Viral Brand Empowers Black Girls To Feel Beautiful
Party supply and lifestyle brand Afro Unicorn was launched in 2019 by founder April Showers to create products that empower young Black girls to feel beautiful.
The brand first landed on major retailers’ radar after a viral video of a young girl wearing an Afro Unicorn shirt was shared by celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Viola Davis.
This catapulted Afro Unicorn into rapid growth, as the brand has now launched over 20 new products across 1,500 Walmart stores. Afro Unicorn is also slated to expand to over 3,800 Walmart stores nationwide throughout June.
Secures Major Licensing Deals As Product Line Expands
On the heels of growth with Walmart, April Showers has continued securing major licensing deals to facilitate Afro Unicorn’s expansion. This has included a recent foray into the haircare category with the launch of Afro Unicorn Magical Tresses.
Developed in partnership with Magical Beauty, Afro Unicorn’s first black-owned global licensing partner, Magical Tresses offers a line of six haircare products specially formulated for all hair types. Its messaging of empowerment and self-love powerfully aligns with the brand’s ethos.
April Showers shares that such major licensing deals have been key in rapidly scaling up distribution with major retailers like Walmart and Walgreens, where Afro Unicorn products are now sold in over 3,500 stores nationwide.
Trailblazer Becomes First Black Woman To Fully License Brand
In attaining these high-profile licensing partnerships across categories, April Showers has broken barriers by becoming the first Black woman to fully license a brand.
This feat puts Afro Unicorn in rarefied air alongside other iconic licensed brands like Disney. It represents a remarkable achievement for an independent, founder-led company in an industry where significant barriers still exist for women and minority-owned brands.
For April Showers, the milestone signifies the power of her vision to push for greater inclusion and representation. As Afro Unicorn continues its meteoric rise with recent expansion into Target stores slated for 2024, its empowering products are bringing more visibility to underserved communities.
At the heart of Afro Unicorn’s accelerating retail dominance is a message of empowerment. Its growing omnipresence on major retailers’ shelves makes the brand both a symbol of and a catalyst for positive change.
