As we close Black History Month we celebrate the rich cultural heritage and contribution these brands have engraved in the community of their respective industries. These individuals have used their passion to develop a voice, using it to elevate those around them. They expand their culture, creative drive, purpose and more to intricately celebrate and embrace who they are and where they want to be. Each brand is driven by an entrepreneur who is aligned with a vision for a greater good and because of this, we share a glimpse of their stories with you today.
1.) Kisha Tyrell Founder & CEO of Enzuri Beauty
Enzuri Beauty is a lifestyle brand that offers products to support your skin, body and spirit. CEO Kisha Tyrell started the brand to harness herhomeland––Bermuda––innate power and beauty. She shares “Bermuda is known for our pristine pink-sand beaches, reef-fringed clear blue waters and our historical ambience, additionally our unique architecture – all played a part in my inspiration for the brand. From the clean, high-quality ingredients, to the glass bottle packaging, every detail is about the experience of Enzuri Beauty, delivering the utmost luxury and unparalleled efficacy.” Enzuri Beauty was created from a place of healing and growth. Kisha’s goal was to encourage people to think about how they care for themselves and their skin.
Kisha shares, “It took stillness and gratitude to inspire me to fall back in love with taking care of my skin, body and spirit. I focused on what made me feel good and when I did that more good showed up. Skincare showed me that self-care shouldn’t be a tough decision. This messaging is what I want to share with women. Taking care of your skin is part of self-care and self-love.” To join the Enzuri Beauty lifestyle, you can find their products and more information on enzuribeauty.com.
2.) Aaron Lacy Photographer & Founder of Play Studio LA
Photographer Aaron Lacy is well-known for his photography, NFTs, and gallery showcases. Passion and voice drive his creation process. Aaron shares, “Every time I photograph somebody else, it’s like, I’m also photographing a part of myself. Most of the time if I choose somebody, or resonate with somebody that I’m going to shoot for, like an art piece, or whatever it is, I’m shooting, there’s a part of me that I try to find in that person that we resonate with. And because of that piece of myself that I can find in them, it’s much easier for me to create something special and part of me looks for that in my creation process.”
Aaron is also the owner of a 3,000 square foot photo studio and event space Downtown Los Angeles, called Play Studio LA. His latest venture is one where Play Studio LA has partnered with L.A. STYLE Magazine in curating events for individuals to have low-cost headshots and a pop-up event experience once per month from now through summer. For more information on L.A. STYLE Magazine X Play Studio LA Events visit lastylemagazine.com/headshots.
3.) Sydney Simone Designer & CEO of The Simone Label
Sydney Simone is the founder of The Simone Label. She is an entrepreneur, designer, and art enthusiast with a passion for bringing others together. After working for years in event production and helping brands build their social media presence, she quickly realized she wanted to build a brand of her own. In 2020, Sydney saw the global pandemic as a chance to start her business. Stepping back from her former life and taking a risk to explore her passion. Simone The Label is a purpose driven, socially conscious, fine and fashion jewelry brand with a focus on creative content by minority/BIPOC makers in fashion. Our goal is to design with attainable luxury in mind, always be rooted in purpose and empower all through accessorizing without compromise.
As a black woman-owned small business, they act as more than just a jewelry and accessories shop. Jewelry for Justice is Simone the Label’s exciting initiative that makes each purchase meaningful. 50% of profits from the Justice Necklace are donated to the Equal Justice Initiative. Simone shares, “I hope that 10 years down the line, this is like the way the more massive scale is a nonprofit. So right now I do the jewelry for justice, the Justice necklace, I want to create, in which 50% of the proceeds from that go to the Equal Justice Initiative. But I want to take it more than that.” Shop The Simone Label on simonelabel.com.
4.) Tamira Wells Designer & CEO of New Heritage Brand
Tamira Wells is the owner of the iconic New Heritage Brand; she is also a second-generation trailblazer. The Baltimore native represents 90s streetwear culture in such a way that embodies a colorful revival of positive expression that broke the scene in the 1990s through mainstream entertainment. Relaunching the brand has kept it relevant and also ensured that it is a continued staple of American fashion history.
The original founders, the late Cynthia & Rodney Jones, launched the brand with immense success. This inspired Tamira so much to see her aunt and uncle reach this pinnacle of success, especially in a time before social media. Since the relaunch, Tamira has worked relentlessly to rebuild the brand and now has New Heritage featured on “Boomerang” on BET and “The Giants.” Tamira is living in the legacy of her family’s brand while also recreating it with a modern twist. Learn more about this revival brand at newheritagebrand.com.
5.) Knowledge Bennett: Multi-Medium Visual Artist
Knowledge Bennett is a self-taught multi-medium visual artist. His work has been featured in popular media, such as the Netflix series #blackAF and a multitude of galleries throughout the world. Series of works including Orange Is the New Black, Obama Cowboy, and the widely successful silkscreen series Cojones elevated Bennett within the domestic and international contemporary art world. Knowledge has several paintings within the permanent collection of Delta Airlines and throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. His most recent work titled Black Paintings illustrates the outer body identities and depicts humanity as grounded. Knowledge shares the goal of this series is to nurture the experiences of mindful listening by reflecting the viewer. View Knowledge Bennet works on theknowcontemporary.com and knowledgebennet.com.
