Black women and our influence on social media goes without saying. From using hairstyles like feed-in braids and colorful wigs to historical style staples like do-rags and Bobo clips, Black creators have always been seen but now in 2020, they’re being heard. Leading the pack for creatives of color are Nikki, Meghan, Shay and Brandy also known as the group Influencing In Color.
Partnering with the shopping app LIKEtoKNOW.it, the group will chat about diversity in the fashion industry with ESSENCE Assistant Fashion Features Editor Nandi Howard tomorrow evening, April 15, at 6 p.m. CT on Zoom. Last month, the group hosted an in-person meetup in Atlanta and was scheduled to appear in New York. However, due to COVID-19, the event will take place digitally.
“IIC destroys the very thought that you have to be exactly the same, agree about everything and view the woman next to you as competition,” Brandy tells ESSENCE. “In a world where it’s typically every woman for herself, IIC represents strength, power, beauty and community.” Her teammate Shay agreed that IIC also represents fellowship. “Influencing in Color is a movement. To see so many women and women of color go after their dreams is something that has a positive impact on me daily,” she says.
On their Instagram page, which sits at over 22k followers, the four friends can been posing in their coordinated fits with beaming smiles and melanated beauty. Each has used her corner of the Internet to showcase inspiring content, and their influence has resonated in bigger ways.
“Commitment to inclusion and diversity,” the bio reads as the group seeks to provide a positive influence for people of all colors through advocacy, collaboration and commitment to diversity and inclusivity. “It is a platform for women of color created by women of color who did not see many opportunities to be represented in the influencer space,” says Meghan. “Four Black women working together to achieve a common goal all while actually being friends is not something that is spotlighted with women who look like us,” exclaims Nikki.
These women have seen success as a group under one mission and are partnering with the influencer conglomerate LIKEtoKNOW.it to educate aspiring influencers on how they, too, can turn content creating into a viable career option.
On April 15, join Influencing in Color and our assistant fashion features editor, Nandi Howard, as they chat about the vast influencer community. Register here.
