For Amanda Dare, fashion is more than just what you wear. It’s a way to express who you are.
The Louisville-based business coach and fashion designer behind the boutique The New Blak, and Woman-Owned Wallet, said women are always at the forefront of fashion. And she wanted her stores to lean into that trend.
“We wanted to define the trend. We didn’t want it to be about fast fashion, human or environmental degradation. We wanted it to be about ethical production of clothing, treatment of human beings and sustainable materials,” Dare said. “We wanted it to be about women’s empowerment.”
Dare opened The New Blak, a local fashion brand that encompasses feminism, sustainability and ethics, in March of 2015 and Woman-Owned Wallet, a feminist gift shop and NuLu Walking Tour, in August 2020. She created the name after the trend “blank is the new black.”
A graduate of the University of Louisville, Dare had always been interested in fashion and started her career working at places that specialized in fast fashion, a highly profitable business model that mass-produces the latest high-end fashion trends at low cost.
But after noticing the amount of waste that went into creating the products and the lack of larger sizes, Dare decided to embark on her own journey for more inclusive and sustainable clothing.
“I wear a size 14, so in a lot of stores, I didn’t feel well taken care of or not really helped,” Dare said. “If I find anything missing in my wardrobe or missing in the world, I want to make it.”
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The New Blak sells high-quality staple pieces, including dresses, tops and more, that can help any woman round out their wardrobe.
Each piece varies in size from an extra small top a 3x and many of the clothes, including the Kate Dress ($112), Lauren Jumpsuit ($108), Audrey Top ($68) and Dolly Jogger ($88), are named after women who have inspired her.
In addition to empowering women with more inclusive clothing choices, Dare incorporates sustainable and ethical practices into her clothing, as well. Around 95% of the fabric she uses in her clothes is made of bamboo rayon and organic cotton fabric.
“Rayon is actually made from trees, so all stretchy materials you are wearing are made of it. Bamboo is one of the most sustainable options because it doesn’t take pesticides to grow,” said Dare.
And that sustainability is reflected in the feel of the clothing, Dare added.
“To have clothing that is soft and comfortable as well as ethically made with a story behind it, it’s so much more empowering to your day and empowering to help you complete anything,” Dare said. “Clothing can be a real form of self-care and self-love.”
Other sustainable aspects of the store include making additional products out of branded fabrics like hair ties and headbands, bio-degradable packaging and recycling anything they can’t use.
“We employ all local resources. I think employing the local community is important,” Dare told the Courier Journal. “It’s easier to connect with people more and you have that story behind your garment.”
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Connecting to the community is something Dare feels strongly about, which is why she opened Women-Owned Wallet, and its corresponding NuLu Walking Tour, in the middle of the pandemic.
“In the feminist gift shop, you can come in and clearly see a feminist funhouse experience,” Dare said.
The shop at 803 E. Market St. features more than 40 female vendors that sell a variety of products including stickers, shirts, drinks and more.
“It was very exciting to me because I always sold women-owned products through The New Blak,” Dare said. She then put together a map of all the woman-owned businesses in the East Market District, which turned into a self-guided walking tour that includes 35 woman-owned stores such as The Seafood Lady, Six Sisters Boutique and Nouvelle Bar & Bottle
“The concept is that anytime you shop with us, the money goes to the wallet of a woman. That’s how we decided on the name,” Dare said.
Andrea Wells, owner of Wells Made Co., is one of the vendors of Woman-Owned Wallet. Wells creates handmade seed butters with minimal and local ingredients. She met Dare at an event and when Dare created her newest business, Wells was fully on board.
“This is just amazing what she is doing. Giving us a chance. I don’t see any kind of businesses like that,” Wells said.
As one of the vendors, Wells said she had gotten more exposure in the Louisville business community than she would on her own.
“She’s really putting us on the map. When people come from other states, cities and countries, they can really find out what women are doing in Louisville,” Wells said. “It’s empowering. It’s educational. It’s everything.”
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Kayla Macklin, owner of Macklin Made, said it’s a new experience to have the jewelry she makes sold in a physical store.
“It’s been a real confidence booster. She believed me enough that she kept asking me to restock and keep it in her store,” Macklin said. “It’s been really cool to see customers and make connections with people.”
Adrienne Nixon, operations manager for The New Blak and Woman-Owned Wallet, said that majority of the vendors are local.
“Sometimes Amanda would find them at local markets. Then some people will come into the store and see that what we sell and ask about how to get involved,” Nixon said.
At The New Blak, “we want them to feel good leaving the store. For Woman-Owned Wallet, we want to show people that we are a marketplace for women,” Nixon said.
Part of the shopping experience is educating the customers about the sustainability, ethical standards and feminism behind the stores and each product. “We are labeled as a feminist gift shop, so it’s kind of educating the customer and letting them know that feminism is for everyone,” Nixon said.
For Dare and Nixon, at the end of the day, it comes down to empowerment.
“Empowerment goes both ways. We want our customers to leave learning something,” Nixon said. “They can take that and go share it with other people. Then everyone can feel good.”
Reach Features Intern Gabby Bunton at gbunton@gannett.com
The New Blak and Woman-Owned Wallet
Address: 803 E Market St.
Hours: Thursdays, 12-4 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, 12-6 p.m., and Sundays, 12-4 p.m. Closed Monday-Wednesday.
