Black women spend considerable sums on cosmetics - fact. Despite the evidence that continues to support this, major retailers continue to sideline products targeted at black women and this was one of the main topics of conversation Iman discussed at WWD's Beauty CEO Summit earlier on this week.
According to the model, major distributors like Target and Walgreens didn't support her cosmetics line. 'It was a no-go,' she said. 'They wanted me to be placed at the back, which they considered, like it, is for the ethnic section, which I was totally against for no other reason but 'cause also I never considered myself an ethnic brand.'
As a result of the hostility, most of her line is sold online which is naturally having a negative impact. After all, how many women are willing to buy make-up products that they can't try before they buy?
"This scent is meant to be a call to action", Kimora Lee Simmons says when talking to WWD about her latest fragrance, Dare Me. "I am challenging everyone to be bold, inspired and intelligent". When Kimora says everyone, she means it, too. Her latest perfume is more accessible than her previous ventures - with a travel size bottle at just $12, and a full ounce at $28.
We can't help but notice, however, that despite Simmons saying the "message with this fragrance is empowerment and self-reliance", the difference between the advertisement for the new scent and the real Kimora shows either a great deal of retouching or an impressively quick weight loss. The scent is available from Walgreens, Target and Kohl's stores - and if it makes that kind of a transformation, maybe it is worth the measly $12 investment?
