Black Creators: With ‘BlaCkOWned’ Style Meets Substance

Black-owned is more than a category of business, culture, or financial freedom — it’s a state of mind. That’s why Means Cameron founded BlaCkOWned Outerwear in 2011 — in an effort to empower the surrounding Black community, with hopes that the message and brand would become global. Early on, Means partnered with Merk Ervin, a locally-renowned entrepreneur. Together, they formed a power duo that would go on to gain more and more notoriety in their Cincinnati community and beyond. In the brand’s early stages, Cameron and Ervin would sell BlaCkOWned sweatshirts from the trunk of their Honda Accords and take orders through Facebook messaging and direct calls. The duo’s motto was “shop never closed,” an attitude that paid off significantly and facilitated the rapid and organic growth of the brand.