- Black women really didn't - Have a seat at the table
in the beauty industry.
- We are saving
Fashion Fair Cosmetics,
one of our most precious
American iconic brands.
- It's a lot of - Moving parts right now
- as we're preparing - For the launch.
- What's at stake is just
to keep the legacy going
to really honor the work
that Mrs. Johnson did.
- I'm not so sure if that's - The smartest decision
and best use of our money,
- especially since I don't - Even know what the money is.
Hold on a second.
Just give us one second.
- Oh Lord!
- How much extra do - You pay for that?
(women laugh)
Nevermind.
- We're making sure that
the inventory is there.
- We're making sure that - Our influencer list
is right for this launch.
- That's about my color.
- This is a beloved
and historic brand,
and I wanna do justice by it.
- If Fashion Fair
Cosmetics doesn't thrive,
history is at stake.
- I don't know if - I remember exactly
the first time that
I put on makeup.
I do remember going to
so many makeup counters
and being embarrassed,
- because they didn't - Have my shade
- and feeling like somehow - That was my fault.
I definitely studied hard
- and I had two - Educators as parents.
And so they were determined
that both my brother and I
got a really good education.
I said, "I can do all of that,
but I'm still gonna have fun.
I still wanna look good.
- I still wanna have - Great fashion."
- The early definitions - For Black beauty for me,
quite frankly, were there
were no definitions.
Okay?
And that was the issue.
- When I looked at magazines, - I didn't see myself.
I suffered from what a lot
of Black women suffer from
wanting to have makeup
that really help bring out
those natural skin tones
and the melanin in your
skin and all of that,
but also looked very natural.
I think that there's
so much opportunity
in beauty in general,
and people of color
have a long way to go
to really being able to own
a significant percentage
of that business.
- Cheryl and I both have
extensive experience
in running companies.
I actually ran the
utility here in Chicago,
and that was a $2
billion business.
I also spent time in government
working at the Obama White House
as their first social secretary.
- It really started with
Desiree having this idea
that we were going to
buy a cosmetic company.
And she called me in
typical Desiree style.
She asked three
words, "Are you in?"
Okay.
- And of course, I don't know - What we're talking about.
- I didn't know if we - Were going to dinner
or what we were doing.
I said, "What am I in for?"
We wanted to find a company
that had meaning in the
community, had legacy,
really represented women of
color with darker skin tones.
So that really was
what we set out to do
was to get a seat at the table
to really work with the industry
- to make sure that - Some of the things
that we experienced growing up
would not be repeated
moving forward.
- Come on in.
Welcome to the
Rutgers University.
history department at
You'll have to
excuse the office.
I am in transition.
I miss my books. (laughs)
That's a crazy thing to say,
but as a historian
these have been here
and I miss them.
My favorites are on top.
Deb Willis' "Posing Beauty".
- Deb is such an - Influence of mine.
I love photography and
the work she's done
to just center Black
folks and our beauty,
and how we devise
our own standards
and our own ideas of beauty
from the very beginning.
It's wonderful.
Beauty is connected to power.
And within American society,
because of slavery,
because of the long
history of racism,
beauty has always been
connected to Whiteness.
- The closer you could - Get to Whiteness
the more beautiful
you could become.
This, of course,
puts Black folks
in a pretty strange position.
When we have the beginning
of the cosmetics industry,
it is responding to
the standard of beauty
that is connected
to being White.
We see very early on
- that White owned - Companies were, in fact,
the first ones to try
to beautify Black women,
but they did it in such a way
that Black women
did not respond.
They used those quintessential
before and after pictures.
Unfortunately, before
they were Black,
but in the after the images
- would become lightened - And whitened,
- and that's not what - Black women wanted.
Black women wanted an
industry to respond to them
understanding that they were
beautiful just how they were
and that they did not
need to become whitened
in order to be beautiful.
There's a great story
about Lena Horne
that she would often find it
difficult to have face powder
- or makeup that was - Catered to her.
- And, of course, Lena Horne is - A light-skinned Black woman.
So if she had difficulty,
- you can only imagine what - Darker skin women experience.
- For a person with my skin
tone, the colors can be ashy.
- I usually end up - Just going back to
- that I have to mix - Three different colors
- in order to get something - Close to what I'm looking for.
- I was able to find - My shades at the store,
because I am fair skinned,
but the problem was is
that it stopped at my shade.
- And I remember specifically a - Friend of mine she said to me,
"Kayla, you can find your
foundation at the drugstore
and I can't."
And I was like, "You
are absolutely correct."
- And that's when I realized - That there is a huge issue
in terms of inclusivity
when it comes to makeup.
- So for performers - Working in Hollywood,
there weren't opportunities
for women of color
to have their own makeup shades.
And so that really made it
so that darker skinned
women with great talents
- who could sing, - And dance, and act,
had a hard time
entering into Hollywood.
- I'm chocolate, like - Through and through,
and she kept making me brighter.
And I was like,
I look a little
pale on this side,
and it was uneven,
and then having to get in
front of the camera like that
and you know good and well,
as my mother would say,
you don't feel great.
- Now, my first instinct - Was to go in the back
and just wipe it all off.
And that's the worst
when you are a performer,
- 'cause the whole objective - Is to feel your very best
- so that you can go out - There and give your best.
And I didn't and I couldn't.
And it's so unfortunate,
- because I remember - Talking to other models,
- like supermodels who said - They had the same situation,
they would fix it up themselves.
And here we are 20 years later
and they're figuring
it out still.
Crazy.
- Cicely Tyson would
talk about how she hated
looking at herself on camera.
- She would say that - She looked gray.
The cosmetic
industry, Hollywood,
- all of these are working - To uphold a beauty standard
that put White women on
the top of the pedestal
and made those Black women
who were closest in
appearance to White women
be the ones who had
the most opportunities.
- My mom had some things
that you do not touch
and her makeup was one of them.
So I always knew it
was something special.
- My grandmother
really was into makeup.
- On Sundays, my grandmother - Would spread out her makeup
and then she would apply it
- and she'd come out - Like a different woman,
very proud with
her hat and gloves,
because you see,
- during the week she - Worked as a domestic
and had to wear a uniform.
So having this
ability to on Sunday
really be who she was,
dressed in the colors that
she wanted to dress in
was really important to her,
- because she had to - Wear white all week.
- Black women have been
such great consumers
of cosmetics and skincare.
