#28TM: Michiel Perry

Mrs. Michiel Perry, 29, is a South Carolina girl who loves all things Southern and stylish. While planning her wedding in Charleston, S.C. and decorating her first home in Maryland, Mrs. Perry was inspired to develop a lifestyle brand focused on African-American women with a Southern connection called Black Southern Belle.

Her digital lifestyle brand Black Southern Belle, created an online and offline resource of lifestyle inspiration for African-American women in the South. In 2015, Mrs. Perry and her team expanded Black Southern Belle and developed an editorial division, ambassador program, online store, and the Black Southern Belle Collective.  Black Southern Belle has been featured in numerous outlets, including HGTV, Essence, Black Enterprise, Draper James, Apartment Therapy, Brides, Today, Levo League, AOL Lifestyle Collective, and more.

Before launching her business, Mrs. Perry managed marketing and partnerships at Lillybee, a collegiate and sorority lifestyle brand where she launched a collegiate ambassador program and managed the blogger outreach project. She caught her small business and startup bug while working here, and still wears Lillybee products at least twice a week.

And once upon a time in her lifetime, she was a political event planner and relationship manager for a small email company called Google, Inc. in Washington, D.C. She occasionally misses the free food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Does Black History Month Mean To You This Year?

Black History Month means a time to reflect on the past to inspire the future. For me and my creativity, so much of what I love is inspired from the past, whether it is food (I live for gumbo and shrimp and grits), fashion (never met a monogram I didn’t like), home decor (Addicted to buying any African American history coffee table book I can find) or art (Jonathan Green and Gullah art are my favorites). I love reflecting on what has already been created by my ancestors which has influenced so much of today’s culture and figuring out how I can showcase that history and style through BlackSouthernBelle.com

 

 

 

 

Where Are You Finding Inspiration Today To Design This Year?

This year I am finding inspiration through my travels. I have made it my mission to explore every small town in the South and find the African American culture that is a part of it. One of those favorite towns is Beaufort, SC, from the Roberts Smalls House (South Carolina member of US Congress during Reconstruction) to the Penn Center (First school for Freed Slaves); I am inspired by the architecture, design and history of what these towns have to offer.  These trips influence everything I do personally and with Black Southern Belle.

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