We were lucky to catch up with Brittany Washington recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brittany, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.
We serve plus size women and women with natural hair in a community that let’s them know that are perfect just the way they are.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Growing up plus finding clothes that fit have always been a challenge. Even though a majority of women are a size 14 or larger it hasn’t been reflected in the market of options available. I remember when I got married none of the bridal shops had dresses in my size to try on, I picked my dress out of a book and got to see it 2 weeks before my wedding when it came in. Then after transitioning back to natural not being able to find a shirt in my size was the final straw it made me want to create something inclusive, something that didn’t stop a 3xl. I didn’t know anything about creating clothing but I jumped in head first. My very first t-shirt took a year to get right after many failed attempts. We eventually settled into a curvy cut t-shirt that goes up a 26/28 which is bigger than the standard but as our community has grown so has the need to evolve. I am so excited that this summer we will be able launch our new line that will go up to a 7xl or 38/40 in women’s. I know what it feels to be excluded, to fall in love with something but not be able to order it because it doesn’t come in your size. When I decided to make the big chop I had so many people telling me how beautiful I was with straight hair and I can’t go into a job with my hair as it grows of out my head because it’s not professional. Despite what anyone thought I embraced my fluffy hair just as I loved my body as it is. When a women writes and tells me that she has never had a shirt fit the way ours do, or that my journal motivates her to embrace herself or that I’ve impacted her life through my business, it motivates and keeps me going! “My Beautiful Fluff” is my lifeline! It gives me the ability to pour body positivity, self-love and self-acceptance in women who need it.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The weekend that lockdown for COVID happened we were supposed to be accepting our first award for Size Overrated Magazine. We had done over 30 events the previous year and we had just as many events scheduled for that year. However, we had to totally pivot. I’m an introvert by nature but I started creating more content for my business, I applied for programs during the lockdown to help me grow such as the Tiktok Black Business Accelerator that pushed me outside of my comfort zone and helped me grow. We started a brand ambassador program during this time which helped us tremendously with an amazing group of creators who helped me grow and that I love appreciate so much. We grew we our online community to over 10k on Instagram and 20k on Facebook during this time. I did podcast interviews and lives with other businesses.
During the pandemic we had one of the best years for our contest Show Off Your Fluff where women in our community submit a picture where they feel most beautiful for the chance to have that photo turned into a caricature and featured on our line.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
My entrepreneur journey was greatly shaped by the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women Black in Business accelerator. Even after being in business for 6 years I learned so much about getting comfortable with my numbers, have clear KPI’s, understanding our customer avatar and embracing the journey from founder to CEO. When I got to New York I was terrified, I didn’t know if I belonged there, wasn’t quite sure why I was picked but I left there feeling good in knowing that I was supposed to be there. Out of over 2,000 businesses I was picked to be a part of the very first class. I made amazing connections and this experience inspired me to work on creating on a guided journal for founders that will release in the fall.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mybeautifulfluff.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/shopmybeautifulfluff
- Facebook: facebook.com/shopmybeautifulfluff
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopmybeautifulfluff/
- Twitter: twiter.com/mrsjacquesw
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXy6EyMqtRvFKv2TvDdHx7Q
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/my-beautiful-fluff-forest-park
Image Credits
My image was taken by Meshia Hayes https://www.facebook.com/groups/424202991877008/user/655670265/