Copyright Essence
Victoria Gray is an accidental entrepreneur. It all began when she was searching for something that didn’t exist. That something was just a simple, elegant storage solution for her husband’s cannabis essentials. She was on the hunt for a product that could live out in the open without looking like it belonged in a dorm room or a dispensary backroom. What she found instead was a gap in the market so wide, so she did what most Black women do and decided to fill it herself. That search birthed Jé Fume, a lifestyle brand that’s transforming cannabis accessories into objets d’art, pieces so beautifully designed they demand to be displayed, not hidden. And in an industry where only 2% of cannabis businesses are Black-owned, Gray is one of the few who gets to define what success looks like. “Everything I found was either functional but unattractive or stylish but impractical,” Gray says. “Nothing felt elevated or reflected the reality of modern cannabis users.” So she did what any designer with a public health background would do: she thought about who actually uses these products and what they actually need. Gray understands that people use cannabis for medical reasons, for wellness, for recreation. A lot of them live in shared spaces where discretion and safety matters. That perspective shaped The Lux Vault and ultimately the entire Jé Fume line. The brand’s name is French for “I smoke,” which is a deliberate nod to her Louisiana Creole roots and the entrepreneurial legacy of her grandparents who built businesses from the ground up. “At its core, Jé Fume is about creating everyday luxury through design that feels personal, intentional, and refined,” she explains. “We’re turning something ordinary into something artful and functional.” But for Gray, this goes deeper than aesthetics. Design is a tool for reclamation and a way to rewrite narratives that have long excluded Black communities, particularly Black women, from cannabis culture. “Reclaiming space means rewriting the narrative,” she says. “For so long, Black communities, especially Black women, have been excluded or stigmatized in cannabis culture. Jé Fume exists to shift that story through design, elegance, and ownership.” The mission sounds ambitious because it is. And the barriers are real. Access to capital remains one of the biggest challenges, with Black-owned businesses receiving only a fraction of overall funding, and that gap widens even further when cannabis enters the equation. Gray has experienced this firsthand. “Although public perception of cannabis has evolved, there remains institutional resistance to funding businesses associated with the space,” she says. The journey has required what she calls a “strategic and creative approach.” It’s also reinforced something she already knew: representation matters deeply. “Building Jé Fume isn’t just about creating beautiful, functional products, it’s about carving space for Black women to lead, innovate, and own their narratives in industries that haven’t always welcomed us.” The brand operates at the intersection of three things: luxury, legacy, and culture. To Gray, luxury isn’t excess, but instead it’s intentionality put into the thought and care behind each piece. Legacy grounds everything in her personal history, connecting her heritage with a modern vision. And culture? That’s what breathes life into it all. “Our culture has always turned the everyday into something beautiful,” she says. “Through Jé Fume, I celebrate that creativity while reshaping how cannabis is seen, rooted in excellence, community, and intention.” For Black women especially, cannabis use carries layers of judgment that other communities don’t face. Gray’s goal is to create products that allow women to own their rituals without shame. To see cannabis as part of a thoughtful lifestyle rather than something that needs to be hidden or apologized for. “I hope Jé Fume helps redefine cannabis culture through a lens of pride, beauty, and empowerment,” Gray says. By designing accessories that are elegant and intentional, she wants to show that sophistication and cannabis aren’t mutually exclusive. That you can have both. “Ultimately, I want Jé Fume to represent freedom, the freedom to design your life, express yourself fully, and take up space in every room you enter.”