Unfortunately, they really
didn't have a seat at the table.
Everyone was talking
about being inclusive,
but yet really from an
ownership standpoint,
it really wasn't very
inclusive at all.
And we really felt that
that needed to change.
And the only way to do
that was to buy a company.
And so Desiree really
took on the journey
of looking for a company,
and she looked at
over 30 companies.
- That's really where - The journey started
and where the journey continues.
- For African Americans,
- they had to really - Try to figure out
how to come to their own
definitions of beauty,
because they were never accepted
within the mainstream
beauty standards.
In the 1940s,
John and Eunice Johnson
created a magazine
called Ebony Magazine.
They wanted to model
it after Life Magazine.
They wanted a place
where African Americans
- could go to read about what's - Happening in their community,
to read about news
from around the world,
to see themselves pictured on
the covers and on the pages.
- Being a young
man from Chicago,
growing up not only with Ebony
and Jet in the
household, obviously,
but being able to walk
by Johnson Publications
on Michigan Avenue,
it meant that I was seen.
It was a publication where
I could not only see myself
literally and figuratively,
but also so much
about my community
that wasn't being shared
in other publications.
- What Ebony and Jet
meant to our family,
like many Black families is
that it was our connection.
And so with only 5 to
6% of the population
and where I grew up was Black,
- I got a chance to really - See a whole nother world
that I didn't see growing
up in Seattle, Washington.
I got to see people of color,
Black people in all
kinds of occupations,
- doing all kinds of - Really wonderful things.
And it was really an inspiration
and it sat right there
on the coffee table
and you didn't move it.
- If you moved it and - Took it to your room
and heaven forbid lost it,
or it got one of those
coffee stains on there,
you were gonna be in trouble.
Okay?
So it was really that connection
to my people, to my community,
and to my life.
- Ebony and Jet were
kind of the world to me.
I mean, I was from a small town.
And so seeing pictures
of people in cities
like Detroit, and
Atlanta, and New York,
and Los Angeles
just opened my eyes
to what was out there
beyond New Orleans.
It was so aspirational to our
family and also just pride.
It's like, look at what people
are doing that look like us!
- When I started Buttah,
one of the things that
I had my team reference
- was Jet Magazine, - Ebony Magazine.
- I said, go look at the - Language that they used.
It was all about empowerment.
It was all about the
richness of our beauty
and it was uplifting.
- I remember seeing the ads
all the time in Ebony and Jet,
and it was a specific lip.
It wasn't necessarily like red
as much as it was
like kind of like red,
- but it was burgundy - A little bit.
And it was on all three
of these beautiful women
and they were different shades,
but it was how
regal they looked.
They looked so regal.
- Black women for the most part
were kept out of
luxury consumption.
And Eunice Johnson knew from
the circles that she ran in
that Black women wanted luxury.
By the time we get to
the 1950s and 1960s,
the Johnson Company
is doing very well,
- so she's a woman of - Means and of wealth.
And so she goes to Europe
to see the fashion shows
and is always astonished
by the creativity there,
- but she also knew - As a Black woman
that there was a great
her own community.
creativity within
- The women she knew - Back in America,
the Black women she knew
could rival any Parisian woman
- when it came to - Style and glamor.
She wanted to merge those
two worlds together.
- And so she begins to host - These Ebony Fashion Fair shows.
- I had a friend - Named LaDoris Foster,
- who was the personal - Secretary to Mr. John Johnson.
And I said, "LaDoris,
see if you can get me
an interview with
Eunice Johnson,
because I could be the
standby commentator
when the original commentator
is sick or not feeling well."
Mr. Johnson said to me,
- "Why don't you start - Commentating right now for me?"
- And so this young - Man was walking
and I said,
"That's a glen plaid jacket
with besom pockets
and peak lapels and
double-ventured back."
Mr. Johnson had a fit.
- He didn't know the - Jacket had all of that.
They hired me right on the spot.
- Eunice Johnson, first
of all, is an icon,
like point blank period.
I think my first notion
of her was fashion.
I always was so inspired
by how she just dressed
- and the fact that - There's this woman
who would go to couture shows
in Paris and buy couture.
That's like unheard of.
So when Fashion Fair came about,
I mean, I think it
was special in a way
that the way she created
her legacy in fashion was.
It was, I am going to
make sure that my people
and my community are seen.
- After hosting
these fashion shows,
Eunice Johnson began to notice
in her conversation
with many of the models,
- how difficult it was for - Them to find cosmetics.
There was never just one
product they could grab
and put on their face.
- And Mrs. Johnson thought - That was just ridiculous,
because she knew that if this
was the case for the models,
then this is a case for
tons of other Black women
who were not models.
- I struggled a lot - With trying to find
the exact color that I wanted.
I would go and mix some
other stuff in my makeup.
- In some cases, I've - Used a foundation,
- a lighter foundation - And a lipstick,
or a foundation and a
blush, a darker blush.
- 1972 was when I
suggested to Mr. Johnson
that he needed to have
his own cosmetic line.
- I said, "You're in - The beauty business.
- So you might as well have - Your own cosmetic line."
Then I told Mrs. Johnson.
I said, "You could be
the Black Estee Lauder."
Oh, she loved that!
- When him and Eunice got - Together and they said,
well, why don't we
create a cosmetic line
and see where it goes?
We know that we can sell it,
because we have our magazines
going into the mailboxes
- of Black folks all - Around the country
and even around the world."
- And that's how Fashion - Fair got started.
By 1973, we were on a roll.
- I did work for Johnson - Publishing Company,
which owned Fashion Fair
for a short period of time.
I worked directly with Desiree.
Desiree was the CEO.
- I did work at - Johnson Publishing
and we did work on
the cosmetics line.
I spent a great deal
of time on Fashion Fair
and worked there for six years.
So I understood Fashion
Fair intimately,
not only the products,
- but what I call the - Fashion Fair family.
- I spend a lot of - Time on the road
- meeting with people - Behind the counters
and working with
them side by side.
That is when I really
had this deep, deep,
I would say connection
to women at the counters
and realized it's
more than makeup.
It's a conversation.
It is aspirational.
That really is a salute to
the beauty of Black women.
- What Fashion Fair did was
build a sense of loyalty
with their customers, right?
This was not some
fly by night company.
- This was from the - Johnson family,
a family that already had
a longstanding tradition
and credibility within the
Black community generally.
