Black Stylists Launch the Black Fashion & Beauty Collective
Their main objective is to fix the lack of representation in fashion and beauty.
As protests continue worldwide following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other black men and women who were killed due to police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement has also been addressing other drawbacks in society, including the lack of representation within fashion and beauty companies.
In order to enact change within these professions, a group of black makeup artists, stylists, and hairstylists just established the Black Fashion & Beauty Collective, a nonprofit organization that sheds light on black creatives in the fashion, beauty, and entertainment industries who are often given less support and/or recognition compared to their white counterparts.
“It’s almost like creating a black glam union,” stylist Jason Bolden told Business of Fashion about the collective.
The Black Fashion & Beauty Collective was formed by hairstylist Lacy Redway, celebrity stylist Law Roach, and stylist and designer of Aliette, Jason Rembert. Along with focusing on growth and change in the industry, the collective also wants to correct diversity issues within existing companies.
On June 11, supermodel Joan Smalls spoke about her experiences in the fashion industry using the hashtag #WeAreNotATrend.
“I don’t need validation from an industry that casts me as the token black girl while ignoring my whole cultural identity,” Smalls said. “What I do need is recognition of the systemic issues — the issues that arise from top to bottom within the industry, from photographers not wanting to shoot me because there’s no need to shoot a black girl to the magazines, brands, and agencies who continue to work with people of that mindset.”
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According to Bolden, the Black Fashion & Beauty Collective will become a “safe space” filled with connections and insights on these industries for emerging black creatives.
“It’s us being able to own our blackness and also let people know we’ve had enough and this is what it is going to like going forward,” he said to BOF.
To learn more about the Black Fashion & Beauty Collective, go to their official website here.