Adrian Allen: A First Generation Business Owner & Activist
ADRIAN JADE ALLEN (Hampton University Class of ‘22) dominates the luxury jewelry space with her latest launch of Kanem Bornu, a designer jewelry brand inspired by West Africa’s rich culture and history. Born to a family of immigrants from Antigua, then subsequently raised in West Philadelphia, Adrian broke barriers as a first-generation college student and is now on her way to becoming a first-generation business owner. She’s received numerous accolades, including a business grant from Black Girl Ventures (founded by Omi Bell), and is involved in several service projects overseas in Senegal, Kenya and Antigua with a focus on education.
The origin of Kanem Jewelry comes from the Kanem Bornu empire, which is one of the longest empires that existed before the Songhai empire. Adrian states, “I wanted to incorporate African and Caribbean imagery, fruit, spices, beaches—which is the traditional aesthetic of African and Caribbean imagery. I also wanted to urbanize it a bit—so make it modern, but ancient.”
Kanem Bornu explores rich, timeless pieces that builds long-lasting empires. “I want my brand to encompass the rich lifestyle, and create timeless pieces you can wear forever. . . pieces that live on past its creation.” Adrian says, “I want my jewelry to tell the story of how rich black people are in resources and beyond measure. And I wanted it to be like everyone can have access to luxury. Affordable, rich, timeless.”
It’s important to identify that Black entrepreneurs in the luxury jewelry space only make up 1% of the market; the limited resources that Black innovators have access to, along with the lack of venture capital compared to other groups, concerns Adrian the most. “A lot of businesses come from personals savings, or if we have a job, we use the money that’s supposed to be going toward our living expenses.” Adrian explains, “I was scared to go out on faith, because I knew it would be a huge investment, but I didn’t have the funds or support to get it off the ground.”
Adrian says that her HBCU helped the most in not only giving her professional connections post-grad, but gave her the inspiration to learn about the prominent, African-American figures that’ve shaped her campus. Additionally, she feels a strong sense of camaraderie at Hampton, especially through events like Homecoming, which is a celebration of HBCUs and their legacies.
When asked to give one word of advice to her past self, she’d tell herself to never let an opportunity pass by, and to stay on top of everything. “I let a lot of things pass me by because I just didn’t do it, or I’d let the time click clock all day long. I’d rarely finish, but I started. Always finish.”
