03.27.23
Black Beauty Roster (BBR)—a collective focused on amplifying the work of Black beauty artists in TV, film and editorial—has forged a partnership with IPSY to focus on diversity training, collaborative social content and programming opportunities with BBR-sourced talent.
“We are delighted to partner with IPSY, who shares our common values in the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in beauty,” said Maude Okrah, Black Beauty Roster founder and president. “Together we hope to drive awareness and progress when it comes to beauty enthusiasts and professionals being well-trained, educated, and versed to work with all types of hair textures and complexions, so everyone can feel confident and beautiful in the skin they are in. Through this partnership, we strive to continue the great investments IPSY has made when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, both within their company and their vast beauty community.”
Inclusion and Diversity at the Core
In February, Black Beauty Roster hosted an Unconscious Bias and Advocacy Training for the IPSY brand team in alignment with their goals of fostering a corporate environment of inclusivity, representation, and equity. To kick off the partnership, IPSY leveraged its editorial platform to feature BBR on their blog, entitled, “Black Beauty Roster’s Maude Okrah Is Striving Not Just for Inclusion, but for Equity Too.” IPSY and BBR share the belief that equity in the beauty industry begins with sourcing qualified professionals to call the shots behind the scenes and providing education to the decisionmakers.
Through the Beauty Amplified program, BBR has invested in Black, Latinx and LBGTQ+ communities and brands, with more that $75 million invested to date in amplifying Black and Latinx-led brands,” according to officials.
IPSY will work with BBR on experiential programming to further amplify its mission. Okrah will speak at IPSY’s Brand Forum in April, which celebrates the coming together of IPSY and BoxyCharm. Okrah will highlight the partnership and showcase BBR’s work to IPSY’s network of beauty brand partners.
IPSY will also be inviting artists and creators who are a part of the BBR portal to IPSY’s Creator Summit event in March where there will be networking and educational opportunities.
On an ongoing, year-round basis moving forward, IPSY will utilize the BBR portal, Black Beauty Roster’s newest technology platform for sourcing talent, providing education to their 20 million-plus community. This collaborative social content will leverage the expertise of BBR’s vast network of professionals.