It isn’t difficult to find a surfeit of designers both new and old in stores like Target or Forever 21. Providing an abundance of clothing brand options for shoppers to explore, Shanti Mayers, owner and founder of The Sable Collective, saw a lot to choose from, but when it came to brands from Black women or WOC, her options were limited.
“Since I was a young girl, I’d always go and wander different boutiques and thrift stores in Philly. I just never felt, as much as I love them, like it was necessarily for me. If there were postcards, or if there was artwork, it just didn’t reflect Black culture,” Shanti told THE BLOCK.
Seeing a need in the clothing market to champion BIPOC designers, Shanti opened the Sable Collective in hopes of being a source of representation in clothing, accessories and overall dope style.
First launching back in 2016 in Philadelphia’s Center City Fashion District, The Sable Collective started off as Shanti Mayer’s vision for BIPOCs, more specifically Black women designers and creatives to debut their clothes, accessories and treasured items in a space that saw the value in them. Evolving from an idea into a brick and mortar store, that vision was finally fully recognized.
“I put together this love for boutiques and the ambiance and the experience of shopping and finding unique things. And then coupling it with really dope, beautiful products made by Black and brown folks and women makers and the boutique was born,” Shanti said.
“The idea came to open up a store, and it just never left. I don’t think I could have done anything else differently if whatever store I was gonna open up was going to reflect and be a welcoming space to Black folks. I don’t even think that was something that I had to meditate too long about or hem and haw about.
We’re gonna have all these amazing products, and they’re gonna be for Black folks, from Black folks.
Shanti Mayers
The Sable Collective was a hotspot for Black shoppers on the hunt for pieces of clothing, furniture or decor that acted as a reflection of the buyer. Sable Collective quickly became a household name for young shoppers with the FUBU mentality. But with every dream, a harsher reality must set in. Despite their success, Sable Collective couldn’t sustain its physical location once COVID-19 hit. Having to close their doors, Shanti didn’t see this as her end, but as just another chapter in the Collective’s story.
“It’s helped me to learn how to pivot and how to recover. And it’s given me some confidence that I can recover when things are hard and that I have a strong enough customer base to support me through those hard times. It’s also given me insight into the importance of what it means to own the building as a brick and mortar versus renting,” Shanti shared.
Since closing her stores, she has moved the Sable Collective completely online, with the occasional vending or pop-up spot keeping her in person. Shanti reminds THE BLOCK that her dream was not solely about the brick and mortar, but about the opportunities her shop could offer artists and buyers looking for more ways to buy Black.
“Just [creating] more possibilities for connections with your customers. I think that’s the most important thing that somebody can come into the store or shop with us online, and that everyone can find a product that connects with them,” Shanti said.
As one of the few distributors in Philadelphia seeking diversity within branding, The Sable Collective is helping generate a larger conversation on the intentionality of shopping Black—from conception to production and merchandising all the way down to the greeting you receive entering the store, Shanti will tell you, it all matters.
“When you walk in as a brown woman, as a Black woman specifically, you felt welcomed, you felt seen and you felt like you walked into a space that was concerned about you. That’s what I continue to aspire toward. I don’t know if I’ve quite nailed it on the head. But I feel proud of what I’ve created thus far. I feel really proud of the growth that I’ve experienced with my team through all of these changes.”
Whether voiced by Shanti or not, she is holding space, both in-person and online for local creatives to showcase their work. As the founder recognizes, Black designers shouldn’t need to plead with brands and larger stories to include their work. According to Shanti, it’s their work that sits at the precipice of desired culture.
As one of the few distributors to make Black brands, women conducted labels and indigenous products a priority, Shanti’s effort stretches beyond the basic instructions of diversity and inclusion. It reshapes the atmosphere of buying and selling from BIPOC creatives.
Toni Morrison has this quote, ‘if there’s a story that you want to read that is not out there, you have to write it.’
There was a shopping experience, a retail experience that I really yearned for that I had never experienced, at least in Philadelphia. So, I felt like I needed to create it.
Shanti Mayers
Curated by Black women, nurtured by a community of marginalized people—The Sable Collective stands as a hopeful constitution of what retail could become. Centering inclusivity and representation beyond just the retailers, Shanti searches for authenticity in the makers and their art. Even remotely, The Sable Collective still provides quality service that binds you to the store and collective culture.
Interested in shopping Black-owned and BIPOC-driven products? Visit The Sable Collective’s website for more information.
