Two brands rooted in African American culture are uniting for a beauty partnership: Black Radiance, the cosmetics company launched in 1993, and Cross Colours, the streetwear label established in 1989.
It’s a new chapter for both brands, marking Black Radiance’s first licensing deal and Cross Colours’ debut release in beauty.
“We’re telling a new story, for a new generation,” said Sherry West, brand marketing manager at Black Radiance.
Using color and music to tell that story — celebrating Black culture — the collection marries Black Radiance’s beauty know-how for darker skin tones with Cross Colours’ familiar palette of red, yellow, black and green, as well as its connection to ’80s and ’90s hip-hop.
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“The common denominator is hip-hop,” West continued. “The music, that was the culture.”
With its “Clothing Without Prejudice” tag line, Cross Colours was the first Black-owned brand to hit $100 million in sales and achieve mass distribution, according to the company. Cofounders TJ Walker and Carl Jones’ use of bright colors and graphic designs was not only 1980s and ‘90s contemporary, but also reflected Afrocentrism in response to the Reagan-era war on drugs and police brutality that disproportionately affected Black communities. Fans of the brand span the generations from Will Smith, Tupac Shakur, Mark Wahlberg and Magic Johnson in the original heyday, to Rihanna, Drake, Billie Eilish and Cardi B who have embraced it since the 2018 relaunch.
“Those primary colors, those are the original colors we started with,” Walker said. “With Black Radiance, there’s definitely an alignment in community and culture.”
The line, bright and bold, includes a $15 cassette tape-inspired eye shadow palette with eight colors in matte, metallic and shimmer finishes; a microphone-shaped $12 volumizing mascara, available in black and blue; a $10 multiuse palette in four creamy colors with vitamin E and soybean oil for the eyes and face; an $8 metallic liquid lip gloss in pink, red and purple, and a $10 creamy ombre lipstick, made with murumuru butter, vitamin E and botanical oils.
Along with reaching new customers, they hope to appeal to an older generation who may have discovered Cross Colours when being worn by their favorite stars on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “In Living Color” and other ’90s TV shows, as well as in MTV videos, where Cross Colours enjoyed free publicity for three years before networks caught on and began blurring logos became the norm unless brands paid for placement.
“It gives us an opportunity to attract, not only a new user, but also to attract some of our older demographic who also grew up with the culture,” added Jones, when asked about the value of the partnership. “It lets us move forward as well as reach back.”
An exclusive kit, with all products for $89.99, is launching on Amazon on Friday, before the collection enters CVS, Target, Walgreens and Walmart stores in January.
“We’re looking forward to gaining nearly 3,200 retail distribution doors,” Jones said.
