We were lucky to catch up with Sheryl Roberts recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sheryl , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I opened The Collective at IndigoStyle in my neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant in 2019. Initially it was to give small emerging black owned brands a brick and mortar to give their goods visibility and much needed revenue. I also wanted to engage the community in sustainable foods and make that a relevant part of their daily life via clothing and accessories and home decor.

Historically black owned businesses have had difficulties accessing capital and gaining visibility. We are often underserved, overlooked and undervalued. But I knew giving these brands a space to grow would allow them to refine their business and give them the credibility needed to go into other brick and mortar businesses. And that happened with almost all of the brands.

Sustainable fashion is new to the black community and many still shy away from it, especially older people. But introducing tue community to beautiful vintage and designer retail pieces and educating them on the value of these pieces has caused them to be more open to sustainable shopping.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Sheryl Roberts, a successful fashion model, actress and entrepreneur launched my first retail boutique, IndigoStyle Vintage Clothing & Accessories in 2017 which evolved into The Collective at IndigoStyle in 2019. The cooperative retail boutique and lifestyle store blends expertly curated vintage, designer resale and apparel as well as over 40 fashion-forward emerging brands from POC under one roof. “My goal is to offer unique, high quality merchandise that doesn’t break the bank.” Years of runway, showroom and print modeling created the perfect foundation for sourcing distinctive fashion and unique brands all found at The Collective at IndigoStyle.

I have been successful in the highly competitive modeling industry for more than two decades, gracing the covers of scores of publications, books and magazines. I am one of the few African American models to land both a coveted international makeup campaign as well as several prestigious hair campaigns for L’Oreal, Clairol and Mizani. With a multitude of beauty, advertising and fashion clients worldwide, I am is still a working model and actress.

I am an evolving public speaker; an event host, conference panelist, spokesperson and on-air personality. Sheryl Roberts can be reached at The Collective at IndigoStyle Clothing & Accessories located at 409 Lewis Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11233. Follow on Instagram: @indigostylevintage & @thecollectiveatindigostylebkn
and www.thecollectiveatindigostyle.com

I was inspired to start the Collective at IndigoStyle because I was vending at local markets and kept seeing amazing brands that had no home in the retail space. They had to pack up and travel from market to market to sell and that money was not consistent and the audience was not guaranteed. Opening The Collective gave underrepresented brands a home and place to be seen and celebrated by a consumer who was looking specifically for something cultural or representative of their needs.

The Collective at IndigoStyle is a community based space selling diverse and inclusive vintage and designer resale fashion, hand made goods and custom apparel made by talented black/brown and LGBTQ identifying entrepreneurs. We celebrate diversity, inclusivity, culture and affordability. The problem with our area is rapid gentrification and having small brands overlooked, undervalued and under represented in our own communities. We source local brands as well as brands throughout the diaspora.

Our business model is multi faceted. We wholesale from curated black/brown and LGBTQ brands, consign from the same type of brands for custom apparel and also source vintage/designers resale/upcycled fashion for environmental sustainability. This allows us to have a steady reliable stream of revenue to the brands and also encourages growth and development from the brands. This gives them solid statistics needed to go into other retail. We help them refine their business model in a safe space.

Community is what supports our mission to celebrate and support small black owned/LGBTQ business in the neighborhood we also live in. It allows us to be seen and celebrated. That inclusivity brings culture and authenticity back to our Brooklyn neighborhood in an unapologetic way.

The Collective at IndigoStyle and IndigoStyle Vintage really serve as a place where we can educate and celebrate our culture and diversity in a place where we feel seen and supported. Encouraging slow fashion and sustainability is fairly new to our culture and we feel it’s important to encourage clothing and accessories that won’t hurt the environment. We want to share new emerging brands made and curated by POC and LGBTQ. We want to have a place for us and others that really feels authentic.

We are celebrating brands committed to making a change and offering a platform for designers to share their points of view

I am the owner of IndigoStyle Vintage, a luxury vintage and designer resale boutique that offers styling, tv/film rentals & sales and a brick and mortar shopping experience.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Early on many mentors and marketing pros told me to make a curated Instagram in a color scheme that flowed and only post fashion or clothing for sale. It made perfect sense and was a formula for success that I saw replicated over most of social media. But I just post what I want and made my page a mix of my personal life and store. It resonated with my audience because it was more authentic and real. It is what connects my audience to me and gives me credibility. I am believable and they trust me based on that authenticity. And it has opened doors for other collaborations based on that authentic feel.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I started selling because I had a ton of clothing and just wanted to purge. I put up flyers in my neighborhood and had a sale over a weekend both days. I was surprised that so many people came. So I started doing it twice a month for about a year and eventually thrifted and purchased vintage pieces in other sizes that I thought people would like. They did and it helped me refine my pricing and learn what styles sold best. Then after two years I went into a home decor store in a 297 square foot space. I paid a portion of her rent for the space but it was perfect because I didn’t have the sole responsibility of a brick and mortar. After two years I opened my own brick and mortar but also decided to include small emerging black owned brands. It was a good fit for me.

I suggest anyone to partner or do a Collective so the sole burden isn’t on you. Just do your research and set it up the right way.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.thecollectiveatindigostyle.com
• Instagram: @indigostylevintage

Image Credits
All my own