April Showers (businesswoman)
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April Showers | |
|---|---|
| Add a Photo April Showers, Founder & CEO of Afro Unicorn | |
| Born | July 20, 1980 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Afro Unicorn |
April Showers (born July 20, 1980) is an American entrepreneur known for her role as the founder and CEO of Afro Unicorn, a fully-licensed character brand headquartered in Los Angeles, California.[1]
Early life and education
April Showers was born and raised in South Central, Los Angeles. She is inspired by her mother, Carlette Caldwell. Showers attended Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and credits that environment for her ultimately becoming an entrepreneur and founder of the Afro Unicorn brands.[2]
Career
At 19 years old, Showers established a personal assistant agency, connecting celebrities with personal assistants. Later, Showers went on to have an insurance agency and became a licensed real estate broker, running both businesses.[3]
Afro Unicorn
In 2019, April Showers founded Afro Unicorn as an organic and grassroots brand in the e-commerce industry. When Showers realized that her favorite emoji—the unicorn—was only available in white, she was inspired to create a more inclusive, conscious brand to empower women and children of color.[4] Initially, Showers started by pressing shirts and selling them through her eCommerce store, customizing apparel with logos upon customers’ requests.[5]
In August 2021, a video featuring then-4-year-old kid influencer Cassidy Brianna wearing an Afro Unicorn shirt went viral, capturing the interest of Walmart. Showers received an email from the retail giant expressing interest in collaborating with Afro Unicorn.
Today, Afro Unicorn has 25 product categories across the U.S. and Canada, including Walmart, Walmart Canada, Target, HomeGoods, Kohls, JCPenney, Amazon, and NovaKids. Afro Unicorn works with over 45 licensee partners worldwide, offering accessories, apparel, books, backpacks, collectibles, consumables, costumes, luggage, toys, and more.[6]
Showers has been a featured guest on ABC News GMA 3: What You Need To Know[7] where she discussed Afro Unicorn as the first Black female-owned character brand to land in major retail stores around the country and CBS Mornings[8] where she talked about the importance of authentic representation with Gayle King.
April Showers made her second appearance on CBS Mornings on September 5, 2023 for her books, ‘A Magical Day’ and ‘We are Afro Unicorns’ the first Little Golden Book in the Afro Unicorn line[9].
Philanthropy
The Afro Unicorn Foundation was established in 2023 to foster the growth and development of young girls.
References
- ↑ Browley, Jasmine (June 17, 2022). "'Afro Unicorn' Founder Makes History As First Black-Woman-Owned Brand To Be Licensed In Major Retail Store". Essence. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ↑ Fitch, Lisa (September 20, 2022). "Brown unicorns a hit for Black businesswoman". The Miami Times Online. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ↑ DeLawder, Keith (November 30, 2022). "Afro Unicorn' Creator Becomes First Black-Woman-Owned Brand to be Licensed In Major Retail Stores". L.A. FOCUS. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ↑ Muyco-Tobin, Trish (May 4, 2023). "April Showers Builds Her Brand by Lifting Others Up". Gazelle Magazine. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ↑ Sacks, Hannah (February 28, 2023). "Afro Unicorn: The Magic of Authentic Representation". The Toy Book. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ↑ Clayton, Tessa (April 11, 2023). "Brands to watch: Afro Unicorn is a homage to Africa and a promise to amplify representation". Licensing Source. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ↑ "Afro Unicorn lands in major retail stores". Good Morning America. August 25, 2022. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ↑ "The importance of diverse characters, according to company CEO April Showers". www.cbs.com. August 18, 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ↑ Watch CBS Mornings: April Showers talks new book series - Full show on CBS, retrieved 2023-09-05
External links
This article "April Showers (businesswoman)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.