Shop Latinx, a marketplace for Latinx brands, is diving deeper into the beauty and wellness space with its new vertical, Our Paradiso.
The vertical launches Thursday with 10 Latinx-founded brands: Chillhouse, Rizos Curls, Joanna Vargas Skincare, San Maris, Nopalera, Common Heir, For Tmrw, Raices Morenas and Tecuane. Initial product offerings will include Chillhouse’s Chill Tips, Rizos Curls Curl Defining Cream and Common Heir Barrier Boost Serum.
“In an industry where we are put in a box or ‘othered,’ I want Our Paradiso to be a platform for Latinx to feel seen and celebrated,” said chief executive officer Brittany Chavez, who founded Shop Latinx in 2016. It began as an Instagram account that acted more as a directory for brands, before launching at shoplatinx.com focusing on Latinx-founded lifestyle brands. In its latest evolution, the marketplace will just be Our Paradiso, with Chavez believing that’s the space with the most opportunity.
While she is moving the marketpace into beauty with Our Paradiso, she wanted to keep the overarching name Shop Latinx as that has long been a huge part of its marketing strategy, helping to leverage relationships with celebrities and influencers, including Zoe Saldana and Becky G.
“There’s already been a rise of Latinx talent and cultural recognition across music, television — and it needs to continue across every category that we impact,” she continued. “Through the prioritization of beauty and wellness practices, I want to bring our stories and traditions to the forefront.”
While just digital for now, Chavez is hoping that it can scale quickly into a brick-and-mortar space, which will act as a venue to host culture-driven events, partnerships and fulfillment.
There is certainly much to play for in the market, with Chavez pointing to a McKinsey & Co. report showing that if Latinx businesses’ access to capital were improved, and their representation in growing sectors increased, they would contribute an additional $2.3 trillion in revenue to the economy.
From the brand side, Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton, the founder of Chillhouse, said: “I am so excited to be a part of this exclusive beauty and wellness retailer that functions as a platform to connect consumers to their roots, their heritage, their home.”
In 2021, Shop Latinx raised $1 million in a pre-seed round of funding from investment partners Precursor Ventures, Backstage Capital, Debut Capital, Techstars, among several other consumer angel investors.
Charles Hudson, managing partner and founder of Precursor Ventures, said: “We are proud and excited to be supporting Our Paradiso and its growth trajectory. For too long, the Latinx consumer has been an afterthought and it is time for this community to be celebrated and prioritized.”
Source: WWD