An Atlanta-based clothing brand is stitching a narrative of positivity onto the fabric of the nation, one hoodie, and joggers set at a time. Black Men Smile, a company that celebrates Black joy and uplifts the image of Black men, emerged from the West End's cooperative community space, the Ke’nekt Cooperative, bringing its message to a broader audience through a recent collaboration with retail giant Target.
The brand was one of four Black-owned businesses featured in Target's 2024 Black History Month collection, according to WABE. The collection, which was on the shelves until mid-March, debuted in 1,900 Target stores across the country and online, boasting new offerings including children's clothing and a revamped bucket hat bearing the Black Men Smile logo.
Fueled by the desire to spotlight an affirming vision of Black men amidst social tumult, Carlton Mackey, the brand's founder, and a Candler School of Theology alum, started the company following the turmoil after Michael Brown's death in 2014. "I would argue that the most shared images among and about Black people were hashtags of the names of people who were killed by police," Mackey told WABE. He crafted a fashion and social movement from the hashtag #BlackMenSmile to inject a different view, "to bear witness to a different truth about who we are," Mackey added.
The movement isn't stopping at Target's checkout lines. Black Men Smile is gearing up to spread its ethos of joy at the Kennedy Center Block Party next month. Hosted by 'Brown Girl Dreaming' author Jacqueline Woodson, the event will feature Mackey's team and provide a stage for young photographers to document Black joy—a journey from hashtag to a highlight in Black culture's narrative.