It was being sold in 2,500
stores across three continents,
from North America to
the African continent,
even in places like Asia,
- where women who not necessarily - Were of African descent,
but had darker skin tones
did not find products
that worked for them.
And so Fashion Fair became
their product as well.
Fashion Fair hit
its peak in 2003.
What is so interesting though,
is that its demise come
so quickly thereafter.
- When we think about - The past of Fashion Fair,
it is complicated.
Media changed,
so print media is
extremely expensive.
And so you really have
a strain on capital.
That's really was the issue.
- We're looking at the dawning - Of the social media era.
We think of spaces
like Black Twitter,
which is where the information
- about Black communities - Is coming out.
The Johnson Publication
empire was really in many ways
unprepared to make
the adjustment.
- It's not that Fashion
Fair fell out of favor,
but we just couldn't keep
up from a capital standpoint
to make the product, get it
out there, get it delivered,
and keep it on the shelves.
- People were so afraid that - They wouldn't be able to buy,
so they buy 10.
And so then we'd be
out again. (laughs)
- You know how - Children just assume
that everything's gonna be okay?
- They're gonna wake - Up in the morning
and go to the refrigerator
- and there's automatically - Gonna be milk there? - They don't know - How it got there.
- They don't know people - Had to go to work,
and then make money, and buy it,
and go to the grocery store.
- I kinda felt like - That with Ebony.
I was like, okay,
someone's gonna step in.
They're gonna take care of this.
Everything's gonna be okay.
Our legacy is gonna
withstand this.
- Fashion Fair fell off,
- because they took their - Consumer for granted.
Nothing more.
The consumers continued
to beg for the product.
- And unfortunately, they - Didn't keep up with the demand
- and they took their - Consumer for granted that,
yeah, I'm gonna come
for Brown Blaze Glo,
but I want so much more.
So the minute that I go to NARS,
the minute that I go to MAC,
- the minute that I - Go to Bobbi Brown,
- because they've got - Something new to engage me
is the minute you're
starting to lose me.
- When Ebony Fashion - Fair stopped carrying
the foundation that I
wore you feel...
You feel abandoned.
- Now, I know that there - Are a lot of brands
that claim that they have
makeup for darker skin women,
but I have not found one
for a woman that's
darker skin like myself.
We have makeup for
women of color,
but not necessarily
the darker shades.
- The grandeur of - Department stores
as palaces of consumptions.
By the time we get
to the 21st century,
it begins to decline.
- We begin to see the - Brand suffer as a result.
- We saw that Fashion Fair
was actually going to
be in bankruptcy court
- and there was a potential to - Participate in the auction.
We felt very strongly that
it's an American iconic brand.
- It needed to end up - In the right hands.
In our view, that could be us.
We knew we were taking on
quite a lot to get this done.
We were humbled by even the
possibility of having this brand
and being able to
recreate it for 2021.
- We thought, wow, wouldn't - It be really something
if we could win the bid
- and then actually - Bring this back.
And bring it back,
because of all of the things
that it meant to our community.
- We decided that,
- yes, we're gonna - Participate in the auction.
We sat there in a tiny room
on the phone with our lawyers
and they would say,
- it's gone up another - A hundred thousand,
another a hundred thousand.
I'm going, oh my gosh,
'cause we had a limit.
- I'm like, we're - Not gonna make it.
We're not gonna make it.
All the ideas I had for it
- just kinda flashed - In front of me
and I could hear
them say, it's over.
The sale is over.
And I said to Cheryl,
"Look, we did our best.
That's all we could
do is do our best."
And she said, "Girl, we won.
We got it."
- Girl, we bought the company.
It's time to go.
People been waiting and waiting,
and like, when is this
gonna come back out?
I'm missing my cosmetics.
- That was a really - Exciting time
to have a piece of history
and then the real work started.
- Okay, so now what - Are we gonna do?
- I don't think people realize - How much money it takes
to launch a line in-store,
the videos, the
how-to's, the swatching,
the models, the ambassadors,
the influencers,
not to mention the
creation of the product.
We needed that other piece,
- that other partner that - This brand really deserved
for the relaunch.
- Sephora is historically
known as brand builders.
When they identify a brand
that they think is
right for the consumer,
they build the brand.
- So when a brand - Partners with Sephora,
they get all of that expertise
and that knowledge
from the merchants.
It doesn't come
free, I would say.
- It comes with deep expectations - That you're going to deliver
- based on what we - Need you to deliver.
- They really have - Been at the forefront
of the beauty industry for
a very long time globally.
And so for us,
it was really an easy
decision to figure out
who our partner was going to be.
- If it's one thing I
know about Black women
is that we do not play when
it comes to our beauty,
when it comes to our makeup,
when it comes to just kind of
looking and feeling our best.
In 2017, Black women spent
more than $54 million on makeup
- and it often doesn't - Always represent us.
Just to start,
I'm curious just to hear
- what are your thoughts - On Fashion Fair?
And when you hear Fashion Fair,
- kinda what's the first - Thing that comes to mind?
- One of the things
that was important
was to hear from all
generations of Black women.
And so as we worked
in focus groups,
we heard a lot of
different representations
of why this brand was important.
- I just remember my grandmother
always having that red lip
and how regal she seemed.
- The fashion shows.
Remember they used to
have the fashion shows?
I've never seen so many
beautiful Black people come out
and just show what
beauty looks like
- in all different - Shades and colors.
- I remember when I - Saved up all of my money.
- I was getting ready to - Go to school shopping
for eighth grade.
- My mom was like, "I'm not - Buying you any makeup."
I said, "You don't have to.
I have saved all my money."
And I went right to the
Fashion Fair counter.
- And I was like, "Can - You please help me?"
- And she's like, - "What do you need?"
I said, "I want everything."
(women laughs)
- As a marketer for today,
I have to make sure
Gen Z, Millennials.
that it connects with
I have to make sure that someone
who didn't wear Fashion Fair,
- or didn't go to a - Fashion Fair show
- is still really - Excited about this,
and that's stressful.
- I hadn't heard about it
until I heard about you
and Cheryl purchasing it.
- And that got me - Excited about it,
- but I don't have the same - Experience as you guys.
So I think that really
painting that picture
and like showing that imagery
and recreating those
stories like in content,
- that's definitely something - That'll be different.
