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Black female-owned businesses are among the fastest-growing in America right now, data shows.

The number of Black women-owned businesses grew 50% from 2014 to 2019, compared to 21% for women-owned businesses, according to the 2019 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express.

Launching a new business is not easy, never mind bringing to market an entirely new product or service.

In this series of articles, we gathered 100+ successful female entrepreneurs to share their stories and tips on building a business from scratch.

Two long-time friends Tracy Vontélle Green and Nancey Harris have started their own luxury eyewear brand after they realized African Americans are underrepresented in the multi-billion industry.

Coincidentally, it took the pair losing their old pair of expensive glasses to search the market for a more ethnic- friendly and colorful brand that is black-owned and reflects their culture to replace their lost ones but there was none.

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According to Nancey Harris and Tracy Vontélle Green, “African American consumers spend billions of dollars on eyewear from  luxury name brands, but they are not owned (designed and manufactured) by Black-owned fashion houses or companies.”

They are filling the void with Vontélle Eyewear which focuses on creating stylish brands with Black women in mind.

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NEW YORK—In 1915, Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). In 1926, the association, which “was dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by Black Americans and other peoples of African descent,” according to History.com, began sponsoring a national “Negro History Week.” Celebrated on the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, this week-long event grew into the Black History Month we now celebrate each and every February. President Gerald Ford officially recognized February as Black History Month in 1976.

These days, Black History Month is a time to celebrate and honor Black history, as well as look forward to the future. Within the optical community, many independent ECPs and independent Black-owned brands are celebrating the month on social media. Here, we take a look at some of those celebrations.

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Startup eyewear manufacturer Vontélle, LLC is launching a unique brand into the luxury eyewear space, offering awe-striking, ethnic patterns reflecting African, Caribbean, and Latin cultures.  

Nancey Harris, Co-Founder said: "Our eyewear is original, authentic, distinctive, and invites a conversation. Vontélle will add a cultural richness to the marketplace." Moreover, she stated that the tightly competitive industry lacks African American ownership and strong presence. Vision care is a multi-billion-dollar market in the United States, of which, African-Americans receive less than $3 million dollars annually. "We are under-represented and under-served in this industry. Through social media, African-Americans have brokered a seat at the table and are demanding that brands and marketers speak to us in ways that resonate culturally and experientially."  

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When friends Nancey Harris and Tracy Green compared notes and discovered they’d each lost their expensive glasses within a year of getting them, it was the eureka moment that led to the formation of Vontélle Eyewear.

Launched in October 2020, the startup is completely self-funded. Harris is the COO and Green is the CEO of Vontélle Eyewear. They named the company after Green’s middle name, that in French translates to “you go” or “there she goes.” Vontélle Eyewear features 37 unique ethnic patterns that cater to Black women and reflects African, Caribbean and Latin cultures. Harris is Jamaican-born and Green is of Latin descent.

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