( ENSPIRE She Did That ) 16-Year-Old Cameron Brew Works to Promote Beauty and Power in the Black Community Through Fashion Line and E-Commerce Company.
ENSPIRE Contributor: Kaleigh Gabriel
Amid the on-going social turmoil of the United States, 16-year-old Cameron Brew, of Philadelphia, Pa., admitted to her mother, Kim Brew, feelings of low self-worth as a young, Black woman after witnessing some of the events that occurred during the last summer’s social justice protests. With encouragement and reassurance from her mother, Cameron was able to lift her morale, reminding herself that she is “Black, gorgeous, and rich in so many ways” and has channeled these feelings into the creation of Black, Gorgeous, and Rich, a fashion/beauty e-commerce market and fashion line to embrace black excellence.
Cameron says that the purpose of the brand is to cast aside the negative stereotype set upon Black people throughout the world by proudly reflecting the proud style and heritage of Black people through luxury apparel and beauty products to remind customers that they deserve the best quality because they are of highest worth. With Cameron serving as Chief Executive Officer and her mother, Kim Brew, as Chief Financial Officer, the mother/daughter duo has designed their brand, Black, Gorgeous, and Rich to match their hometown community of Philadelphia and through their e-commerce website they are branching out across the globe. In an interview with ENSPIRE Magazine, CEO Cameron Brew discusses the inspiration behind her brand and her goals for what they can accomplish.
What would you say is unique to your brand and style? What are some of your favorite/most exciting items that you have released or will be released to your customers?
Our style has been described as “luxury meets the streets,” and that ties in with a really powerful message, based on my personal affirmation that I am Black, gorgeous and rich. You can feel this affirmation all throughout the brand. We want you to feel valued when you shop with us. Our customers want to feel good about themselves, no matter what, and they should. Those are the desires that we cater to.
I’m proud of all my products, and I have a lot of favorites, but if I had to name a few, I would say our new cologne, billionaire. The billionaire is so special because it was made to honor our Black men. They’ve worked so hard for their success and how they’ve moved our community forward, so that’s how we’re paying homage to them. I know people don’t expect that from a teenage girl, but we had to pay tribute to them. I am also excited about the Spring and Summer Collection we are creating. I think people will really love what they see.
What has your experience starting BGAR been like? Have you received the support you expected?
My experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I never expected BGAR to turn into what it has today. I thought in the beginning that we would get a few orders and then it would die out. My mom shouted me out a lot on Facebook and people just started following our story of what it’s like to start a clothing brand. The people started to demand more, asking could we do different things and it just took off from there. I never dreamed there would be this much support. It has been surreal, to a degree.
Where has your inspiration stemmed from? What in particular encouraged you to develop BGAR?
When I saw Rihanna become more of a businesswoman when she started Fenty, it made me believe that I could do that, too. One day my mom and I had a conversation and she mentioned that we are Black, gorgeous, and rich, it just stuck with me. Looking back on it today, it seemed like everything just happened overnight. Once we developed our first product it was nonstop after that.
What has it been like starting a business, such as BGAR, during a worldwide pandemic and what have you done to overcome this struggle?
It really gave us an advantage because people were looking for something to make them feel good about today’s times. BGAR is so positive it kind of catches you off guard. It is really a shocking, bold statement.
“Confidence is key” is listed as the mantra for Black, Gorgeous, and Rich. How do you think BGAR promotes confidence in customers and the community?
We have a lot of people selling clothes in the Black community, but I thought we could come into space and show our people how to embrace who they truly are. It is really the definition of who we are as Black people. We have tremendous buying power. We have made a lot of other brands and countries rich, but now we have more representation of who we are in a clothing brand. BGAR somehow gives you automatic confidence.
Your brand also encourages others to embrace their black excellence. Why is this an important cause to you and your brand and how do you hope to contribute to this cause? What encouraged you to pursue your business now?
I knew by being young I would be judged, so I knew I had to give it my greatest effort if I wanted to stand out and find success. I didn’t want to wait to act on creating BGAR because I watched my brother wait until he got out of high school to try to figure out what he was going to do with his life, and I knew I only had a short time before I was in his position. Hopefully by the time I graduate BGAR will be in a position for me to expand and collaborate with other powerful brands. I hope to inspire more teen entrepreneurs to get out there and change the world.
As you plan to grow your business, what do you hope to see happen for Black, Gorgeous, and Rich? Are there particular sponsorships or items that you are looking forward to?
I hope to one day see different Black celebrities wearing my clothes and using my products. I hope to one day soon see my brand on people all over the world because I want people to know that BGAR exists. Currently, we are entertaining the idea of taking BGAR to Jamaica and representing their flag on the clothing as well as other nations of black people around the world. BGAR just makes people smile and to be able to make people smile around the world would be a dream come true.
Black, Gorgeous, and Rich is working to provide creative and expressive luxury apparel to the Black community. Starting their e-commerce store with the support of their local community in Philadelphia, Pa., Cameron and her mother, Kim, have gained attention across the nation, but they don’t plan on stopping there. Black, Gorgeous, and Rich will release new items in the upcoming seasons, which are found on their website or Instagram @black_gorgeous_and_rich.
