Angel Johnson’s gym mishap turned into the thriving activewear brand ICONI

This is Buy Black, a series highlighting Black-owned businesses. Here, we feature business owners who share their stories, provide tips for growing a brand, and discuss the importance of supporting the success of Black-owned businesses.

In September of 2019, Angel Johnson was working out in the Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, when she had an awkward moment that changed her life. “I was working out with a friend, and he was like, ‘I’m sorry to tell you this, but I can see everything,’” remembers Johnson, who was an Air Force captain at the time. “I was like, ‘Oh no! I spent $80 on these leggings, what is going on?’”

A few weeks later, while working a night shift at the base, Johnson was still feeling frustrated about the situation when inspiration struck. She turned to one of her sergeants and said, “You know what, I’m going to start an activewear company.”

That was the origin of ICONI, a motivational activewear company that makes inclusive workout clothing for all types of bodies. Inspired by Johnson’s own gym wear mishap in 2019, the activewear is squat proof and, importantly, not see through. A Black and woman-own brand, ICONI stands for “I Can Overcome, Nothing’s Impossible.” And, since launching in January 2020, the brand has already seen phenomenal success—earning a spot on the coveted Oprah’s “Favorite Things” list, and growing the brand through online marketing with Amazon Ads and the Black Business Accelerator (BBA).

The first thing Johnson had to do after the incident at gym was research, research, research. She looked for the best fabric, the best manufacturers. She explored color trends and learned how to request samples. She put together a list of 20 questions she would ask every manufacturer—questions like: “How long does it take to get samples? Is there a sample fee?” But, perhaps the biggest challenge Johnson faced early on was launching a business during a pandemic.

“I thought I was going to be hitting all of these gyms to market my brand in person, because Denver is all about fitness,” Johnson says. “I wasn’t really focused on social media. I thought I’d have my brand at fitness competitions. But when everything shut down I was like ‘Oh no, what do I do now?’”

So Johnson changed her plan. She pivoted toward social media and focused on selling products on her website. Looking back, Johnson says she would have done a lot more digital marketing in the beginning and launched her brand earlier on Amazon. “I would definitely try to learn more about free resources that are available,” Johnson says. “If I started sooner on Amazon I could have [worked with] the Seller University and learned about marketing that way, instead of spinning my wheels and going in so many different directions.”

Johnson also stresses the importance of there needing to be more resources for Black and women-owned businesses.

“People need to realize that Black and women-owned businesses can be successful. I also think the sponsorship and mentorship is important,” Johnson says. “If you’re from a historically underserved community, you might not have a mentor who can loan you money and your family might not be able to put that kind of money together. I was lucky to have been able to fund my business because I had been on two deployments.”

According to a 2021 report from the US Minority Business Development Agency, the strength of the broader US economy is increasingly tied to minority-owned businesses (MBE). As the report notes, “A clear and compelling case for the central importance of the MBE experience to the future of U.S. economic growth lies in simple arithmetic: minorities are a large and growing part of the U.S. population, yet minority productivity lags behind that of non-minorities.”

“Look to your chamber of commerce for a small business development center, look to Amazon—those bigger companies and non-profit organizations can provide those resources,” Johnson says.

These programs and resources can not only support business owners, but inspire new ones, she says.

“Too many times, a little Black kid isn’t seeing that they could be a business owner,” Johnson says. “These programs give them something different to aspire to. And it’s also helping these Black-owned businesses grow. Regardless of if they’re Black or LGBTQ or women-owned it’s good to have diversity.”