That's different than a Fenty.
- That's different - Than a Pat McGrath.
- Like that's different than what - The other brands are doing.
I'm with Kiera, I'm 28.
So I don't know about
the Fashion Fair kiosks
and no shade, right?
But like it's very important
to know that story,
because...
- How do we maintain
the cultural richness,
but drive that
emotional connection
to a consumer who
might not be as aware
- of who Fashion Fair - As a brand was.
- How do you decide what to buy,
what brands to use,
where to buy it from?
Like, how are you influenced?
- There are some brands that I
only purchase those brands,
because I know they have
colors for my skin tone.
- There's a lot of - Competition out there
when it comes to
cosmetic brands.
I mean, I feel
like as an editor,
I get pitched a new
brand every other day.
I think in order to grab
the attention of the world,
you have to know
what your why is.
It's about creating
around your company
conversations
and your product that inspire
different generations.
- I've been using the
same products for years.
Yeah, for years,
because you find one thing,
you don't wanna let it go.
- Cause we would stop each - Other on the street and be like.
- Yeah, what is that.
What are you wearing?
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah, it looks...
- We're all complimenting - Each other.
- I want somebody that looks
like me to tell me about me.
- Yes.
- Do you think Fashion Fair
would be relevant today?
- Absolutely,
because not so only does
the nostalgia of it all,
but I'm gonna support
Black business
- and they will have shades - That look good on me.
- I'm okay with being like a
Black brand for Black people,
- because like, I think - Mom said there earlier,
like we've been supporting
White brands all of our lives
and like, why not,
- like have something - That's specifically for us
that we can support ourselves?
- They wanted products
that were possibly vegan,
cleaner products.
And I think most importantly,
they wanted us to really honor
what had been there before,
but bring it to that next level.
- I worked at Bloomingdale's
from 1962 to 1965.
And Mr. Johnson said to me,
"Audrey, I'm coming to New York
- and you need to get me an - Appointment at Bloomingdale's,
- 'cause we have to go - Over to Bloomingdale's
and we want to sell them
Fashion Fair Cosmetics."
Now, Lester Gribetz
was my immediate boss
for a little while when
I was at Bloomingdale's.
I called Lester Gribetz.
I said, "Mr. Gribetz, I
work for Ebony Magazine
and we have a cosmetic
line for Black women.
- You have got to - Meet Mr. Johnson.
We have to show you
this cosmetic line."
"Yes, Audrey. When do you wanna come?"
I said, "Tomorrow."
(Audrey chuckles)
And we went over there.
Boom, we were in Bloomingdale's.
Lester Gribetz was sold.
- When you tell somebody - You're at Bloomingdale's,
you know those other
stores wanna be with you.
- And then that's how we got - To all the stores we got to.
- John and Eunice Johnson
wanted Black women
to be able to walk
into a department store
and be greeted by a friendly
Black face behind a counter
who is looking beautiful
and is made up,
and has a whole bevy of
products there to serve you.
- To see a cosmetic counter
or a Black woman or man
behind a cosmetic
counter was foreign.
- You didn't see it at - The Clinique counter.
- You didn't see it at the - Estee Lauder counter.
- You didn't see it at - The Shiseido counter.
This is before MAC,
and Bobbi Brown,
- and the spirit of diversity - Not just in product,
but in personality.
To see Fashion Fair in Neiman
Marcus, a luxury store,
let me know that
the bar had risen.
- Some of my early
memories of Fashion Fair
and Fashion Fair cosmetics,
I will go directly to the
makeup artist, Reggie Wells.
I remember him pulling out
all these different products
and how each one,
- I was like, oh my God, - That's a possibility.
That's a possibility.
That's my color. That's my...
And like remembering
how my heart felt,
because it was so
great to find someone
who knew what I needed,
who knew what color and
undertones to bring out.
Like it was just, I don't know.
It was Reggie Wells.
Reggie Wells was
like one of the first
to like really introduce
me to Fashion Fair makeup.
- I definitely
think our team knows
if a brand has
something right away.
There's no doubt in my mind.
What ends up happening is
then can the brand deliver?
- My role is to - Just, first of all,
ensure that the brands that
we launch are successful,
but also to scout out new brands
- and think about new categories - That we could go after.
- Trying to meet schedules
has been really challenging,
especially with the pandemic.
- It is the latest issue
prompted by the pandemic,
the global supply chain problem
that some experts
say will get worse
before it gets better.
- There is a huge
labor shortage.
- It's been a real challenge - For a number of our suppliers,
and we've just had to
learn to deal with it.
- You have production
issues and challenges.
COVID is exasperating that.
Timelines are crunched,
and oftentimes that creates
tension with the brand.
- Hilary, what is - Usually the lead time?
- We are-(laughs)
- In it.
- We are in our lead
time at the moment.
- Okay, so next week will - Be more of a working session
from a marketing perspective.
- And then after you guys - Start to land imagery,
we would love to
get a sneak peek.
It's all coming together.
I just can't wait to
take the world by storm
with this launching.
- I think we'll go - Through the components
and we're excited to share
- the production - Components with you.
So let's start with-
- Well, Bruce,
it's been a while.
- It's been a while.
- What we really have to - Focus on is the whole timing.
We've gotta make certain
that the packaging gets
to the U.S. on time
and into those manufacturers
- that are actually putting - The product in there.
And so we are just
watching those timelines
against our launch date
and just really making certain
that those products
come in on time.
- Is that the same date - That you guys have?
6/29 for the first
grouping by air?
- Yes.
- Can we do any - Better than that?
Cause that's no good.
- We're working on it.
- One of the biggest
challenges for many brands
is the supply chain
and the inventory.
- Are we trying to - Raise the quantity?
- Yes.
- 130,000 is what we need.
- Now, the quantity - Is the big issue.
- Especially when - You have a brand
that's specific for a skin tone.
- What's next, Amy?
- Cream to powder.
- Cream to powder, yep.
Which is a similar situation.
- But you need- - So this one's-
I need 151,000 to
complete production,
so we're short 101,000 there.
- You create a relationship
with your consumer
- and they get excited - About that product.
One little product
development hiccup
could be so detrimental.
- But the bottom line
is that I'm trying to
manage all these costs
associated with
this loose powder.
- I'm not so sure if that's - The smartest decision
and best use of our money,
- especially since I don't - Even know what the money is.
