Haitian businesses are rapidly growing across the United States as migration to the United States increases. It’s wonderful to see the creativity of Haitians, cascading amazing products and talents across the world.
Isse and Lo is a woman-owned, Haitian-owned brand that focuses on cultural relevance in educational products for children. Selling Haitian-made and inspired toys, musical instruments, books, and apparel; Isse and Lo give you a piece of Haiti with every purchase.
Isse and Lo launched in December 2022 and has been able to reach thousands of black and Caribbean households, while also providing jobs and income to Haitian artisans. Lawyer by day and creative by night, Régine found her calling after leaving the United States in 2010 to live in Haiti. Régine Théodat used her dream of changing the paradigms shaped by the negative impacts of history to operate Isse and Lo. “I was struck by the realization that there was a major issue of internalized anti-Blackness and self-hate in our community. I was so disheartened to hear Haitians denigrate our folktales as stupid on parenting groups on FaceBook, but then promptly take their kids trick-or-treating or to see Disney Princesses. I couldn’t understand why our stories weren’t valued in the same way. We think it's “stupid” for someone to speak of “lougawou” but don’t think it’s stupid to have people watch werewolf movies in the U.S. during Halloween, which is essentially the same concept. Then when I became pregnant, I found it impossible to complete my daughter's nursery, so I started making things for her. My sister and I were speaking on WhatsApp, and that’s when we decided to start Isse & Lo” Régine explains.
Named after her daughter Isse and their family cat Lola, Isse and Lola was birthed. Being to many of us what the Disney Princesses and Marvel characters are to so many non-Haitian households, Isse and Lo is the brand many of us needed and didn’t have access to as children. Sharing our culture through every toy and book created, amplifying, and continuing the tradition of Haitian storytelling on every page. “I don’t want to hear the next generation repeating some of our limiting beliefs about our culture. It’s also brought me a lot of joy to create in Haiti after being forced to leave last year. It also helps me work through my understanding of our culture and how I feel about how we show up for our kids. I want my daughter to skip the unlearning process I went through in my 20s” Théodat says.
Now operating her Isse and Lo from her new residence in the Dominican Republic, Régine continues to grow and scale Isse and Lo. “In the next five years I hope to have 3 more lines of picture books, publish our Decolonized Caribbean History Books for Tweens/Teens, publish our Caribbean Experiments Science textbook, and add one, perhaps two other islands and develop product lines relative to them” Régine explains. Isse and Lo’s future is bright as Haitian Creatives are taking the world and social media channels by storm. Making the future for Haitian creatives and Haitian-owned businesses limitless. If you’d like to support Isse and Lo please visit their website at https://www.isseandlo.com/.
