Hello! My name is Mela and I am building a brand called “GOAL’D.” GOAL’D will serve as a multi-brand retail space that features primarily Black designers and designers of color, curating spaces for indie designers and brands to increase brand awareness and overcome many of the barriers to market for black and brown designers.The barriers include: not having access to major retail spaces (either online or physically), low or no brand awareness, lack of convenience due to being a small business, and lack of access to retail space. GOAL’D will solve this problem by providing an equitable and expertly curated multi-brand retail shopping experience for these designers to combat those systemic issues in the fashion and retail industry - mainly the lack of capital to invest in proper brand awareness and the lack of shelf space available to black and brown designers.Orgs like Aurora James’ 15 Percent Pledge and Zerina Akers’ Black Owned Everything are two recent additions to the retail industry that are working to combat these very same issues. As a professional who has a background in retail and working as a brand strategist for luxury fashion brands in NYC (some of that work is listed on my site!), I have the relationships and inside knowledge on why these issues exist and how to combat them.GOAL’D has been years in the making, but given the events of the last year, I am recognizing my ability to meet my own needs and the needs of my community. Operating off of the tagline, “We don’t have to wait for anyone to give us anything. We can give it to ourselves,” I am building GOAL’D to do just that.In partnership with local brands (I’m in the DC area) who have a significant social media presence, I hope to bring the first GOAL’D pop up event to market in late June/early July. Peerspace spaces would be perfect for this!! Truly. I appreciate your consideration.
To build my own brand awareness and prove the viability of the concept to investors, I will curate pop-up shop style events for GOAL’D throughout the Summer and Fall months in Washington, DC. The goal is to make sales, provide the space and experience for both consumers and the retailers, and bring like minded individuals across the tri-state area together (in a safe way, of course). I think this will be a great opportunity to promote Peerspace, too!
Peerspace is on a mission to bring people together. We believe it is impossible to achieve that goal unless we also fight for equality and access to resources in the communities we serve.
Having a space to gather, create, and exchange ideas is an important part of any movement. In order to magnify voices that are often quieted, Peerspace will sponsor venues for people who challenge prejudice and fight for social justice and equality.
Each quarter, we will sponsor space for three projects that are relevant to our community. These projects can range from fundraisers and educational initiatives to art exhibits and photo series.
