Kamirria Wallace: Celebrating HBCU Excellence Through Collegiate Wear

If the phrase “trust the process” was a person, it’d be Kamirria Wallace. A Howard alumna (class of ‘09), Kamirria uses her love for her HBCU to instill a passion for learning and attaining higher education for the next generations of Black scholars. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Kamirria always knew she wanted to go to an HBCU. Initially motivated by her daughters, she first began creating youth apparel, creating custom sweatshirts which eventually led to a storefront shop on Etsy. 

After the successful launch of her storefront, Kamirria considered setting up an official business, starting Black & Scholared in 2018, and working full-time as the founder and CEO for the past six years. Kamirria’s work with Black & Scholared is inspired by her experience as an alumna. “I think about living up to the greatness that came before me,” she says. “HBCUs have given us the keys to go out there and make a difference.”

Black & Scholared celebrates what it means to be black, educated, and thriving by creating a culture that puts HBCUs at the forefront. “I thought, how can we create a space to celebrate what it means to be black, educated, THRIVING! We are out here in society making a mark; it’s attributed to HBCUs and has given us the keys to really go out here and make a difference. We need a space for that, especially in collegiate apparel—It’s not often talked about or celebrated.”

Kamirria’s HBCU experience inspired her products, but it also equipped her with the persistence and skill set to make Black & Scolared a success. Learning to figure it out is an HBCU superpower, she says, and when setbacks arise, Kamirria is more than capable of handling them. Part of going to an HBCU is figuring it out and being able to advocate for yourself; Kamirria has taken that to the next level by using Black & Scholared to inspire HBCU students and alumni to do the same.

“There’s so many resources. It really doesn’t take a lot. When you treat your business as a full-time project, it helps you avoid pitfalls and prioritize responsibilities. Time is on your side in this season of your life, so you can afford to put your project first. Just go for it!”

Her biggest piece of advice is to students and entrepreneurs is to “start with with a full-time mindset;” and to not sell themselves or their businesses short. Kamirria took a leap of faith launching Black & Scholared, but she went in knowing what she wanted to accomplish and used her resources to get it done.