What’s the Tea with Black Beauty Brands?
I’ll be the first to admit, that I’m not a beauty girly. When I find products that work, I stick with them until they’re discontinued. But in my attempt to increase my knowledge of current fashion news, I came across “Are Black Beauty Brands Facing a Crisis?” by Maude Okrah Hunter on LinkedIn.
To be honest, I’m not surprised that black beauty brands are facing challenges regarding growth and operations, but it is frustrating to witness. In the article, Maude lists both core challenges and ways to address them. Two points that stuck out for me were creating opportunities to “diversify revenue streams through online platforms and direct-to-consumer models” and building “transparency in storytelling and brand values [that] can foster a deeper connection with consumers”.
I believe it’s important for black women to see themselves not only in the faces of campaigns but also behind the scenes running successful brands that cater to us to encourage further education and creating opportunities for even more growth in the future.
If you want to dive deeper into this topic, check out these articles:
Black-Owned Brands and the Sellout Dilemma: The Lip Bar’s Melissa Butler Offers A New Perspective On An Age-Old Debate via Esssence Communications
Melissa Butler states, “We always talk about wanting to build generational wealth, but there aren’t any Black-owned conglomerates to come and buy our companies.” Concerning the “misconceptions about Black wealth”, Butler explains that a brand owner’s net worth can be misleading since “it’s tied up in their equity” and “they don’t get to pour that wealth into their community or use it for their families unless they get a liquidity event…”
Sheena Butler-Young, Senior Correspondent at The Business of Fashion released a three-part series focused on how Black beauty business founders “built, launched, and scaled their multi-million-dollar businesses. “How to Launch a Black Beauty Brand” explains how founders provided a specific beauty need for customers and learned from early mistakes. “How to Scale a Black Beauty Brand” explains how brands can prepare their operations for retail readiness and their customers to shop their products at large retailers. And “How to Raise Money as a Black Beauty Brand” discusses the planning and strategy it takes to raise funds for a beauty business.
Welcome to Weekly Staples, a brief overview of my favorite fashion industry articles from the week related to marketing, retail trends, and events.
Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:
Universal Standard launches exchange programme to solve for size fluctuation via Vogue Business
Universal Standard will launch “Fit Liberty” on Monday, April 21st, a program that will allow their customers to exchange pieces purchased in the past year for new sizes, offering “a sustainable alternative to fast fashion”. CEO Polina Veksler says, “No more buying pieces that are too small or too big ‘just in case’...”
While I applaud this tactic for making a mark in fashion sustainability, I feel personally attacked since I’ve been holding on to a pair of size 10 American Eagle jeans (with the tags still on) since 2007.
Glossy Pop Newsletter: How the everyday belt became spring’s hottest accessory via Glossy
The belt is having a moment. Along with the latest minimalistic fashion trends of TikTok, adding a belt to your looks is “a great way to add structure, hardware, texture and, most importantly, intention to your look” according to stylist Allison Bornstein.
I have a love/hate relationship with belts, but lately, as I’m working to evolve my style, I may be adding a few new belts to my wardrobe.
TikTok Divest-or-Ban Bill Heads to Fast Track in US Congress via The Business of Fashion
I have very little experience with TikTok. However, even though I’m not active on the platform, I see TikTok content online every day. It’s become part of our culture, but it’s also understandable why our government would have concerns with US citizen data in the hands of a foreign government.
On March 13, 2024, the bill was passed in the House of Representatives. But it still has to pass in the Senate before it reaches President Biden’s desk for signature. If (or when) that happens, ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, will have one year - “longer than the six-month time frame in the previously passed House measure” - to sell TikTok.
Check out more interesting stories from the week:
African Designer Platform The Folklore Raises $3.4 Million {The Business of Fashion}
Walmart Wants in on Luxury Beauty. Will Shoppers Follow? {The Business of Fashion}
It’s Official: Nordstrom Brothers Pursue Nordstrom Inc. Takeover {WWD}
Luxury Briefing: Luxury resale saturation is changing how people shop {Glossy}
Retail Rundown
Lululemon to close store at Seattle’s Pacific Place mall {Puget Sound Business Journal}
When I assisted FGI Seattle in hosting a weekend-long pop-up shop in Pacific Place in 2018 with a collection of local designers, I took stock of the successes and challenges of that event. The main challenge was the foot traffic. While the weather was great to get outside and shop, the space would go hours without a single person entering the store. So it’s not a surprise to see that Lululemon is vacating its retail space due to lagging sales continuing the trend of national retailers leaving downtown Seattle.
Lululemon will also close its distribution center in Sumner, WA at the end of 2024, laying off “nearly 130 workers”.
Downtown Seattle retailer Fox’s Seattle to close after 112 years {Puget Sound Business Journal}
“Founded in 1912, Fox’s Seattle, formerly Fox’s Gem Shop, has operated out of a number of Seattle locations over the years, most recently the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. The jeweler is set to close April 27.” Fox’s Seattle is hosting one last sale called, “The Final Leap: A Celebration Sale”, happening in-store at 405 University Street and online at foxsseattle.com, offering 50% - 80% off all jewelry.
Downtown Seattle’s Bed Bath & Beyond building to become an arts center {The Seattle Times}
The old Bed Bath & Beyond location is getting a makeover. The team behind Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival is launching Cannonball Arts, a “66,000-square-foot space on Virginia Street between Third and Fourth Avenues will host art exhibits, concerts, fashion shows, art markets, and a variety of pop-up events throughout the year”.
The Scene
Vancouver Fashion Week {Vancouver Fashion Week}
Tuesday, April 23 - Sunday, April 28
5 - 8 PM
50 E Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C.
I’ll be attending the Friday and Saturday night shows. If you see me, come and say hello!
#SHEINUSPopUp {SHEIN}
Friday, April 26 - Sunday, April 28
11 AM - 7 PM
O’Shea Building, 501 Pine Street, Seattle
I’m debating driving straight from Vancouver to this pop-up in downtown Seattle on Sunday, just to see what the foot traffic is like.
Behind the Seams: Fashioning Gender {MOHAI}
Saturday, May 11
11 AM - 12 PM, 1 - 2 PM, 2 - 3 PM
MOHAI, 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle
This event will be hosted by MOHAI’s Curator of Collections, Clara Berg. I’ve attended past lectures hosted by Clara featuring Seattle Fashion in Boom Times and Style and Spectacle in Seattle.
With the Met Gala just two Mondays away, I took some time to reminisce on my time in NYC last year. I hadn’t been on an actual vacation in years, so I headed to the East Coast for seven days of luxury shopping, fabulous dinners, and possibly some celebrity sightings leading up to the fashion’s biggest night.
Unfortunately, as a rookie to the red carpet spectator scene, I was not prepared to camp out on 5th Avenue all day so I ordered a pizza from Serafina and watched the red carpet show from the comfort of my hotel room.
I realized I’d never seen the featured fashion exhibits during their run at The MET. I’d always been in the city either too early or too late. So this year, I plan to be right on time with a quick NYC trip in mid-May. Of course, I’ll share the details of my venture, but until then, feel free to read about my past NYC visits.
