Amira Rasool

Amira Rasool
Born
South Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationEntrepreneur

Amira Rasool is an American entrepreneur and former fashion journalist.[1] She is the founder of The Folklore, a company that distributes fashion and lifestyle products from Africa and the African diaspora.[2][3]

Early life and education

Rasool was born and raised in South Orange, New Jersey. Rasool developed an early interest in fashion and started a fashion blog during high school. While attending Rutgers University, she interned at various magazines, including Women's Wear Daily and Marie Claire.[4] Her blog led to a two-year internship at the trade publication Women's Wear Daily beginning in 2014.[5]

She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in African American and African Studies from Rutgers University and later earned a Master of Philosophy in African Studies from the University of Cape Town.[6] Rasool has said that a trip to South Africa during her senior year of college was where she decided to start a business; she moved to Cape Town after leaving V Magazine.[5]

Career

Rasool worked as a fashion assistant at V Magazine and has contributed to Marie Claire, Glamour, Teen Vogue, and others.[7][8] Her work primarily focused on Black culture in relation to fashion, travel, music, visual arts, and social justice.

The Folklore

In 2018, Rasool founded The Folklore, an e-commerce platform offering fashion and lifestyle products from Africa and the diaspora.[9][10][11] In its direct-to-consumer phase the company sourced products, arranged shipping and handled last-mile delivery for customers in 20 countries, including the United States.[12] The company initially began with a $30,000 investment.[13] Rasool was 22 years old when she started the company.[14] It later expanded to include The Folklore Shop, an e-commerce platform offering a curated selection of sustainable and diverse global brands.[15]

In April 2022, the company launched The Folklore Connect, a membership-based business-to-business platform on which retailers apply to browse and order from vetted brands; it opened in beta with ten brands, among them Rich Mnisi, and ten retailers.[16] The wider business was reorganized as The Folklore Group, with the original retail site becoming a shopping aggregator and a media arm, The Folklore Edit, carrying interviews and industry analysis.[16] The pre-seed round that funded the launch was led by Slauson & Co., with participation from the Fearless Fund and Black investors including the WNBA player Nneka Ogwumike.[16] In 2022, Rasool raised $1.7 million for The Folklore.[17]

In 2023, The Folklore Group announced a partnership with Nordstrom, the largest retailer to join the platform at that point; The Folklore Connect then listed more than 100 brands.[18] The company has also held seasonal showrooms during New York Fashion Week; its third annual showroom, in February 2025, featured 35 independent brands from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia and Mexico.[19]

In 2024, she raised an additional $3.4m in funding for The Folklore, led by the venture capital fund Benchstrength.[20] The round was led by Kenneth Chenault Jr. and John Monagle, both formerly of General Catalyst, with participation from existing investors Slauson & Co., Techstars and Black Tech Nation Ventures.[21] By that point the company had raised $6.22 million in total, including $120,000 from a Techstars accelerator in 2021.[22]

Recognition

In 2024, Rasool was included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.[23] In January 2025, Black Enterprise named her to its 40 Under 40 list, which recognized achievements made during 2024.[24]

References

  1. ↑ Sessoms, Janelle (June 19, 2024). "How Amira Rasool Went From Fashion Journalist to Entrepreneur". Fashionista. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  2. ↑ Malinsky, Gili (February 26, 2023). "27-year-old who raised over $1 million to build a platform for diverse designers: 'Create solutions'". CNBC. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  3. ↑ Deczynski, Rebecca (April 7, 2022). "Starting With 30 Designers and 15 Retail Partners, This 26-Year-Old Founder Wants to Build the LVMH of Africa". Inc.com. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Q&A: A Conversation with The Folklore's Founder and CEO Amira Rasool - Cliché Magazine". Cliché Magazine. July 20, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Steward, Ameera (November 1, 2023). "Not-so-average: Amira Rasool - Founder & CEO of The Folklore". FashionUnited. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Africa's coolest fashion designers will soon have their clothes in a store near you". Fast Company. August 16, 2022. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Why The Folklore Founder Amira Rasool Says Aspiring Entrepreneurs Should "Fail Fast"". Bustle. September 6, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  8. ↑ McDonald, Samantha (August 31, 2020). "Black Business Spotlight: Amira Rasool Wants to Build the 'LVMH of Africa' — Here's How". Footwear News. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  9. ↑ "How a 27-year-old raised over $1 million to build a platform for African designers: 'We know our problems better than anybody else'". www.cnbcafrica.com. February 27, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  10. ↑ Hahn, Rachel (September 11, 2018). "This New Online Concept Store Is Bringing Africa's Coolest Designers to the U.S." Vogue. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  11. ↑ Hasan, Zoya (February 23, 2024). "How This Under 30 Founder Is Bringing Africa And Asia's Boutique Retailers To Bergdorf's". Forbes. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  12. ↑ Njanja, Annie (April 7, 2022). "The Folklore Group secures $1.7 million, launches fashion B2B e-commerce platform". TechCrunch. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  13. ↑ Huber, Eliza (August 18, 2020). "Amira Rasool Wants The Folklore To Be The LVMH Of Africa". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  14. ↑ JoVonn, Jeroslyn (April 19, 2022). "The Folklore Founder Becomes One of The Youngest Black Women to Raise $1M+ Pre-Seed Funding For A Fashion Brand". Black Enterprise. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  15. ↑ Boyd-Griffith, Shelton (September 12, 2024). "The Folklore Shop Relaunches Online, Expanding Support for Global, Independent Brands". Vogue. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  16. 1 2 3 Donaldson, Tara (April 7, 2022). "The Folklore Group Just Raised $1.7M to Launch Premier Wholesale Platform for African Designers". WWD. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  17. ↑ Duncan-Smith, Nicole (May 24, 2022). "How a 26-Year-Old Entrepreneur Became One of the Youngest Black Women to Raise Over $1M In Pre-Seed Funding". Finurah. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  18. ↑ Marcellus, Kerane (March 1, 2023). "The Folklore Group Is Partnering With Nordstrom". Essence. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  19. ↑ Lockwood, Lisa (February 3, 2025). "The Folklore to Host NYFW Showroom for Third Year, Featuring 35 Global Brands". WWD. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  20. ↑ Njanja, Annie (April 17, 2024). "B2B marketplace The Folklore bags $3.4M seed to get brands into global stores". TechCrunch. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  21. ↑ "'The Folklore' Founder Amira Rasool Raises $3.4M To Fuel Growing Retail Technology Empire". Essence. April 17, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Here's how The Folklore is poised for significant growth with its seed fundraising phase". FashionNetwork. April 23, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Amira Rasool". Forbes. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  24. ↑ JoVonn, Jeroslyn (January 8, 2025). "BLACK ENTERPRISE Unveils The 40 Under 40 List". Black Enterprise. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
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