Obsidianworks’ Post

First greenhushing and now diversity backlash - thought-provoking insights into how both regulations and politics are impacting fashion and beauty businesses. A small snippet for those who can't access behind the paywall: "But the backlash has also helped trigger what some experts say is a much-needed shakeout in the corporate approach to DEI. As it becomes riskier to publicly engage on the topic, it’s becoming clearer which companies and individuals were committed to diversity for the long haul and which efforts were shallow attempts to jump on the 2020 bandwagon. “Those of us who have experience in DEI were saying in 2020 that this is a marathon — not a sprint,” said Porter Braswell, founder and CEO of 2045 Studio, a membership network for BIPOC professionals. “Diversity fatigue is something that we knew was going to happen. There’s nothing that’s happening that’s surprising to those that have been in this space and really doing this work.” “It’s undeniable that by the year 2045, this would be a majority racially-diverse United States,” he said. “So if fashion brands — more than any [other industry] — don’t understand the changing consumer demands and habits and have a workforce that’s reflective of those changes and makes products for those changes — they will be irrelevant.”" https://lnkd.in/gk6GM4Qq

The month of January is all about being Refreshed, being Renewed, and taking a moment to think about what you desire for the coming year.    12 brand new months to make our mark on. What do you want to put your stake in the ground and say this year? How do you want to feel? How do you want to be seen? What is important to you?   This month inside of The Chic Style Society, we are talking about ALL THINGS Style and the intentions we have surrounding it. Why is this so important?   🔑We can tell our story through style – what matters to us 🔑We can elevate how we feel through style 🔑We can increase our impact based on what we choose to wear   The truth is this: what we wear on the outside is a direct reflection of what is going on in the inside. When you look in the mirror, are you happy with what you see? Does it reflect back the person that you want to be, the goals you have, and the future you want for yourself?   I would love to have you inside of The Chic Style Society. I’m building a community of like-minded women who are ready to cut through the noise and begin to feel like they not only understand THEIR style, but also feel worthy of all of the great things that they deserve. I would love you to join this journey.   The link to join the monthly membership and all of the information about it can be found here: https://lnkd.in/ecM8sPSk  

🗳️ Today is National Voter Registration Day, and I encourage everyone who isn’t registered to take a moment to sign up, and also encourage your family and friends to do the same. Given the politicized culture we live in, politics is often unavoidable. Having worked in both government and politics across political divides, I help/have helped brands navigate political landscapes and pressures. Disclaimer: This isn’t a political post or an endorsement of any particular candidates. I do not discuss politics; I discuss policy. I believe everyone should vote according to their conscience or values. Nevertheless, one non-partisan initiative I currently support is IBM’s Call for Code’s Five Fifths Voter, alongside my colleagues at IBM: Alexandra Devine, Alexandria Leggett, Charles Johnson, Christine Stefano and David Nixon. Five Fifths Voter, seeks to increase voter participation and ensure fair access to the voting process for historically marginalized communities. This initiative emphasizes the importance of voting as a civic duty, regardless of political affiliation, and supports making voting easier for everyone. Furthermore, brands like Global Citizen and Aéropostale have also teamed up to launch the Take Action Vote collection, which inspires young people to be engaged citizens and future voters. In the Sourcing Journal, a leading trade publication focused on fashion, retail, sourcing, and global supply chain trends, I collaborated on the article “Activism or Optics? Fashion’s Vote for Change,” which explores how brands are using fashion to inspire civic engagement. While fashion can be a powerful tool for mobilization, it also presents the challenge of ensuring these efforts remain authentic and not just part of marketing strategies. This piece explores how these brands, and others, can make a meaningful impact by staying true to their mission and empowering individuals, especially the younger generation, to use their voices and take action in shaping the future. #NationalVoterRegistrationDay #YourVoteMatters #GetOutAndVote #RegisterToVote #MakeYourVoiceHeard The article can be read by clicking here:

