The Black community is not a monolith, our preferences and priorities vary. However, there are two things many Black people have common: we don’t play when it comes to our children—nor our hair. Across economic, education, or social status, Black folks take great care attending to both.
Enter Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade.
In 2022, Union and Wade created PROUDLY baby care, which launched exclusively in Target stores. The dynamic duo and proud parents of daughter Kaavia James, recognized the lack of products made specifically for their brown skin girl. Being business savvy and seeing a need created an opportunity to not only cater to their child but other young Black children who need quality skin and hair care products at affordable prices.
PROUDLY hair care offers multiple products to suit all baby’s needs, including the grape seed oil, rosemary, and marshmallow root Softening Shampoo ($12.99) and a jojoba oil and marshmallow root Defining Detangler, ($12.99).
Union and Wade shared their inspiration for PROUDLY Baby Care, and what the future holds, with BLACK ENTERPRISE.
PROUDLY Babycare was created with your daughter Kaavia in mind. What about your experience as her parents informed your decision to create this line?
Gabrielle Union: Having Kaavia absolutely was definitely the inspiration for this line. For her, wash day and doing her hair is such an important activity in our home and she loves to get her hair done. Our whole village participates and it’s a really special activity. And as Kaavia has gotten older, she’s gotten more independent and she wants to use what mommy and daddy use in the shower, but we know that those products may not always be appropriate for her age. So what we wanted to create was something that she could use on her own that was
safe enough for her. We feel good knowing the products are hypoallergenic, tear-free, pediatrician and dermatologist approved, and use clean ingredients that are safe for her. All the products are Kaavia tested and approved so we appreciate her help in building this line!How do you see this line changing the landscape in baby care?
Right now, we see that the majority of the hair products in the baby aisle are 2-in-1s or even 3-in-1s which just don’t work for babies and children with tighter textured hair. This line was developed centering the needs of the tightest coils and curls and our hope is that our approach will make parents of color feel like their needs are being met in the aisle and will inspire other baby brands to prioritize the needs of Black and Brown children.
The focus right now is babies. Is there any thought of getting into other specialized markets?
Dwyane Wade: We are excited about the innovation and opportunities within the baby space because there really isn’t another brand doing what we are doing in this aisle, so for now we are super-focused on this space.
Though you all are the minds and laborers behind this venture Kaavia seems to be the boss! How important is it to educate her about business at this age? (Of course, in a kid-friendly way)
Wade: Kaav definitely gives boss vibes, and we love that about her. We include Kaavia in our work ventures where we can and PROUDLY is special because it is a brand that was inspired by her, so it has been fun to include her in testing and trying the products and allowing her to give us her feedback. It was fun for her to see her face on the PROUDLY store endcaps last year and
she is realizing that she’s a special part of the brand. Outside of that, Kaavia is busy with her own kid adventures with her friends like camp, dance class, and summer swimming and we think that’s how it should be.You both are passionate about this line and believe in its value. Do you think your target market will respond with the same passion?
Union: We think so! Hair care has been the number-one most asked about category from our consumers since we launched the brand. So we know that our community needs and wants this line and we are excited to bring this line of products to them. Parents are looking for something that is both safe but really works on tighter textures, and we think we succeeded with this line.
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