6.) Kendra C. Sikes CEO and Founder of B&B Publishing Co. & Author
Kendra C. Sikes is the founder and CEO of B&B Publishing Co, an upscale boutique full-service publishing company. With a keen heart for helping others bring out their inner voice in the form of writing, Kendra founded and grew a successful publishing company inspired by her very 1st book Rebirth From Cursed. Not having the right tools or help that she needed when she began writing developed a passion to guide others through the process of writing and publishing books. With all the noise in the publishing space, Kendra developed a proven system to help aspiring writers write, publish, and market in as little as 90 days. This method has earned Kendra a spot on Amazon’s Best Sellers list 3 times and many of her clients as well.
Kendra is a firm believer that everyone has a story to tell. Kendra’s most used quote is “Unlock your past, unpack your story and write to be the light to someone else.” Her latest venture is the release of the book Pretty and Prestigious: 7 Keys to Breakthrough and Inner Beauty a book that highlights seven female leaders as co-authors who share their testimonies and business tips including: Tricia Love, Melody Shari, Brandy Boulwen, Eboni Browning, Tanisha Castellanos, Latasha Brooks and Ashely Nadine. Each author shares their perspective into finding one’s inner beauty and making that breakthrough in every aspect of life. Learn more about Kendra Sikes on kendrasikes.com.
7.) Mayah Hatcher Founder of the Black Market Flea
The outdoor Black Market Flea founded by Mayah Hatcher showcases over 80 vendors with a variety of brands that range from clothing to jewelry to candles. DJs, special performances, bars and more are at the forefront of the Black Market Flea. Their goal is to give a stage to those cultural brands and celebrate black-owned businesses in a space where they feel both heard and seen. The Flea is a group of individuals and brands that come together, give each other pep talks and radiate everlasting positive energy to the community. To purchase tickets to the next Black Market Flea event visit eventbrite.com.
8.) Kendra Bracken-Ferguson CEO and Founder of The Brain Trust Group
Kendra Bracken-Ferguson is a brand-building visionary with a passion for beauty and innovation. The business maven gives us a glimpse into how her goal is to help transform the $500 billion beauty industry through principles of diversity, parity and equal opportunity. Braintrust, a business incubator and consultancy, is the latest example of Bracken-Ferguson’s expanding initiative to accelerate diversity and equity throughout the beauty industry. The company recently announced the launch of its Founders Studio, a “transformative ecosystem to create inclusive economic opportunities for Black beauty and wellness founders, increase business performance, build sustainable pathways for growth and unleash millions of dollars in untapped revenue from diverse consumers.”
The company has secured over $100 million in soft value from corporate partners such as JPMorgan Chase, Shopify, and SHE Media. The goal of Founders Studio is to meet critical business needs, provide marketing resources and supply financial growth tools to its participants. Learn more about the Brain Trust Consulting Group on thebraintrustgroup.com.
9.) Eric Jones (Dr. Dapper) CEO and Founder of LFLS Shoes and The Doctor Dapper Business Growth Academy
Eric Jones, known as Dr. Dapper is the CEO of LFLS Shoes, a designer shoe brand that offers unique eye-catching shoes in the industry. Each shoe is carefully handcrafted in Brazil and sold in the United States. Eric’s mother passed weeks before he would graduate from college, she was his number one source of support and inspiration. Everything that LFLS accomplishes, he dedicates it all to her. Without her, there would definitely not be LFLS Shoes today. Eric is also the founder of Doctor Dapper Business Growth Academy, a platform where he hosts events and a series of live seminars on a monthly basis that help individuals increase their income as a fashion brand, creative or new business owner.
Eric Shares, “I live by six P’s, passion, purpose, product, package, present, promote. Everything has to start with that foundation of passion. And if it doesn’t, you’re not gonna last. Because you go through a lot of ups and downs in entrepreneurship, a lot of struggles and a lot of hardships. But you also have to love what you’re doing. If you don’t love what you’re doing, if you’re not passionate about it, there’s not a purpose behind it. If it’s not bigger than you, you’re not gonna last in it. Everything that I’ve done, it started from passion, and it’s also connected to my lifestyle. So whatever lifestyle you live, make sure that your brands, your businesses, whatever it is that you do, make sure it connects with that.” Learn more about Dr. Dapper on thedoctordapper.com.
10.) Allycin Hicks CEO and Founder of the DOUX Consulting Group
Purpose finder Allycin Hicks is a Mental Health/Relationship Expert, consummate Psychofuturist, and host of the OWN and Discovery + show, Like Mother Like Daughter. Seeking to create positive change in others so that they can transform the world, Allycin has founded the DOUX Consulting group. She coaches individuals to aid them in becoming the best they can be. Allycin has also served as a special guest on various episodes of Harps Podcast, where she speaks on mental health, coping skills, relationships and politics. Learn more about DOUX Consulting on allycinhicks.com.