We hit Blackbird's 2024 Sunrise event last week, and the amount of incredible women gracing the stages was seriously epic to witness. Over the next few months, Missing Perspectives will be profiling female founders doing awesome things. Introducing Lucy Mort, one of the co-founders of Sunroom, who opened up about the reality of founder life and the lessons she’s had to unlearn on the winding journey to find product-market fit. Sunroom is a consumer facing app that supports women to make money online with their hot bods, killer personalities, and savvy business mentorship. Aesthetically and philosophically, Sunroom sits in a space somewhere between Instagram and OnlyFans. Missing Perspectives asked Lucy, who cut her teeth as a designer at the dating app Hinge, to give her perspective (hehe) on three famous design principles. Principle #1: 'Less Is More' Lucy Mort: “Yeah, I agree with that. We’re going through this process with Sunroom right now – stripping things back. You kind of have to assume that everyone is ‘stupid’ when designing your product, and I think the more functionality you add, you’re making adoption much harder to achieve.” Principle #2: 'Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable.' Pioneered by Raymond Loewy, this principle means you want to be at the bleeding edge of what’s cool and fashionable, but still within an acceptable boundary. “Yep, I agree with the bleeding edge. But there has to be elements of something familiar. It’s the 101 of innovating. Change one thing quite dramatically, but keep everything else the same.” Principle #3: 'The way you do one thing, is the way you do everything.' “No. I think my opinion on that has changed. When I started Sunroom, I was such a perfectionist. I’d come from a team where I led design at Hinge, and all I’d do is ‘perfect’. But it was honestly slowing us down at Sunroom having to make sure that the effort I was applying to one screen must be applied to every other screen because they are all of ‘equal’ importance - but they’re just not. I now focus on key parts of our user flow. Some parts need a lot of experimentation and A/B testing, others are just a random settings screen.” Photo credit: Gener8 Media

Once upon a time, bringing people together meant sitting by a fire, sharing stories, and feeling like you belonged. That feeling is what companies are trying to bring back online these days. It's not just about posting anymore. Now, they're creating online communities where people can connect, have fun, and feel good. Imagine a company that sells clippers. They know it's not just about cutting hair, it's about feeling confident. So, they get a bunch of women together and give them a makeover! The women are amazed. They not only look great, but they feel amazing too. The clippers become more than a tool, they become a symbol of feeling good about yourself. This is a cool way to sell clippers, but more importantly, it's a way to connect with people. The story reminds us that even in our digital world, connection matters. It's not just about likes and comments, it's about building communities where people feel like they belong. So next time you're online, look for those companies creating a space where you can laugh, share, and feel good. After all, everyone deserves a little firelight warmth, even in the digital age. #communitymanager #communitybuilding #brandstorytelling #communitylove

FKA Twigs, JAW and banning bodies. Calvin Klein has dominated online discourse two weeks in a row. Whatever you think about *THAT* JAW ad (my take below if you care) the recent debate around the ASA banning images of FKA Twigs feels more insidious. Of course, since its inception the media and advertising industry has exploited women’s bodies, excluded, subjugated or stereotyped women of colour and we still need to hold the industry to account. But in this case, the ruling has done more damage than good and illustrates the problem we still have in society making decisions for women about their bodies. I’m only assuming that FKA Twigs wasn’t consulted before the ban was introduced - frankly, I think that is all we need to know. FKA Twigs looks beautiful, proud, powerful and she has responded eloquently: “I am proud of my physicality and hold the art I create with my vessel to the standards of women like Josephine Baker, Eartha Kitt and Grace Jones who broke down barriers of what it looks like to be empowered and harness a unique embodied sensuality. Thank you to CK and Mert and Marcus who gave me a space to express myself exactly how i wanted to - i will not have my narrative changed." Let's not forget the Jeremy Allen White ad which was released last week. I’ve seen hundreds of hot takes on this so I’ll leave it at, I thought it was great. Not every ad needs to have meaning, especially a CK ad. Thoughts welcome. Calvin Klein is and always will be about sexuality and more importantly power. Of course the creative treatment matters, but by banning bodies we’re only creating shame, perpetuating social inequalities and silencing power.

How are you celebrating #Nationalblackbusinessmonth??? 👀👀 Me, I'm making it my goal to partner with 5 Black women who need a little extra support with social media content creation. If you are a coach or consultant who only needs captions created, I want to connect with you. This means you already have graphics, templates, etc and ONLY need copy/captions written. Price would be a fraction of what my monthly retainer prices are (hence researched captions only). Turn around time for 20-22 pieces would be about 1 week (that's one caption per week day for 1 month). Ideal must haves to make this a smooth, easy, and efficient process 👇🏾👇🏾 -Must already have an established service, offer, or program, etc (meaning you're not in the testing stages, etc) -Clarity on who your target audience is and can communicate that to me (with such a quick turnaround I won't have time to figure that out for you) Content will be written for one platform of your choice (FB, IG, or LI) however, you are free to utilize it wherever it may apply. I'll create a mix of short and long form content that can be applied for either static posts or videos. (This will be your preference and will be noted in your intake form). If you'd like to sign up, meet me in my DM. I can only take 5 spaces due to the quick turnaround. I'll be closing this offer on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. Help me reach my goal. ✨ #socialmediacontentcreation #socialmediamanager