- Even if we got called Kolmar
to do two weeks better,
- we still wouldn't - Make the Sephora dates
- by the same- - I know,
but Sephora is not
gonna get stuff on 7/20.
I already know that.
- So I'm not gonna - Get myself, like...
- And I think we have - To beg with everybody.
So everybody's gonna
have to give up
- some weeks here and there. - Agreed.
- So.
- I think we should get the date
and then go in there
and then we'll push.
- No, exactly.
So.
- Right. - Okay. - Good.
This is exciting.
- Yeah, no, it's good.
It's good.
Everything looks great.
I mean, everything
is falling together.
I'm heading to meet
with the ad firm,
so we're working on that piece
and the marketing piece,
and all of that.
- Mrs. Johnson
would be very proud.
- Mrs. Johnson was like
the first African American
to attend the fashion shows
of the great couturier
houses in Europe.
She loved beauty
- and she was something - You really wanted to be.
- You wanted to be - A business woman.
You wanted to look beautiful.
And that's who she was.
And what was happening was
there was a lot of racial
divide in high couture.
There were no models of color
nor were there
women who purchased
the clothes of the
high couturier.
Mrs. Johnson was the first
woman of color to be allowed in
or to be respected enough to
come into these couture houses.
- Couture houses at the time - When I started modeling
were only society ladies
and ladies of royal houses.
She was Givenchy's friend.
She bought his collections.
Ungaro, Coco Chanel.
She became friends to
all the couturiers.
She bought entire collections
and she presented
them in these shows
that traveled around
America for three months
in a Greyhound bus with
these entire collections.
- This is like thousands, - And thousands,
- and thousands of dollars - Worth of clothes.
It was a treasure.
- I did go to Fashion
Fair shows growing up.
And so that really was
exciting for me as a young kid.
Of course, you had
to get dressed up,
so I liked that part,
but then just to see these
amazing ladies in all styles,
and it was always a brunch
or a dinner afterwards.
So it was a whole
Sunday evening.
Just a lot of fun.
- Here's a program
from 1975 to 1976.
The Natural Feeling.
By this time,
the Ebony Fashion
Fair has grown so
that we went from
September through December,
a break in January,
and we start up again January
right through to April.
That's how the show had grown.
- Hi. - Hey.
How you you doing?
- You look good. - You look great. Same to you.
- Look at you.
- Oh goodness.
I forgot my photo album,
but I can't wait to see yours.
- How's things going?
- It's going good.
- Good, good, good.
You look good.
- You still look like you did - When you was in the tour.
Here's what we call a portfolio.
- All right, all right.
- You remember those
- back then. - Yeah.
- Now they do - Everything digital. - There it is. - Yeah.
- Oh my God. - Yes.
- Wow, Leon.
Are you still modeling?
- I still do. Yes.
- Was Ebony your - First modeling gig?
- Ebony was my first
national major thing
that put me on the map.
- Wow, and it did for so many.
- The models were
considered celebrities.
- The people that came - To Ebony Fashion Show
wasn't the small.
Again, they were major
celebrities, Kim.
- Again, at our show - Was Eddie Murphy,
Robert Townsend.
- So many of them - Came to our show.
- I was like, wow. - Yeah.
- We would go out there
and they were like applauding.
- Exactly.
- And then they would come - Backstage after the show
- and they was like, - "Well, you did a good job
and we enjoyed it."
So I'm like, wow.
- But seeing all the - Celebrities come,
we didn't know that what we
were part of was legendary.
And so, yeah.
- The crowd was always eager
and excited to see the
Ebony Fashion Fair models.
You just felt like an
absolute celebrity.
- Everyone would know - That you were there.
When all the little kids
would come up to you
during the intermission,
or before, or afterwards
and get your autograph,
and all the adults would ask
to take pictures with you
and want you sign
their programs,
it was awesome.
- We have an opening scene
and I would come out,
"Ladies and gentlemen,
good evening.
Audrey Smaltz is my name
and fashion is my game.
And now let me introduce
you to our models."
It was wonderful.
When the invitation
reads, don't dress,
consider this:
What to wear on Sunday
- when you don't get - Home 'til Monday.
They loved that line.
Best job any young woman
could possibly have.
- To see a Black woman
of Audrey's stature,
she's like 6'1" maybe.
And just that voice,
you could hear her
calling the girls,
collecting things,
making sure that
everything ran on point.
I looked up to her tremendously
and so did the models.
- We lived in that bus.
That was our home.
- And as we traveled - Through the south,
the tone of the
journey changed a bit.
Being in the deep south
and being African American,
there was a lot
of racism, hatred.
And so our bus driver, Ben,
always traveled with a shotgun
and a gun in his waist.
When we were in
Little Rock, Arkansas,
- something broke - Through the window
and it slid across the floor.
And we thought, what
is that on the floor?
There was a note on it.
- And it said, "N♪♪♪♪♪s - Get out of town."
Outside the window,
there were some hateful
people carrying flames.
And we looked out
and we realized we were in
the middle of a KKK situation.
We went immediately.
We packed,
because they were yelling,
"N♪♪♪♪r get out of town."
We got into our bus
and we left town,
and we didn't do the show.
- Eunice Johnson
understood that fashion
and the idea of looking good,
particularly for Black women
was connected to a much
larger political cause.
These Ebony Fashion Fair shows
- weren't just about - Showcasing beautiful things,
although that was a part of it,
but they become part of
her philanthropic work.
She gathers Black women
and others who are interested
- in helping historically Black - Colleges and universities,
and using the lore
of glamor and fashion
as a way to do really
meaningful philanthropic work
within Black communities.
- Eunice Johnson was
the definition of,
I don't have time for this.
I'm gonna do this myself.
- She was the first person - To put her foot down
and say, this is what we're
gonna do for Black women,
- for women of color - To feel comfortable,
- and that has created - A domino effect
that we are seeing
decades later.
- There's a lot of - Work to be done.
The products have been off
the market for three years,
which is a long period of time.
We tried to hustle as
quickly as we could,
but there was a lot to be done.
The first thing we needed to do
is really look at all
of the formulations.
We knew that we had to update
and upgrade those formulations.
We wanted these products
to be vegan and they are,
so they're much cleaner
than the previous line.
At the same time,
we needed the payoff
of the previous line.
And so there's a healthy
balance between clean products
and products that are
gonna give the payoff
- that Fashion Fair - Has been known for.
