10.26.22
Dark & Lovely hosted a Mentorship Masterclass titled "A Black Girl's Guide to: Building Your Personal Brand." The event was a part of the brand's Building Beautiful Futures initiative, and it took place on National Mentorship Day, October 27th.
The virtual session was hosted by L'Oréal Marketing Director Tenaj Ferguson and featured beauty & style expert Blake Newby. Newby is als the BrainTrust Founders Studio Head of Community. She provided actionable advice to young Black women about how personal branding can influence your career track.
The event was open to everyone and free of charge.
Launched in January 2022, the Building Beautiful Futures initiative was developed to help bring educational and career equity to Black female college students and young professionals through scholarships, mentorship, and career coaching opportunities.
Ferguson said, "Personal branding is crucial for advancing your career and creating a lasting legacy. This session aims to equip young professionals with the considerations and tools to build a personal brand that is authentic and impactful."
She added, "For me, personal branding has meant developing a brand not just for the products I work on in my career but treating my own existence as a brand, thereby having my own brand statement and values, and letting that drive decisions I make and opportunities I take. A personal brand means I'm clear on how to communicate my values, impact, and capabilities to others."
Dark & Lovely's Beauty Pitch Competition
In addition to the career conversation, Newby also announced a $5,000 pitch competition on behalf of Dark & Lovely and BrainTrust Founders Studio. It celebrates Dark & Lovely's 50th anniversary—see the Instagram post below.Participants are invited "to pitch their vision for the future of the beauty industry," and share their ideas for how the beauty industry can support and inspire Black women and professionals.
The winner will win a $5,000 grant and a trip to Dark & Lovely's headquarters in NY to go behind the scenes of what it takes to build and grow a brand.
The deadline to pitch is November 30th, 2022.
Newby commented, "I credit my entire career to the power of mentorship. As I've matriculated through this industry, it's been the impact of other dynamic Black women who took me under their wing that has cultivated me into who I am today. That's why I'm so excited to be paying it forward with Dark & Lovely. I hope that those who attend walk away feeling empowered, encouraged and better equipped to grow and scale their own personal brands."
