Concept E-Commerce Retailer Spotlights Cultural Merchandise And Women-Owned Brands
Written by Atiya Jordan
Online shopping has become a way of life. No longer are consumers beholden to big-box stores with the same clothing choices and home decor. Conversely, consumers no longer have to go out of their way to access small boutiques to access unique or rare wares. Multi-cultural products are at everyone’s fingertips – just one click away.
Gina Lewis is one of the people who makes interesting, distinct, and peculiar cultural pieces accessible.
Lewis is the owner and founder of FRTWN (Shop Freetown), a digital e-commerce platform. As the founder and lead merchant, Lewis selects all designers and products for FRTWN’s digital e-commerce platform, which emphasizes cultural merchandise, woman-owned brands, designers of color, and products ethically made in Africa and the broader Diaspora.” Lewis spoke with BLACK ENTERPRISE about her inspiration and goals as she moves forward in e-commerce.
Please give us a little background for those unfamiliar with you.
My name is Gina Lewis. I am a career buyer and merchant and now founder of FRTWN. We focus on the style, aesthetics, and inspiration from the women of the African Diaspora.
How would you describe your relationship with fashion? How did it begin?
Like so many people, especially Black creators, I feel like that inspiration from your grandmother is always a common thread. My grandmother, Dora, used to make my Easter dresses and Halloween costumes from my sketches as early as seven years old. It’s just a lifelong journey of curiosity, loving dress, and being drawn to clothing and exploring.
How would you describe your style right now?
I’m really about maximalism, embellishment and texture, I love having conversation pieces. They break down barriers, especially when we meet people for the first time. My favorite designer is Kente Gentlemen, which we carry on FRTWN.
Can you share some lessons you’ve learned from the venture accelerator UM program at UCLA?
FRTWN was selected to to participate UM in in their venture accelerator programming. It helped in the infancy of our journey with FRTWN, to envision what scaling looks like and thinking about those key networks and relationships.
There is a language and ecosystem that in startup culture and fundraising culture.
What were some of the best strategies you used, as a global buyer for Home Goods, that you use now?
I would say that it’s constant curiosity, having your eyes open all the time. That’s an innate skill set that I have that I think makes for good taste. The next thing is relationship building. It’s complex. I think I’m just kind of developing a merchant mindset.
How are you able to collaborate with these amazing artisans and creators as founder of FRTWN?
Thank God for social media. The proliferation of Instagram and being able to find all of all these incredible things that are being made.
How do you know what the consumer wants?
It’s really thinking about what feels unique and different. In general, we aim to operate in the niche so sometimes you are taking a little bit of risk, especially in the beginning.
What do I love as a consumer? And from that entry point, then you’re in conversation with the customer. Just kind of doing this dance, you don’t get it right all the time, but it’s moving, and it’s dynamic.
You launched your first product in 2021. What was it?
We started with Madame Wokie from Freetown, Sierra Leone. So, I went to Sierra Leone I went to Freetown in 2018. I was able to meet the founder, Maryann Kaikai.
I spent about ten days there, and just went to the market with her and went to visit her store, and we did photo shoots, and we did A curated collection of ball skirts that we ended up getting styled for someone for a wear the Wearable Art Gala back in 2019.
From the Wearable Art, Gala Lewis continues add unique products from all over the globe to FRTWN’s inventory. Lewis continues growing FRTWN, she reiterates her hopes for the future, “I’m really striving to explore the nuances that make us who we are, make us different that’s really important to me.”
“We just want to continue growing to create excitement that’s going to make people engage with us, find us and create joy.”
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