So there were many,
many rounds of revisions
that had to be done.
No, that's not quite it.
No, not quite it.
And so many, many rounds
of going back and forth
comparisons with
the previous product
and with the new product.
- Up, up, up.
- On the couch here.
Can you write me
something on this page?
Thank you.
- I'm checking on
asset deadlines,
so it means that the brand
has to hand us creative
so that we can design it for
all of our marketing vehicles.
If the brand is late,
we're then late,
and we have to pay rush fees.
In true fashion,
- there is a tension - Between when the brand
does things for
their own marketing
- versus when the - Retailer needs things.
- I'm sorry to beat a
dead horse on this one,
- but I just- - Please don't.
- That we're still on track for
the July 15th asset handoff.
- What asset handoff?
- For the campaign images.
- I'm a little confused
on what are the assets?
- I think there's three
different sets of assets.
Let's just say, there's the
gondola, which is in-store,
- and then there's - Digital for Hillary,
which is like P page related,
and then there's digital
marketing for the campaign.
- So that's the three - Different work streams,
I think if I'm summarizing.
- I think we had
talked about the 21st
and then some would
be ready on the 15th.
- Okay.
- Yeah, I had in my - Notes the 15th,
- but I will update - That and with the 21st
- and we'll have everything - Hopefully by then.
So thank you and just keep us
apprised on progress there.
- There are so many - Different pieces
- associated with the - Introduction of the brand,
but certainly a key
thing is content
and the assets that bring
the makeup line to life.
One of the things
you worry about is,
what will I have at the
time that I have to shoot?
- Welcome.
- Do you guys know much about - Fashion Fair Cosmetics?
Some do and some don't.
It's been around since the 70's.
It was created by
a woman of color.
- And my business partner and - I just bought the company.
So each of you are
representing a shade
and so people will be able
to match their shade
on the websites.
- A portion of the shoot
really involved 16 ladies
that represented all
16 colors of the brand.
- All of those images - Are being used
on the websites of both
Fashion Fair and Sephora.
- Hi, how are you?
You know what?
We're gonna do this first.
- Just wanna run - Through options.
So this is really beautiful
as, like, a solo shot.
This, the texture
is so gorgeous.
- It could be really nice. - That's great.
- And this could be nice
up close or pulled back.
- I mean, I love this one.
So can one girl
be a little rogue?
Like she didn't wear this thing.
You know what I mean?
- I want 'em to have - Their own character.
I love this one the best.
- Being at a fashion
shoot and deciding colors,
and which color lipstick
that I think translate
to the audience,
- those things have - To come together.
- Great.
- There's so much riding on it.
- These are the images - That my mom will pick up
on the magazine cover
or go to the store
and say, no, I didn't
like the way she looked,
- or my mom will call me if - I worked on a celebrity
- and she'll say, Sam, - She looks so pretty.
- And it's the - Ultimate compliment,
because that has to
come through in a photo.
- So we're technically in like
look number three right now.
- No, but they were all looks
- that they're like- - They are still-
- Of the same stuff. - Yeah.
- I mean, these two - Are gonna look fab.
I don't like that thing
with this and this is.
- She gonna change it?
- I'm worried that clashes
with her in the three shot.
- For the tone?
- Yeah.
- Remember she was - Supposed to be in that
- and I think they - Switched for some reason.
I don't like those two together.
That's all I'm saying.
- That's different
than "they clash."
- It doesn't matter.
- Whatever, however, - We wanna verse it,
I'm fine with that.
- Constructive discussion - Is helpful for me
and I think anybody.
- I don't really - Like it together.
- That's what I'm saying. - That's different.
- Okay.
- I can respect and - Appreciate that.
- Okay. - Thank you.
- So I don't like these - Two together, these colors.
- I think this is - Beautiful with the white.
- What's the priority?
- To get a shot of - The three of them
in things that don't
clash in my mind.
That's the priority.
- Y'all I sat there and told - Y'all with all of them stripes
and changing all that stuff.
- I was like- - They gotta-
You know what?
- They gotta get her - Another outfit.
Here she comes.
Yes.
Yes, yes.
You look amazing.
You guys swap.
All right, guys, let us
get some shots, please.
Let us get some shots.
- One of the things - I thought about
is just how do we
honor all those models,
and all of the people that
work behind the counter,
and all of the people that
sold this day in and day out?
How do we do a nod to them?
We see you.
We want you to be proud of us.
And so I start thinking
and I was like,
we could pick one of the ladies
from the original group of
advertisements and models
and have her come
on set and film her.
Pat Cleveland at 16 was
asked by Eunice Johnson
to model in the Ebony
Fashion Fair show.
- Mrs. Johnson wants you for
this Fashion Fair makeup.
I was always was praying,
oh God, I wanna
represent a makeup
and this is it.
I was gonna represent
Fashion Fair makeup.
And it came in these
little pink palettes
and it had beautiful colors,
all chocolate, and beige,
and mocha, and caramel.
And they put me on the packaging
and they also put me in Jet
Magazine and Ebony Magazine.
And these are the
Bibles of Black society
and I thought, I have
representing Fashion Fair.
my first, you know,
And in the advertising,
they had a picture of
me putting on my makeup
holding the Fashion Fair
and it went, "Do what Pat does.
Wear Fashion Fair."
Suddenly this makeup
was on the market
and I was the face
and I was proud of it.
- I'm so excited.
Where do we go?
- Set.
(women laughing)
- I remember the Fashion Fair.
We had some runways
that were very dubious
and they were like just
a rug with a lump in it,
and you'd have those shiny
new shoes on and go sliding.
- And the ramp was - Like down like that.
- So you just go sliding down.
- Sliding down the ramp.
It was like
- the Great Wall of China. - She was also introduced
to Kiki Layne, our
new ambassador.
- Oh my God! Look at us.
We're gorgeous.
We look like dessert.
- Yeah. - That's great.
- Oh my goodness.
So wonderful to meet you.
- I wanted someone - That was in the middle
of our shade range.
It's just an evolution.
- Here she is. Look at this.
Wow!
- All that creative - Energy from the people
that developed the
products to the packaging,
- to the people that are - Doing the gondolas,
to the people that
took the pictures,
to the models, to
the makeup artists,
the hairdressers,
- all their work is gonna come - Together in the presentation,
both from a social media
standpoint and video.
