A Very Curated Small Businesses Gift Guide
Featuring BIPOC/LGBTQ/Women-Owned Brands
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Perhaps it’s time to give your Amazon cart a breather and shop the small businesses who deserve your time and money more.
The specific person that we’re shopping for has a good sense of personal style and credits much of their social intelligence to weekly expenditures to Casa Magazines, lives for Bridgerton and relishes in memories and friendships made from design or art school. And it’s for the person who crafts leisurely, has sushi order memorized and could never take social media too seriously, which is why the last post on Instagram feed dates back to 2022. If you truly know this person, we’ve taken the time to shop for her/him/they.
While the big retailers H&M, Abercrombie, Shopbop and others basically pay to take up online space on majority of the holiday shopping features, it’s always good to know about smaller brands who are just as worthy of the spotlight. Thank you for choosing to shop and/or support these small businesses by clicking, sharing, engaging on social media. It means a lot.
Liis - I think people have slept on this fragrance brand, then I realized that I have been gatekeeping it. Not designed like most perfume bottles probably since one of the co-founders is an artist herself, while the other founder is a well-studied perfumer from Versailles, France.
Krave Beauty - Slow, affordable, sustainable skincare for Gen Z
Common Era - This is your Roman Empire. I was gifted the Medusa pendant necklace a few years back and have been a big fan of this ethically made jewelry line inspired by women of ancient history and mythology.
Dedcool - From everyday fragrances to laundry detergent, this brand makes good scents for people who practice sustainability.
Climax Books - Cult favorite indie launched in 2020 with storefronts in London and New York that sells rare books and ephemera. You come here if you’re shopping for the art student, fashion design grad, art director.
Noto Botanics - Vegan skincare and beauty for all, gender-fluid and made with natural ingredients
Florence Mytum ceramics - London artist creating beautiful sculptural homeware from vases to mugs.
Misomomo - Accessories designed by New York artist Bo Kim (she/they) to spread positive queer cheer
iota - Japanese bodycare/skincare made of adaptogens, antioxidants and other natural ingredients
Mad Tea - Total time savers for the matcha, chai, lavender latte drinkers who are pressed for time. Clean ingredients, sans the overdose of sugar, pods suitable for Nespresso maker
Ekua Ceramics - Belgian ceramicist based in Los Angeles Sara Ekua Todd sculpts homeware with thoughtful designs and usability. I know being a happy owner of 2 of EC’s mugs.
The regularly scheduled weekly newsletter arrives in your inbox on Friday morning. Go easy on your tofurkey, or real turkey, but definitely treat yourself to extra dessert.
So very thankful,
DNAMAG
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