“I think Coloured Goodies is needed everywhere.”

This sentence describes the mission and vision of cultural entrepreneur Ellen Brudet. For the past 13 years, Ellen has focused on creating a store for the Afro-Dutch society in The Netherlands.

Ellen Brudet

After giving birth to her first son, Ellen discovered that there was an enormous shortage of baby- and child products that represented dark people within The Netherlands. Instead of conforming or being defeated, Ellen decided to set up her own place to fulfill this need. Starting at the Van der Pekmarkt in Amsterdam Noord, Ellen opened Coloured Goodies (in the same neighborhood she grew up in) in 2006. Ever since, Coloured Goodies has grown into an important hub for the Afro-Dutch community. A single post on Instragram by American rapper The Game featuring one of her dolls went viral last year (more than 460.000 likes), after which Coloured Goodies and Ellen Brudet seem to be taking over the world.

In this podcast, Ellen and I talk about Coloured Goodies and the trend of inclusivity and diverse representation. Is this trend new? And most of all, (to whom) is it an important development?

Find more information on Coloured Goodies on their website, Facebook, or Instagram.

 

Podcast and pictures by Valerie Nicole van den Berg