The Rise of Black Luxury

In this episode of Allison’s Corner, Allison is diving into something both bold and beautiful: the rise of Black luxury. After years of unpacking survival mode and soft life living, she’s now exploring what it means to indulge on purpose—as a form of healing, resistance, and joy. This episode is part history lesson, part personal reflection, and part invitation to redefine what wealth and luxury look like for you. We’re talking about:

• Why Black luxury is more than just designer bags—it’s about access, ease, and ownership
• The difference between conspicuous consumption and intentional indulgence
• Reclaiming softness without apology in spaces that weren’t designed for it
• How choosing luxury (in any form) can be revolutionary for Black women

If you’ve been feeling caught between hustle culture and the desire for softness—or if you’ve ever questioned whether you’re “doing too much”—this episode is for you. So grab your favorite drink, light that candle you’ve been saving, and let’s unpack what Black luxury really means in 2025.


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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hey, and welcome to Alison's Corner. This is my little
corner of the Internet where we dive into wellness, personal growth, relationships,
and just other topics best suited for you. I'm your host, Alison,
bringing you fresh perspectives, inspiring conversations, and a little something

(00:30):
to spark your day. Be sure to follow along with
Allison's Corner on Instagram, subscribe to our newsletter, and watch
us on YouTube at Allison's Corner Pod. Here you'll find
more insights and community updates of what we have going
on on Allison's Corner. Now, without further ado, here is

(00:51):
today's episode. Hello everyone, and welcome or welcome back to
another episode of Alison's Corner. Of course, I am your host, Alison,
and today's episode feels both personal and collective because we're

(01:13):
diving into the rise of black luxury. Some of you
might remember a past episode called The Soft Life, where
I shared why I'm choosing softness in all areas of
my life, especially as a black woman, And if you
haven't been able to listen to that episode, I highly

(01:35):
recommend you go ahead and take a chance to do so,
because it's really informative about what we are also going
to be speaking about today. So in today's topic, we're
just going to zoom out a little bit because this
isn't just about personal shifts, but about collective movements. We're

(01:57):
talking about why so many many Black people are now
choosing to move beyond survival mode and our embracing luxury
not just as a material pursuit, but as a form
of healing self worth and reclaiming space and areas that

(02:20):
were designed to exclude us. So we're gonna be unpacking
what black luxury really is the power of ownership, and yes,
even some critiques about this movement. So go ahead, settle
on in, pour yourself a glass of something refreshing, tea, wine,

(02:42):
iced coffee, whatever your vibe is today, and let's get
into this conversation about black luxury. So I have to
start off by being transparent. I didn't grow up with
any money, or not any but not much. Okay, Applebee's

(03:03):
and Chili's were considered fine dining for us, and honestly,
we loved it. We knew when special occasions took place,
that is exactly where we were headed. And with that
we have been able to, you know, grow from those
humble beginnings to now and of course when we were

(03:26):
at Chili's or Applebee's, you know, we were sharing appetizers,
maybe ordering dessert. My parents weren't big on the whole
ordering dessert because you know, you had to watch it,
but still we had fun. And in high school, I
remember I went to a Title one school. For those

(03:46):
of you who don't know, that means more than half
of the student population was on free or reduced lunch.
So we weren't necessarily struggling every day, but we definitely
weren't thriving economically either. And it wasn't until college that

(04:10):
I kind of started to notice luxury in a different light.
I went to school in South Georgia, far from the
big city energy of Atlanta that I grew up in,
and that's where I first heard names like Lily Politzer
and Tory Birch, you know, brands I had never even

(04:34):
known existed, and those brands felt so out of reach
but also at the same time completely irrelevant to my life.
And after graduation, I of course started work and I
started to earn my own money, and I found myself

(04:56):
slowly accessing experiences is that I never had growing up.
You know, it was the first time I could buy
certain things, treat myself, and even more importantly, treat my
parents because I can now take them to restaurants that
they had never considered stepping foot in, despite those same

(05:18):
restaurants being right in their backyard, and that, to me,
is a form of luxury. I do want to make
one thing very very clear. Luxury is not just about money.
It's about access, comfort, ease, experience, and when you have

(05:43):
been historically excluded from those things, choosing to step into
them becomes very powerful. So right now, I wanted to
take a minute and just pause here because we actually
need to define the word. So I looked it up
on Webster, so I'm gonna explain it to y'all, and

(06:04):
I have it right here on my screen. It says
that luxury is traditionally defined as a state of great
comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense. So in
mainstream culture that can often look like designer fashion, fine dining,

(06:25):
private travel, exclusive experiences. But historically these weren't created with
us in mind, and luxury was tied so much to
Eurocentric standards and has been built within systems that excluded
black people from benefiting, both economically and socially, and I

(06:52):
think today black people are disrupting that narrative, not just
by participating in luxury, but also redefining what it means.
Now Here is where I want to make an important distinction.
So conspicuous consumption is about external validation. It's about buying

(07:15):
or showcasing things that prove worthiness, and sometimes it's also
driven by a need to show success in a world
that constantly questions Black achievement. But when we talk about
intentional indulgence, that's a little bit different. It's rooted in
internal fulfillment. It's about saying, you know, I deserve this

(07:39):
because I am worthy, not because I need to prove
anything to anyone. And overall, one is performative, but the
other is healing. And when Black people move toward intentional indulgence,
luxury also transforms from a flex into a form of

(08:04):
self care and even resistance. And of course we had
to take a minute because I want to go deeper
into the history for a little bit. As we know,
after World War Two, many white soldiers were turned home
to gi benefits like affordable housing and access to low

(08:25):
interest home loans, but black soldiers, however, were systemically denied
those same opportunities thanks to redlining and discriminatory lending practices.
What this meant was that while white families were building
generational wealth through home ownership, black families were locked out.

