Discover Black-Owned Businesses Worldwide: My Black Gallery’s Mission to Transform Conscious Shopping
Black History Month often invites reflection — on culture, legacy, and progress. But it also asks an important question: how do we actively invest in the communities that shape us year-round?
At Bôhten, supporting Black creativity and entrepreneurship has always extended beyond eyewear. It’s about celebrating the ecosystem of innovators, platforms, and founders building pathways for collective growth.
One of those platforms is My Black Gallery — a digital space designed to make discovering and supporting Black-owned businesses around the world feel effortless.
From Frustration to Global Discovery
The story behind My Black Gallery begins with a familiar experience: wanting to support Black-owned brands but struggling to consistently find them:
As the Edwan Abang (Founder) & Opriche Babasanya (Co-Founder) share:
“We built MBG out of the pure frustration of how difficult it was to find and support Black brands in our daily lives, moving beyond the ‘static list’ seen in other directories, to create a global home that feels as seamless as any major retailer.”
Edwan Abang (Founder) & Opriche Babasanya (Co-Founder)
What emerged wasn't simply another directory, but a platform shaped by real shopping behavior. My Black Gallery mirrors the convenience consumers expect today - offering AI-powered search, global shipping filters, and wishlist tools that connect shoppers across the diaspora to brands they may never have other discovered.
Behind the technology is a deeper intention: visibility that leads to sustainability.
“Our new technologies put brand visibility at the forefront by providing businesses with the actual consumer data they need to scale, ensuring they aren’t just listed, but are empowered to grow as the global masterpieces they are.”
When Community Becomes Economy
For the founders, My Black Gallery represents something larger than commerce. It’s about redefining how community support shows up in everyday life.
“For us, the dream is seeing ‘buying Black’ shift from a temporary trend into a natural, elevated lifestyle that builds wealth for generations.”
That vision reflects a growing cultural shift — one where intentional spending becomes an act of long-term investment rather than a moment tied to awareness campaigns.
And at the center of that shift is community itself.
“Black community is quite simply who we are. It’s our friends, our families, the heartbeat of MBG, the root of our influence, the spark of our creativity as founders, and the lens through which we see the world.”
Platforms like My Black Gallery help close the distance between intention and action, allowing everyday purchasing decisions to directly support Black founders, creators, and innovators globally.
Why Platforms Like My Black Gallery Matter
Supporting Black-owned businesses isn’t only about visibility — it’s about infrastructure.
When discovery becomes easier, support becomes consistent. And when support becomes consistent, businesses gain the opportunity to scale, hire, innovate, and reinvest back into their communities.
My Black Gallery strengthens that ecosystem by bringing Black-owned brands into one accessible global space — moving them closer to mainstream recognition while keeping community at the center.
This Black History Month, supporting platforms that amplify Black entrepreneurship helps transform collective buying power into lasting economic impact.
Because building community wealth doesn’t happen once a year — it happens through everyday choices.
Explore the MBG Experience
Just like the brands featured on My Black Gallery, Bôhten continues to design eyewear rooted in culture, sustainability, and intentional craftsmanship — proving that conscious shopping can also be timeless in style.
Discover and support brands from across the diaspora through My Black Gallery and continue investing in businesses shaping culture, creativity, and the future of global commerce.