We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Autumn Stokes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Autumn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
A legacy I am hoping to build would be encouraging black girls/women that if I could do it, then they can do it! Another thing I hope my legacy will be is the impact my brand has on the mental health community! Growing up, there wasn’t much diversity in the beauty industry. Furthermore, I didn’t see a lot of cosmetic brands or even black-owned cosmetic lines that catered to the black community. Ever since I was a little girl in elementary, all I ever wanted to do was create my own cosmetics line, starting with lipgloss. As I began to age, I noticed there wasn’t much coverage on mental health. As far as making an impact in the mental health community, I want to make sure individuals feel safe and secure with their identity, personality, emotions, etc. I have always dealt with anxiety/social anxiety/high sensitivity for as long as I can remember. It is a tough battle, and as I grow and my company expands, I truly desire to cater to the mental health community and the highly sensitive individuals with beneficial resources and more! I want everyone to know it is okay to feel, be seen, heard, etc. Lastly, I believe people will say that I’m a girl who genuinely advocates for mental health, inclusivity, highly sensitive individuals, striving to accomplish dreams, etc. I’ve always liked to look beyond the sky! I’m more than capable of accomplishing my dreams/goals because I know I can do anything I put my mind to!
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?
Hello readers! My name is Autumn Stokes, and I am the CEO and Founder of Katoria S. Kosmetics LLC! I am a recent graduate from the University of Memphis! I am a Memphis native, and Katoria S. Kosmetics LLC is a locally black-owned business in Memphis, TN! I got into the makeup/beauty industry honestly at a young age. I’ve been pursuing the beauty industry since I was in elementary school, and it all started with lipgloss! Since a young age, I’ve always wanted to run my own cosmetics business, but I didn’t know where and how to get the resources needed for the vision to happen! As for getting my business vision/dream together, I decided in May 2021 to start developing Katoria S. Kosmetics LLC! I was always researching, testing sample tubes from suppliers, testing out the ingredients for my glosses, testing out the gloss base I wanted specifically for my company, etc. It took a lot of research just to make sure I was going about it the right way, making sure I measured my ingredients precisely to ensure I had the perfect consistency for my glosses, etc! I’m still learning as I go when it comes down to discipline. I say this because I have to practice this, especially when it comes down to my products, purchasing products/ingredients, creating my prices, being consistent on social media, etc! Katoria S. Kosmetics LLC is known for creating and selling signature handmade lipglosses, lip liners, and our iconic butterfly mirrors (pink and black options available)! We provide cruelty-free, clean, vegan, and luxurious products! As for problem solvers, I do want my company to be the “it” brand when someone thinks of lipgloss mainly and for other makeup necessities as well! However, once my company evolves and expands into the different areas of makeup/skincare, I do plan to solve problems in the deeper skin community! We have seen many beauty companies that are not inclusive to the deeper skin community/black & brown community. I plan to change the standard in the makeup industry for black and brown girls! Something that sets me apart from other beauty companies would be my mission, values, and purpose. Every move that I make always has an intention behind it, whether it is honoring my late father on a special day with a launch, uplifting individuals dealing with their mental health, or showing the glorious world of makeup/beauty! I cannot wait for my company to evolve so that I can do more for the mental health community. Another thing that sets me apart would also be continuing education to learn more about the skin and truly understand the dynamics of how skin reacts to products, how to help reduce contraindications with the skin, etc. I am most proud of myself for continuing to go on despite the outside noise, criticisms, etc. I do have a great support system when it comes down to my business, and that’s a wonderful thing to have! I truly enjoy getting to know consumers and giving them the backstory on my brand, my why, my how, etc! I want my supporters/followers to know that I am still in the works on my brand. Everything isn’t perfect, and it won’t be, but it will all come together and work out! I plan to expand my company to bring on employment opportunities in the future. In due time, I plan to see my brand in big stores such as Ulta, Sephora, Macy’s, JC Penney, Target, Walmart, etc. Seeing the fruit of my vision is a major goal for me, and it keeps me motivated! Thank you all so much!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I would say around February 2023, I went into a mental health decline mainly due to stress, finding employment in my career field before I graduated, academic stress, etc. I was able to find an internship in my field, and it was an amazing experience, but I had to take a step away from my business because I started to get burned out from everything. That truly made me sad and emotional because around that time, I was slowly starting to lose my passion for creating lipgloss, and that is the last thing a person who loves the makeup/beauty industry wants to feel like. As I started to become aware of my feelings, I was very transparent with my supporters about my mental health and my business. I am very appreciative of the grace and patience I received during that. As 2023 was coming to an end, I slowly started posting on my business page and trying to get back in tune with my cosmetics line. As December 31st was approaching, I announced my second-year anniversary for Katoria S. Kosmetics LLC! I also informed my supporters that Katoria S. Kosmetics LLC would be undergoing a rebrand in 2024! When 2024 came around, I got back in the groove of things, started posting more consistently, attended my first Pop-Up in March, and became more involved on campus to engage with students about my brand! I overcame my mental health decline, and I can honestly say that taking that mental health break was the best decision for me, personally and professionally, for the sake of my business. I am now thinking more clearly, engaging more with customers, posting consistently, and most of all, I am showing up every day for my brand! I have even implemented a 2024 Fall/Winter season brand ambassador program for my business. This decision took a while for me to make, but I’m ready to see what the future holds!
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Typically, the best source of new clients for me would be attending pop-up shops in the city. I do want to venture out and attend pop-up shops outside of my city because you never know what support or new connections you can make! I do make a lot of connections with customers because I am new to them. My brand gives off very girly, emotionally safe, and pretty vibes! Although I’m not in the big leagues yet, it truly means a lot that customers trust me, my brand, and what we value. Another source of new clients would be marketing and advertising through social media. My Instagram is the main social media channel I gravitate to mostly, and I have connected with a lot of customers, business owners/vendors, etc, on the Instagram platform. It’s amazing seeing other entrepreneurs, learning about their business/industry, etc. However, I can not wait to do pop-up shops worldwide!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katoriaskosmetics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katoriaskosmetics
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katoriaskosmetics
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/autumn-stokes-a870a2265
- Twitter: https://x.com/katoriasko
Image Credits
Autumn Stokes, De’Miracle Tabb, and Donna LaRiviere!