LBB (Little Black Book) asked me…what if advertising was built around the default woman? So, I wrote some speculative future fiction. Why not use a little creative imagination about our ad world in 2047?! It's a brave place. Have a read below! ….. "It’s two weeks before the Super Brain Bowl 2047 (formerly Super Bowl). Layla, a Strategist at ChromoXX agency, is still trying to nail down the VR eye implant messaging for their robotic health equity campaign in the big game. She joined the agency in 2043, shortly after the unexpected vanishing of all males from Earth, an event now known as ‘The Great Reset.’ After a short period of disruption, the day-to-day world rolled right along. Women’s remarkable skill for systems management, married with emotional intelligence, enable them to sustain and enhance the amenities of modern life with 50 percent of the resources. Layla’s agency team, which consists of non-gendered data analysts and strategy bots, do the heavy lifting these days, and her multiple avatar doubles take the client meetings with their avatar doubles. All decision-making in the agency runs through a system of efficiency + human consideration + ego removal checks, so there’s minimal delay. Swift operations are crucial to use the government-mandated maximum 6-hour workday best. ChromoXX also blocks work-related neural alerts after 6 pm to allow for personal mental restorations. While creating the new Super Brain Bowl campaign, there had been fiery debate about the legacy of the NFL and the male coliseum of sports. But since Taylor Swift bought the League and now runs it with her daughters (Taya and Maya Kelce), she turned it into a competition to solve the world’s greatest problems, from the climate to cancer. It is the New Enlightenment Games and drives over 1 billion viewers. The only other entertainment that comes close is Presidential Election debates and Friends reruns." 😉 #internationalwomensday

In this pivotal election year, during a significant moment in U.S. history, it’s fascinating to observe how brands are engaging their audiences in the political conversation. Numerous press outlets, like Vogue Business, have referred to voting as a “Fall Trend,” and today, we’re sharing a brief piece from Fashionista showcasing marketing and merchandising strategies from brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, Old Navy, Draper James, and Naturalizer. Many companies are taking a non-partisan stance — Citizens of Humanity Group, Everlane, Kenneth Cole Productions, and JENNIFER MEYER, INC. (just a few examples) have teamed up with I am a voter. to launch apparel celebrating the simple act of voting. Others, like The United Colors Project, Inc and Lingua Franca, are explicitly promoting specific candidates, messages, and values. One wonders what the conversations are like behind the scenes as brand leaders navigate their approach to this defining political moment. It's also a perfect opportunity for meaningful fashion designer collaborations - Planned Parenthood Federation of America is collaborating with designers like DVF (Diane von Furstenberg), Fe Noel, Kim Shui, and Prabal Gurung, LLC on a special t-shirt collection supporting abortion rights. With #ElectionDay fast approaching, there’s an urgency to connect with young voters and highlight the importance of this moment. It’s inspiring to see brands harness their creative energy to contribute to the movement. #brandstrategy #election2024 #marketing #merchandising #votingrights

The meeting on our calendar read “Culturally Unintelligent Happenings - Team Huddle”. It’s been a chaotic week watching brands strive to ‘stand-out’ at the start of the holiday season 🎁. Several have found themselves in some pretty hot cider with campaigns that alienate the people they most want to connect with. This really isn’t a [insert problematic brand name here] issue. This is a systemic issue within advertising. Facts: - 90% of ad agencies are led by white executives. - 6% of branding and advertising executives are black. - 5% of designers identify as black. 4️⃣0️⃣4️⃣0️⃣ Agency is a branding and advertising agency on a mission to break this deeply concerning cycle and we’re doing that with our diverse team. Diverse in ethnicity, experience, skills, zip code, and then some. We’ve believed for a long time that to reach your audience - you need to be the audience. Diverse teams in advertising are essential - and if you ask our clients, they are also the winning teams 😉 Follow our new IG account (@4040.agency) to see our diverse teams work ✍️ #DiversityInAgencies #DiverseIsOurUniverse #Inclusion #CulturalIntelligence