees: an Afro-American and Soulaan t-shirt, both embossed with the pan-African flag with 1865, the year the Civil War ended, across the bust. The design, Smiths says, is a hodge podge of lived and learned experiences.
She credits growing up around other sub-cultures of Black Americans with expanding her viewpoint on how vast Black culture in America truly spans. “Growing up in the South helped a lot because that is where our culture and traditions live very prominently. Being from Georgia I grew up around a lot of Gullah Geechee people. Then when Hurricane Katrina happened and people migrated, we learned more about Creole culture.”
From there, her curiosity only grew. “Once you start to see those two, you start to think, ‘Okay, what else do we have outside of that?’”
While tradition and heritage are important, Smith also honors ingenuity in how we identify as Black people. This viewpoint is proudly reflected in her Soulaan t-shirt.
Soulaan, meaning people of soul, refers to American descendants of enslavement, a term Smith both embraces and cites as an example of the importance of designs like hers.
“We are trying to reinvent something that is solely ours. And I think that comes from a perspective of us having to share everything and having to explain everything. We just want something that is uniquely ours that no one else can claim.” She goes on to explain that since our culture exists at such a unique intersection of American adjacency, it is often dipped into by other communities with little regard, and the boundaries of appropriation are often crossed without consequence.
“I think when it comes to sharing our culture, it needs to be reciprocated. Because if it’s not, then it’s not sharing; you’re just taking it, and you’re just using our culture for your benefit.”
The apparel is just a step toward this effort, but still, some don’t understand why a distinction was necessary. Other designers have even copied her messaging online, both missing and highlighting the point that people don’t see the importance of Black Americans having heritage garments.
This frame of thinking is also what has let the exploitation of Black culture go on largely unchecked for so long.
“People have taken bits of our culture, incorporated it into their everyday life to the point where they don’t even think about it,” said Smith. “If a person that is not Black American is doing these Black American culture things on a daily basis, you’re not going to associate it with any other ethnic group. You’re going to think this is just a day-to-day thing that I do because you absorbed yourself into our culture,” said Smith.
This feeling of having to share your culture without reciprocity is not a solitary opinion, and the shirts were overwhelmingly well received by others online who rejoiced in the for us, by us crux of the shirts.
“The response has been great. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that.” She went on to share that Twitter took things to the next level. “It went viral on Twitter. And once that happened, I had a lot of people in my DMs like, ‘Oh my god. I’m so happy that you made this. I was thinking about making this, I’m so glad that you brought it to fruition. The response has been amazing.”
Perhaps what has been the most full-circle moment of this entire process, though, has been the positive responses from other cultures. “I’ve even had Black people from other cultures like Nigerians and Caribbean people like, ‘Oh my god, this is so good for you guys. Now we can all wear our shirts together.’ So, the overall expression of it has just been really, really positive.”
The shirts were supposed to be a small release, but the demand far exceeded Smith’s expectations. “I sold out my first batch, and I ended up doing the pre-orders, thinking I’m gonna get 200, maybe 300 orders.” She received triple that amount. “I hit about 1,065 in a short time span,” she noted.
“I know the demand is there, and I know why the demand is there. And it’s because we just want something solely for us. And I provided that,” Smith declared.
She’s still not sure what’s next, but the vested interest of consumers has her optimistic for the future. Since it is not her full-time job, she is careful not to overextend or overpromise.
“I guess it would, but it would really just depend on the demand for it. And whether or not I could handle it, I guess we’ll see how fast it grows and if it becomes overwhelming,” she said.
However, Smith doesn’t plan on letting this moment fade into obscurity. “What I do know is that I do want to give us a few things. I’m thinking about making varsity jackets, long-sleeve shirts and men’s things.”
Currently, she is gearing up for another release, which she anticipates dropping in mid-August. This drop will include Gulla Geeche baby tees. Once the shirts sell out, the website will default to pre-orders.