(08:48):
And even today in the job market, we see biased
hiring and occupational segregation that limits our economic mobility even further.
And all of this has compounded over generations, which has
led to the wealth gap that we see today. And

(09:11):
so when Black people today choose to step into luxury spaces,
and it's not just about indulgence, it's more so about
reclaiming what has historically been withheld from us. But even
with all of those barriers that I just spoke about,
Black people have always influenced global trends in fashion and

(09:34):
music and beauty. You know, think of Dapper Dan. He
redefined what high fashion was by remixing designer logos into streetwear,
long before even those luxury houses caught on. Right, Madam C. J. Walker,
she was America's first self made female millionaire who built

(09:59):
a haircare empire for Black women. Luxury is not new
to Black people. What's new is that we are now
being recognized for it. And I quickly also want to
talk about social media and how the role social media
has played in accelerating the rise of black luxury because

(10:21):
we know, of course TikTok and Instagram thrives so much
on aesthetics, and this has allowed black content creators to
step forward and showcase the version of luxury living. You
know Jackie Aina who I love, Her content is all
about elevating beauty and lifestyle. Monam McMichael, Elissa Ashley. They

(10:49):
both blend authenticity with also luxury branding and even beyond
content creators, we even see black on brands that are
flourishing personally. I love Hanifa, love her Okay or love
the brand and the owner. Shout out to both. But

(11:10):
they're known for they're stunning three D runway shows. I
don't know if you caught some of the runway shows
that they produced during the pandemic. That was my first
time I heard about them and I have been in
love ever since, and they are especially known for being
size inclusive while also incorporating their luxury designs. We can

(11:34):
even talk about Brandon Blackwood, whose bags are sought after
by celebrities and even everyday consumers, because at the end
of the day, these aren't just products they are also statements.
Now you might have heard of the soft life, which is,
of course, we are choosing ease over the hustle. And

(11:56):
I've spoken about this in past episodes, but I will
always say it again. Choosing softness is revolutionary, especially as
a Black woman, because for generations we have been taught
to hustle harder, you know, grind longer, and expect less rests. Okay,

(12:20):
but luxury in its truest form includes ease, comfort and wellness.
And what it is is that you're choosing yourself over struggle,
and that too, is a part of black luxury. You know.
It's also worth noting that black women are leading as entrepreneurs.

(12:42):
We are the fastest growing group of small business owners
in the US. But that does not mean it's easy.
I don't know if some of y'all heard the news.
Just this week, we heard about the closing of Ami Colet,
a black beauty brand that was unable to secure funding

(13:04):
despite having a very strong customer base. The owner herself
spoke openly about being denied resources that other founders who
are often white, receive with ease, and her article, which
of course was in the cut, go ahead and read

(13:24):
it It's beautiful in the way that she was able
to just talk very openly about what happened. It highlights
a very frustrating truth that even as black luxury continues
to rise, systemic racism in venture capital and funding remains

(13:46):
a major barrier, and many Black women are kind of
turning to alternative paths, you know, real estate investing, art collecting,
which really quick Alicia Keys and switch speeds. They recently
showcased their private black art collection here at Atlanta at

(14:09):
the High Museum. Tends okay, But I mean, in all seriousness,
luxury in these contexts, it's not just about vanity. We
want luxury to be about ownership and legacy for the
next generation. And even more so, we can talk about

(14:31):
black celebrities that are kind of shifting the luxury narrative. Isiay,
She is a writer, actress, producer, and investor Rihanna. She
revolutionized the beauty industry with Fenti Beyonce phenomenal performer, and

(14:52):
she's expanded her empire through business ventures like Ivy Park,
Sacred her fray sline, and even now Sir Davis. All
of this, okay, means that they are embodying what it
means to own your brand, what it means to build wealth,

(15:14):
and to redefine luxury on your own terms. But this
is where my critique starts to settle in a little bit, okay,
because now comes the complicated part. Who gets included in
these luxury conversations? Because too often black luxury spaces celebrate

(15:39):
a very specific aesthetic. You have to be light skin,
you have to have a slim body type and conventionally
attractive features. But who is being policed? Who is being
left behind? You know, luxury must be inclusive not just

(16:01):
of skin tone, but of body size, of gender, expression,
of economic background. Otherwise we risk replicating that same exclusive
nature that we saw before that shut us out happening again.

(16:21):
And what even about class pressure? You know, as black people,
there is this immense pressure to make it, to succeed
in white dominated spaces, to climb the ladder, to prove
you belong. But the question I want to op pose
is can we redefine success for ourselves? Can we embrace

(16:47):
luxury not as a performance but as a personal nourishing experience.
And I really want you to ask what does that
look like for you? You know, for me, luxury is not
about a designer label. It's about softness and ease. It's

(17:11):
about living intentionally. It's about choosing rest without guilt. It's
taking my parents to restaurants they once thought that weren't
for us. You know, it's saying I work to live,
I don't live to work, and luxury for me is

(17:32):
calling abundance into my life without apology. So a little
bit of a reflection. I want to leave you with this,
What does luxury mean to you? And how is it
currently reflected in your life? You know? Is it rest?
Is it travel? Is it treating yourself to something small?

(17:56):
Is it saying no to grind culture? I really want
you to take a moment and to just sit with that.
And of course I want to end today's episode with
a quote from the iconic fashion stylist law Roach. He said,
I am a luxury good. I am a luxury item,

(18:22):
and I should be expensive as always. God bless have
an amazing day, and thank y'all for listening to Alison's Corner.
Thanks for tuning in to Allison's Corner. If you enjoy

(18:43):
today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and
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