Interview by Carol Wright | Photos Courtesy of Keyondra and Kim Lockett
We got to chat with Keyondra and Kim Lockett, creators of the online shop Jolie Noire. They talked to NYOTA about their favorite item in the shop and what inspired them to start it.
What inspired you both to start Jolie Noire?
We started Jolie Noire to encourage Black women and add to the notion that Black is beautiful. We are primed to think dark colors (specifically black) are negative and light colors are positive. In an effort to level the playing field, we’re working to shape the minds of onlookers and change the meaning, emotions, and values associated with black. Color is something that doesn’t come pre-labeled, we label it. At Jolie Noire, we choose to believe that black, like other colors, is beautiful! We found it very easy to find graphic tees featuring non-Black women, but it was difficult to find graphic tees with Black women on them, in stores, so we decided to solve our own problem. We realize there are biases, inequities, injustices, and colorism, that Black women uniquely face so we wanted to provide a space where we can celebrate our likenesses while realizing and respecting our differences. We do that by providing highly artistic and fashionable pieces featuring beautiful Black women.
Outside of Jolie Noire you both work full-time. What have you learned about yourselves through working full-time and running your own business?
Though we don’t have regular 9-5 full-time jobs, we both have a lot going on in our individual lives. Keyondra is a #1 Billboard charting singer/songwriter and Kim is a wardrobe stylist. Those careers keep us very busy. We needed something that would allow us to grow while virtually maintaining our schedules only making tweaks to them. There’s so much that goes into owning a business. Shipping and production are only one part. Working with Printful provided the opportunity for us to focus on the creative and marketing side of our business while effectively fulfilling production, shipping, and warehousing for our business at a reasonable cost. Initially, we had a bit of reservation sharing with our customers that we have taken the POD route for fear of not being taken seriously as entrepreneurs. But we’ve been testing sharing that part of our story with our customers and have found they love our story and the process! Printful helps us to have a seamless process to get our product to our customers.
Do you have a favorite item you sell in the shop?
Our bestseller and our personal favorite design is our Girl With Hat series. Her deep skin tone and covered eyes make her mysterious but all shades of Black women can identify with her. She’s bold, strong, subtly loud, and classic.
How do you two go about finalizing the graphics you will have on your clothing? During that process is it fun to tap into your creative sides?
The design process is our favorite, yet the most stressful, part of owning our business. It’s fun because we get to let our creative juices flow but stressful because it can take, and has taken, months to have a final illustration. We are so detail-oriented and so careful to produce a product that accurately displays blackness. Many brands have tried to appeal to Black women and have missed the mark in key areas such as hair, facial features, and skin tones and we don’t want to make the mistake of doing the same.
We have carefully chosen illustrators that understand the nuances of Black women’s features so our ideas will come to life effortlessly. We select each detail of our graphics. From the curls in their hair to the shoes on their feet, we tell the illustrator our ideas and they execute them. A design doesn’t go into production until each detail is properly represented. In the first round of the illustration, we send our illustrator notes of how we want a design to look (hair, makeup, clothing, etc.) and they send a first draft of the piece. We then go over it with a fine-tooth comb and provide additional notes, if needed.
The fashion industry is in need of more Black voices. How do you think the industry can work towards becoming more inclusive?
We couldn’t agree more. Black voices are needed, badly, in fashion. We need to be in every part of the process of brands so we can properly be represented on the frontlines. Black women are the highest spenders in this country which means we shop everywhere. We should be able to readily find items that we can relate to. For example, when a brand releases items that are “nude” we need to be in the mix when the product launches. Not just our caramel sisters, but the deepest chocolate too. If a brand does graphic tees with people on them, we need to find as many tees with Black faces on them as we see with non-Black faces. We have proven time, and time, again that there is money ready to be spent but representation matters! It’s only when you have the representation of a body of people present that you see this type of consideration.
What advice do you have for others who want to start their own business?
There’s so much information out today about starting and owning a business that it can get quite overwhelming. When we started our business it was the opposite. We couldn’t find enough information about how to start and be successful in business. We’re always happy to share tips for aspiring business owners. It’s important to remain consistent, have a tribe of supporters, and have a business consultant on your team. We can’t stress enough the importance of being consistent. Once you’ve tested and gotten feedback on your ideas it may seem like your business ideas still won’t work.
You’ll probably want to give up or set your business to the side as we did, but don’t. Keep going, post to your social media consistently, wear, use, or promote your product or business concept as much as possible, and you’ll find that, little by little, more people will come to support you. People have to know about you to support you. Once you’ve garnered the attention of the people, you’ll see your tribe form. Your tribe is a group of diehard fans or supporters who stand for you. These are your loyal consumers. Lastly, your business consultant will help you connect the dots and keep you on track. They will be able to help you set goals for your business and encourage you along the way.