“This is why Liya’s Kebede’s Estee Lauder contract was such a big deal and one cannily planned by her agency. We really pushed Liya as a beautiful woman, not a beautiful black woman,” says Bart. Meanwhile, Estee Lauder president Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne had been looking for a way to update and broaden the brand’s appeal, concerned that its image had become fusty and middle-aged. “The choice of Liya herself was first linked to her style and personality,” he says. “But she also makes the image of the brand hipper and more fashion forward. You can’t have a single white face express the diversity of the world today.” And certainly not the diversity of the U.S. by some estimates, black women account for 19% of all cosmetics sales in the country. Estee Lauder has expanded the range of makeup shades it offers, and Liya’s ads will appear not only in publications like Essence, targeted at black readers, but also in W and Vogue.
Kebede’s big break came when Tom Ford asked her for an exclusive contract for his Gucci Fall/Winter 2000 fashion show. Kebede’s popularity in the fashion industry sky-rocketed when she appeared on the cover of the May 2002 edition of Paris Vogue which dedicated the entire issue to her.
According to Keke Cargill, Assistant Store Manager, Elizabeth Arden NYC:
“Ethnic skin reigns in different hues from dark chocolate to milky white. With the realization of this unique quality most beauty empires have started to place ethnic models in ad campaigns. When Estee Lauder added Ethiopian model Liya Kebede they noticed an increase in their foundation shades and also expanded on darker palette of shades for all the affluent women of color that started swamping their beauty counters. Christian Dior, YSL Beaute, and others have taken notice and acted as well.
We at Elizabeth Arden understand that we have an underserved clientele that we intend on paying more attention to. Hosting and organizing a recent event for Diversity Affluence at our 691 5th Ave location with African American only guests was a huge success, and the first of many we are planning.”
This sort of progress is encouraging!