- It looks pretty good.
- The idea of colorism
for me, it's interesting.
I'm adopted.
I'm the lightest in my family.
My dad is brown as Viola Davis.
- And so I always knew - That there was a range
and also the way
that you're treated,
because you're lighter skinned.
In our community,
we have our own issues,
but in general market,
we have an even greater issue.
- When the first African American - Model signed to a contract
is fair skinned
with straight hair,
- or Halle Berry becomes - The first African American
to win an Oscar,
or when Vanessa Williams is
signed to a cosmetic contract,
- or we watch her become our - First Black Miss America,
- we're still noting - The blue eyes,
the blonde hair, the light skin.
You can't overlook that.
- It was moments that - I didn't even know
that it was happening around me
and it was happening.
I remember as a kid.
And saying, "Where's
the pretty one at?"
Because I was darker.
I remember someone saying
that I couldn't get a cover,
because of my complexion.
I would have to share
it with someone else.
And that was really tough,
because I was thinking like,
well, my shade is, I guess
it's not good enough.
- So when we're looking - At the color spectrum,
a lot of the times
when we look online
to find our foundation shade,
it's always from the
lightest to the darkest.
And, so they're first, the
light people are first,
and the dark people are last.
And what does that tell you?
That tells you that
you're in last place,
or you're the last thought,
or you're the last whatever.
- And it's the same - Thing with hair care.
- It's always from - Straight to curly
and then coily's at
the very end of it.
And who are the people
- that have kind of been - Pushed to the side
- and told they're not - Beautiful their whole life?
The people with the darker skin,
the people with
the coiliest hair.
So I think it's also important
- for brands to take - Into consideration,
what is the placement
of the color spectrum
or the texture spectrum
that you're looking at?
Like, let's flip it.
Let's put the
darkest tone first.
Why not?
- And who's to say that light - Has to come before dark?
- Why can't it be - Dark before light?
- We're in a really
interesting moment
when it comes to Black beauty.
I think it's probably the
most democratic moment.
And I think a lot of it has
to do with social media.
I can take a picture of myself
and say that I am beautiful.
I can make myself public
and my beauty as a
Black woman public
in ways that we couldn't
in previous generations
when fashion magazines were the
arbiter of what's beautiful.
So women with darker skin,
and women with fuller lips,
women of different body sizes,
women of kinky
hair can now become
the star of their own show,
because of social media.
- I think black beauty
and black fashion
is currently defined
by knowing thyself,
holding the industries
feet to the fire
as far as is giving
us what we need
when it comes to
diversity and inclusion,
and all of that.
- And so now we're seeing
Black women of all
different shades, sizes,
hair textures, skin
tones, undertones,
different ethnicities
of black women.
- We're seeing all types - Of different things.
So I think for the first time,
- we're able to just define - This on our own terms
and companies have
to be able to keep up
- or else they know that - They're gonna be left behind.
So I think we're really seeing
- a shift that we - Haven't seen before
and we're really grasping it.
- We have had a pipeline into
the consumers for over a year
who have called us
every day requesting,
- wanting to know when the - Product is gonna to be back.
People want the product.
There is a demand out there.
I certainly feel responsible
in the sense that this is a
beloved and historic brand,
and I wanna do justice by it.
I feel really, really good
that we have had this honor
and opportunity to take a
brand that has meant so much,
especially to people of color
and to bring it back,
to restore it to
its rightful place.
What a magical way for us
to be able to pay
homage to Fashion Fair,
and Johnson Publishing Company,
and certainly Eunice Johnson,
and her vision, and her dream.
I mean, to me, it
just gives me chills
- to know that we have an - Opportunity to do that.
The gondola is
really the showcase
- of where the - Products actually sit
in the retail environment.
- When the gondola information - Goes to print, you're close.
You have all of
your pricing done.
- You know what the packaging - Is going to look like.
- Hello, ladies.
Welcome to D3.
- Hi, how are you? - Hi, how are you?
- Which way do we go?
- You go right - and then left. - Okay.
Wonderful. - What you're gonna see today
is what I call the
shell of the gondola.
As you know,
- we've been going back - And forth on a color.
- How are you guys
feeling about the design?
You've seen it. We haven't.
- You're going straight. - Left, left.
- The first contact that the
consumer makes with the brand
- when they walk into - Sephora is the gondola.
We wanted it to graphically
be able to tell the
story of Fashion Fair.
- I feel like this is
Christmas or something.
- The moment of truth.
- All right.
- [Women] Wow!
- It's fantastic. - That is amazing.
- Right?
- The green is fantastic.
- Really you're happy?
- The green's killer.
- I love the color.
I think the color is fresh.
- Oh my gosh.
I didn't even see that.
(women laughing)
- Oh my God. - That is nice. - It's gotta FF.
- Yes.
- Oh Lord.
- How much extra do - You pay for that?
(women laughing)
- Nevermind.
(women laughing)
It's worth it.
- Hi, this is Cheryl
Mayberry McKissack.
I'm president and co-owner
of Fashion Fair Cosmetics.
For the last two years,
we've been on this journey
to bring this brand back,
modernize this brand,
still being true to
all of the things
that women globally have
loved about Fashion Fair.
There's a lot at stake here.
The deadlines were
impacted by COVID,
and the shortage of labor,
and shipping delays.
We'll be joining Sephora
online on September 1st
and in-store on September 9th.
- I'm Frederick Sanders,
celebrity makeup artist,
and I'm here for Sergio
Hudson Fashion Week.
- We're doing Fashion Fair - Makeup for the models today.
- Are you all checking in?
- Yeah, we're checking in.
- We're the makeup sponsor.
- Nice.
- Okay. - With Fashion Fair.
- Come on, Fashion Fair.
- Yes.
Launching today.
- My mama know Fashion Fair.
- We want your mama, your
sister, everybody, everybody.
- We were looking for a partner
for makeup for the show,
and I'm extremely picky.
We have to do it right.
I have a lot of models of color,
and I have a lot
of White models.
What you have to understand
is a Black makeup brand
can do White makeup.
A White makeup brand can't
always do Black makeup.
So it's very important to
me that we find someone
that can do Black
makeup and do it well.
- Everybody looks good.
- You're happy. - Everybody looks great.
- Good. - Everybody is happy.
- One of my friends
and she said to me,
- "You know they're - Relaunching Fashion Fair."
