Story & Lesson Highlights with Jeanine Hays & Bryan Mason of Hudson Valley

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jeanine Hays & Bryan Mason. Check out our conversation below.

Jeanine & Bryan, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Right now we are so proud to have completed our first showhouse space in the Catskills. It’s our new neighborhood, after having to leave Brooklyn in 2020 due to Jeanine’s Long COVID condition. As Jeanine struggles with disabilities after being infected with COVID-19, we never thought we’d be able to do a project like this again. Today, we are thrilled to not only have completed the project, but to have done something with incredible meaning — the design of our To Be Free Library in homage of Sojourner Truth, who has from the area.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
AphroChic is a source for furniture, decor, art and design inspired by the cultures of the African Diaspora, looking at lifestyle and home through a Black cultural lens. We recently launched AphroChic Home — our furniture and home decor brand. Every piece in our collection of home goods, from sofas to tabletop accessories, provide insight into Black contributions in the world of home and design. We just released a new collection of furniture and accessories this Fall in our To Be Free Collection. With pieces celebrating Black liberationists like W.E.B. Du Bois, Josephine Baker, James Baldwin, among others, the collection expresses a sentiment that we want more Black folks to connect with — that we are free, have always been free, and that the only thing that can be denied a person is their liberty. Freedom is our birthright, not something to work towards, but to celebrate, as it continually strengthens our community.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
For us, our heritage and culture not only shapes how we see the world, it’s the work of the ancestors that guides us in everything we do. We have learned over the years that we do not need to make new blueprints. They are there if you are willing to take a look back. Someone’s work who shapes, and reshapes our path with AphroChic daily is W.E.B. Du Bois. There is little that the father of modern day sociology did not due to build Black culture – working across movements like Pan-Africanism and Negritude, giving us organizations like the NAACP, Black Swan, numerous newspapers, journals, and creating supportive environments for Black artists to thrive in. He was a Black liberationist, and someone who helps us see that we have a part in that work as well. And that through design, art, and aesthetics, one can make an enormous impact in creating a better, more just and equitable world.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
No, but we are always pushing our brand further. Last year, we were thrilled to greatly expand our line of home decor offerings, with a new line of furniture, decor, tabletop, and apparel. All of the pieces in the collection celebrate Black cultural heritage in design, with collections named for great icons, like Josephine Baker and W.E.B. Du Bois. This year, we launched furniture and decor in our To Be Free Collection, dedicated to telling the story of Black liberation movements.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
At AphroChic, we are unabashed fans of the various Black cultures from across the African Diaspora, and of African American culture in particular. We take the time to celebrate our cultural heritage in all that we do. And expand the minds of consumers, so that they can see that Black cultural heritage has been part of the world of design for as long as there have been people. When we can take something like our Devonshire Flatware, and the tell the story of 70 Jamaican metallurgists, whose metal crafting ability changed metal-smithing across the globe, and is the foundation of the metal we use today, in everything from building materials, to flatware, then we feel we’ve done our job. Showing a slice of Black culture that was erased, forgotten, and bringing it back to life again for a new generation to learn about.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing? 
We work to do as much as possible, offering many different ways that people can have touch points with the AphroChic brand and make it part of their life. With AphroChic Home, we are providing beautifully curated and designed furniture and decor that helps people tell their own individual story of home. Through AphroChic magazine, we are providing readers with inspiration, introducing them to the Black artists, designers, makers, chefs, and more, who are beautifully expressing the culture. And through AphroChicTV, viewers can access aspirational content, from how to create the perfect cocktail, to author talks that bring consumers deeper into the world of AphroChic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aphrochic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aphrochic
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/aphrochic
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/aphrochic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AphroChic
• Other: https://pinterest.com/aphrochic

Image Credits
Phil Mansfield
AphroChic