A Joyful Revolution: Black Men Smile® Apparel Headed to Target Stores Nationwide
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATLANTA, January 20, 2024 – Black Men Smile®, a lifestyle apparel brand dedicated to spreading positive images of Black men and amplifying Black joy, is excited to announce its selection as a brand partner for Target’s 2024 Black History Month Collection.
"We are honored to be highlighted by Target, a brand that’s known for supporting communities,” said Black Men Smile® founder Carlton Mackey. “This collaboration will allow us to reach a broader audience and continue our mission of empowering Black communities through a celebration of joy.”
The Black Men Smile® Target collection features nine new pieces including a new colorway for the brand’s best-selling "Black Joy Is Revolutionary" hoodie, children’s apparel, and a Black Men Smile® logo bucket hat – the brand’s first-ever accessory item.
Black Men Smile®’s collection will appear in Target stores nationwide alongside other Black-owned brands and Black designers as part of Target’s Black Beyond Measure initiative, aimed at creating a destination for shoppers to find new and exciting Black-owned brands and Black artists.
Started in 2014 by Mackey, an Atlanta-based artist, Black Men Smile® is now poised for exposure to a wider audience – allowing more people to connect with the brand's message of resilience, strength, and unapologetic joy.
“I started Black Men Smile® ten years ago as an initiative that was about filling a void and meeting a personal need to disrupt pain and fear and replace it with positivity and power. In the process, it has become so much more – a conduit for community, for reclamation of joy, and for mental health advocacy,” Mackey said. “So it's humbling and wildly inspiring to see how far we’ve come.”
Black Men Smile®’s journey began with a simple hashtag shared on Instagram, #blackmensmile, and an invitation for Black men to reflect on a single question that most say they’ve never been asked before: “What makes you smile?”
Today, the brand has gathered over 115,000 community-sourced images reflecting Black joy, gained nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram, and fostered partnerships between a vibrant community of local businesses, non-profits, colleges and universities, major brands, and revolutionary men and women from all over the world.
Black Men Smile® apparel can be found in Target stores nationwide and online beginning on Jan. 21, 2024.
About Black Men Smile®:
Black Men Smile® is a lifestyle apparel brand and community-building conduit with the mission of Amplifying the Revolutionary Power of Black Joy. Our vision is to spark a radical mindset, ignite systematic change, and build sustainable environments where we can all smile more often.
Website: https://blackmensmile.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackmensmile/
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