Australia

Sydney

Dance

Contemporary Arts

Performance

Performing Arts

Black-Owned

This list of black-owned businesses in Sydney is a result of collaboration across our global community and is by no means exhaustive. There are so many more incredible businesses out there and we welcome all suggestions. We’ll be updating this guide regularly, so if you feel like sharing, please email 

 We'd like to thank Sydney locals, Kaylie and Rashna Farrukh, for helping us put this together.

BOCK:ARIE, is a unisex accessories and clothing brand founded in 2019 by designer Naomi Bockarie. Derived from the notion of bringing art into everyday life, the brands first collection features unique non-animal leather bags, that can be worn in numerous ways in the one design. The design philosophy is to allow the wearer to reinterpret the design into their own and to create their own personal look that is not entirely dictated by the designer and as a result BOCKARIE designs are intended to be ever evolving. Their next collection will feature clothing.

Being Mad About Curls, we specialize in all types of curls – Wavy, Curly and Afro. Based in Sydney Australia. With celebrity clients like Zadie Smith, FKA Twigs, Amanda’s Stenberg and Yemi Alade, we provide our curly haired beauties numerous and well-educated options for styling and wearing your unique look confidently.
Whether your curls are in their natural form, chemically treated or manipulated, we offer a judgement free zone so you can enjoy your hair’s versatility the way you like. 
Our role as a team is to simplify your curl journey, complimented by our Rumbie & Co curly hair products, our curly hair services and education. We also are creating a curl community that will empower and support you, leaving you time to embrace and love your curls.

Jarin Street began by recognising the misuse of Aboriginal art and the industry's failure to protect the artists and Aboriginal designs, as well as a failure to highlight the artists themselves.
We support up and coming Indigenous artists to get their designs out there and seen in day to day life.
We aim to provide ongoing ethical and sustainable support to the artists who contribute their work on our yoga mats and soon to come - active wear and fashion garments.

Sauti Systems is a multifaceted brand, focused on providing an atmospheric event of diverse and enjoyable musical content. We aim to bring positivity through all creative avenues, producing an all round inclusive experience.

A hip-hop dance experience designed to make you feel good about yourself. Usually held in a no mirrors, dim lights, judgement free space. Currently running livestream classes with dance courses also available so you can pause, rewind, and groove in your own time.

This homey Redfern cafe offers classic brunch food alongside pastries injected with Indigenous ingredients (lemon-myrtle cheesecake, hello!). Community groups can use the back room to hold meetings, and run pottery, poetry, and painting nights.

After spending its infancy as a pop-up, the popular Nigerian joint has recently found a permanent home in Newtown. It is the currently the only restaurant solely dedicated to Nigerian cuisine. All the usual suspects feature on the menu – jollof rice, puff puffs, fried plantains – with the most recent addition to the menu being suya (grilled spiced beef served with onions, tomatoes and capsicum).

Located in the heart of Sydney’s western suburbs, Gursha Ethiopian is a no-fuss, affordable and authentic Ethiopian food experience. There’s a large variety of vegan options alongside the more well-known Ethiopian dishes – doro wat and kitfo.

Bangarra is a critically acclaimed Indigenous performing arts company. Their dance technique incorporates 40,000 years of culture with contemporary movement, creating vibrant performances. While their scheduled tour is on hold due to current circumstances, they have made a number of performances available to stream for free online.

Eden Dessalegn provides traditional hair braiding with a modern twist. Self-taught, she started off charging $5 dollar a head in high school, graduated to market stalls, and now has her own studio based in south-west Sydney.

Tegan Murdock creates bespoke jewellery and keepsakes using a weaving technique taught to her by her mother. Customers can also learn to weave with her starter kits (which comes with videos and written instructions) or by attending one of her workshops. She is currently running these workshops online.

Bangarra Dance Theatre

Related Guides