I said, "What?"
- I said, "That's who's gonna - Do my makeup for my show."
No questions asked.
- To be able to have - An opportunity
to work with them
now is an honor.
- Wow.
All right, Fashion Fair.
Yes.
Yes, yes, yes.
- So good to see you. - Good to see you too.
- How's it going?
- Good? - Amazing.
- You're good? - It's been really good. How are you?
- Everything looks great.
- Sincerely, I was - Sitting over there
- and thinking- - Everybody's makeup
- is on point. - It is made for us.
- I am so excited.
I mean, just to
see the makeup out,
actually seeing people wear it
and have it on their faces.
- And then, I mean, just - Listening to the makeup artists
- and having them say how - Much they really liked it
is just heartwarming.
To see the love and the
embrace after such a long haul
is really exciting.
We think that Fashion Fair
deserves this kind of love.
- We've made the
playing field even,
but I think the beauty of
where we are trying to get now
is who has the best product?
- And there's room for - Everybody at the table.
I think once we get there,
then we can really
see what we can do.
- I just wanna see the
gondola for myself.
I've seen it on paper.
I've seen it at the factory.
I haven't seen it with all
everything pulled together.
It's just been all of this
work of so many people.
I just can't wait.
I can't wait.
- Hi, how are you? - Hi, how are you?
- I'm here...
- I'm one of the owners - Of Fashion Fair,
- and we're doing - Shade matching today.
So Fashion Fair is back
right outta Chicago.
It started in
Chicago in the 70's,
and we're back.
Everyone's face is like
a couple colors, right?
- And so I'm gonna say - You're between these two.
There's so much at stake.
I don't wanna be dramatic,
but I feel like Black women
are gonna be on display,
taking a chance in some respects
to present ourselves
in a raw form.
It's very soulful.
It's very personal.
- So you used to wear this one?
- I used to wear that one. - (laughs)
- Yes. - I love that.
- I do too.
- So that's kinda - What's at stake for me.
Did I do a good job?
- What color are
you using for her?
- Stormy Sand.
- Stormy Sand, that's - What I thought, yeah.
- Yeah, it's very natural.
- Oh, wow. - Yeah.
- I hear you
- What's important - Is all of the people
that are gonna come
after Desiree and I,
the young girls who maybe
sitting back and saying,
"But if I wanted to do this,
how would I do it?
How do I see myself?
How do I claim my beauty?"
- Oh my God!
That's amazing.
- It's so good.
- Smile.
- When you put it on - You gotta smile.
- If Fashion Fair
doesn't thrive,
history is at stake.
It's up to us to
support this brand.
- I'm supposed to say - Buy what works for you,
but as a woman of color,
I also have to reflect and say,
if this brand doesn't succeed,
other little girls might not
see the Eunice Johnson story.
- Girls might not see people - That look like them,
models that look like them,
- shades that work for them - And their skin tones.
- If Fashion Fair does
not succeed, I will cry.
I need them to succeed for
my children's generation.
I want it to be here
for generations to come.
I want that baton to be passed.
I don't want there to
be another interruption.
I think in order to survive,
in order to have the
type of longevity
I know this brand can have,
they will have to shift.
They will have to
create new products
and new ways of showing
off those products.
- I'm so excited for
Fashion Fair's relaunch.
It's been time.
It's been time for
Fashion Fair to relaunch.
It's so crazy,
because I feel like
Fashion Fair is a pioneer
when it comes to Black women
being able to have
access to their shades
and it feeling like
it's for us by us.
That's the power in it too.
- This should have - Happened years ago.
Now, that I know it's two
women leading Fashion Fair,
it is my job to hold
them on my shoulders.
- So this Fashion Fair relaunch,
if I was a teenager now,
it would just mean that
I can create Black
beauty on my own terms.
I don't have to assimilate
into White beauty standards
and I have the option to
create whatever look I want
using products that were
made with me in mind.
- And that is something that - I so needed back in the day.
And I think for the younger
girls who are coming up,
I am so thrilled that
they don't have to worry
- about the things that - We had to worry about.
Like you can now go to Sephora,
a drug store, anywhere,
- get your makeup, get your - Foundation, get your products,
and it works for you.
- You don't have to feel excluded - In the way that we did.
- And I think that's - Gonna help them
with their confidence so much.
- We talk the talk.
- Our community always - Talks the talk,
I wanna support Black business
- and I wanna give my dollars - To Black businesses.
This is our opportunity
to prove the power
of our Black dollar
and support a brand that took
a nap for a little while.
- I wanted us to own
our own Black beauty,
and I wanted Fashion Fair
as one of the leading folks
that said black is beautiful
way back in the 70's.
Maybe even before James Brown,
I thought that it was only right
that we had our own
Fashion Fair beauty manifesto.
So this is how the
manifesto goes.
"We, the backbone
of entire worlds,
the most brilliant of
all the night stars,
the makers, the
mothers, the magicians.
We, the inventors of dreams,
the tongues of hues,
the shapers of
yesterdays and tomorrows.
We, the melanin majestic, the
prettiest things, Black women.
We, dusted in ancient
gold, draped in destiny,
- faces of the truth - And faces forever
of the most beautiful light."
- I wasn't really - Allowed to wear makeup,
but I used to hang
around the makeup counter
at the department store.
And I definitely smuggled home
a tube or two of
Rum Raisin lipstick.
- Growing up in - Jackson, Mississippi,
I clamored through the pages
of Ebony and Jet Magazine,
seeking images of beautiful
women that looked like me.
Imagine having the
chance of a lifetime
not only auditioning for,
but becoming an Ebony
Fashion Fair model,
being able to wear Fashion Fair
Cosmetics night after night,
beautiful, bold
palettes and shades
created for us and by us.
It was love at first sight.
- What I really remember - About Fashion Fair
were the Fashion
Fair fashion shows.
And for me, a girl who loved
fashion knew all the models.
That was...
It was an amazing event.
It was where you
got to dress up.
You got to be fancy.
You got to see all these
grownups in their finest.
And it really might as well
have been the Oscars for me.
- During high school,
I was not able to wear makeup.
I was only able to wear gloss.
Then I was introduced
to Fashion Fair,
- and the beautiful - Hues and the colors,
my favorite being Chocolate
Raspberry and Ole Orange.
It was a whole new world
that I had been exposed
to at that time,
and it was wonderful.