My company, Mannequin Madness, is the only Black owned mannequin distributor in the United States. But since our products are behind the scenes — literally “behind the seams” — the economic impact of our business has been difficult to track in the 15% Pledge.
What is the 15% Pledge?
The 15% Pledge is a non-profit organization created by Aurora James in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. It was a call to action for major retailers and corporations to create sustainable and supportive ecosystems for Black-owned businesses to succeed.
James wrote on this instagram post in 2020 “We represent 15% of the population and we need to represent 15% of your self space.” She tagged the world’s largest retail brands, asking them for fair representation of Black owned businesses on their shelves.
Since that post went viral, over 28 of the world’s most recognized retailers have taken the pledge, redirecting $10B in revenue to Black owned businesses.
Traditionally when small businesses get corporate customers it means being hired as a consultant, freelancer or being a vendor that supplies products or services.
Twenty years ago, when I started Mannequin Madness none of these options was the way I acquired large corporate accounts. And I also felt that I needed to conceal the fact that I was a Black owned business.
Let me explain.
Mannequin Madness was initially my side hustle, where I rented mannequins to retailers for photo shoots, special events and trade shows. By chance, I discovered that when retailers closed or remodeled stores they would throw their unwanted mannequins in the trash.
I found this very disturbing because mannequins are made from materials that do not biodegrade (fiberglass, styrofoam metal, plastic, etc) so they should NOT be sent to landfills. And since landfills are often located in communities populated by people of color, I was especially concerned about the environmental impact of this.
Back in 2002 retailers were not as interested in reducing environmental waste as they are now. At that time, sustainability efforts were focused on the sourcing and production of apparel. The waste at the store level was was not a priority.
However the type of “green” that has always been of interest to retailers is the money that can be saved on operational costs. Mannequins are big and bulky so it is costly to dispose of them. Note: mannequin is an umbrella term for a range of display fixtures such as dress forms, torsos, mannequin heads, mannequin legs etc
I decided to email this proposal to retailers: if they gave me their unwanted mannequins, I would haul them away at no cost to them and recycle them. This would save them thousands of dollars on disposal fees. The fact that they were provided an eco-friendly alternative to sending them to landfills was an added value.
Within 18 months of offering this proposal I had worked with the regional stores of Sears, Nordstrom, Ralph Lauren and Nike.
Technically, I was not recycling mannequins because I was not grinding them up to make a different product. Instead I was extending their life cycle by reselling them. The mannequins were resold to businesses and private individuals who would reuse them in their current form. Or they would repurpose them into various art projects.
Although I was getting mannequins for free – free isn’t free. I had transportation, labor, storage and marketing costs. Taking those expenses into account and selling the mannequins at a discount, a profit could still be made.
Initially the mannequins were resold on Craigslist or EBay. Once e-commerce became available our website was like the Depop or Poshmark for mannequins. Soon I had enough inventory to transition from side hustle to a full time enterprise and ship mannequins all over the country.
As retailers expanded their sustainability efforts to all areas of their operation and as more retail stores closed as online shopping increased, there was a greater demand for our mannequin recycling services.
Here are some of our clients:
Pretty impressive, right? And this was long before the 15% pledge existed and before I became certified as a minority owned business in 2022. Here are a few more clients and a complete list is on our website.
The only reason I had these clients is because I went through the back door (loading dock) not the front door. They were not buying anything from me, instead I was saving them money by removing their discarded mannequins. Had I charged them a nominal fee to remove their mannequins, I doubt they would have hired me.
As a creator (with over 59K followers on Pinterest) showcase all the creative ways people use mannequins in art projects such as Dress Form Christmas Trees, mosaic, decoupage and stencils. Yet none of the large craft stores have partnered with me even though I recommend products they sell in my tutorials. I have seen them partner with other creators with smaller followings.
Even when I started working with drop shippers to supply me with new mannequins to sell, only a handful of large corporations bought from me. The majority of my customers are independent retailers, non-profits, fashion schools, small museums and private individuals. None of the companies who have taken the 15% pledge have purchased from me, but many of them have used my recycling services.
90% of the mannequin vendors in the US are owned by males of Jewish or Chinese ancestry. This was part of the reason I was reluctant to highlight that Mannequin Madness was owned by a Black woman. Plus we are located in Oakland, California, far from the fashion capitals of NY and LA.
In 2003 shortly after I began operating the business full time (but still working from home), I got a phone call from a woman with a heavy Italian accent. She was calling from the Milan office of Prada. She wanted to purchase mannequins she saw on our website that we acquired from a Ralph Lauren store. The mannequins were no longer in production from the manufacturer and although they were in mint condition, we were selling them at a deep discount because they were secondhand.
As we finalized the details for payment and shipment, I wondered if she would have called had she known I was a Black woman selling mannequins from her backyard in Oakland. I doubt it. Fortunately, the internet allowed me to be anonymous and I kept it that way for a long, long time.
Let’s skip to 2023 and I am now more comfortable publicizing that Mannequin Madness is a Black owned business. Last month a representative from Under Armour called to inquire about mannequins they needed recycled. He had ready about me in the press and was thrilled to find a Black owned business who could help with their sustainability and diversity goals.
In 2020 Under Armour posted their diversity and inclusion pledge on their website. As of this writing nothing has been finalized and their company is one of the few athletic clothing retailers that I have never worked with.
In the 20 years that I have been serving the retail industry I have never seen as much support for Black owned businesses than now. And for long term growth, not just placing an order during Black History month. To run the business, I now have three employees and six contractors. Most of my staff are from marginalized communities, which is another factor of the economic impact of my business.
A shout out to the Comcast Rise program. I have personally benefitted from it three times – and it did not involve them buying mannequins. Comcast created a comprehensive 3 year commitment to support Black businesses that ranged from financial grants, entrepreneur training programs, free technology services and free advertising on their platform.
Hopefully corporations who have committed to the 15% pledge will not only make good on their promises and be an example for other corporations who have not taken the pledge. For more information about the mission, impact and significance of the 15% pledge read out this article from Business Insider.
