Pat McGrath: The Most Influential Makeup Artist in the World

Fashion has a long history of avoiding political statements. Kerby Jean-Raymond built an entire career out of making them anyway. The Haitian-American designer founded Pyer Moss in 2013, and from the beginning, his collections were about more than clothes. His breakout 2015 show, “They Have Names,” featured videos of Black people killed by police —…

In 2015, Melissa Butler walked onto the set of Shark Tank with a suitcase full of bright, bold lipsticks and a dream. She walked out with nothing but rejection. “I just felt like I was watching someone dismiss everything I’d worked for,” she’s said of the experience. The Sharks called her business “too small” and…

Lisa Price started making lotions in her Brooklyn kitchen because she couldn’t find anything that worked for her hair. That was in 1993. Today, Carol’s Daughter is one of the most recognized Black-owned beauty brands in the world. Price named the company after her mother, Carol. The name wasn’t a branding strategy — it was…

Monetta White grew up in San Francisco’s Fillmore District at a time when it was known as the “Harlem of the West” — a vibrant hub of Black culture, jazz, and community. By the time she was an adult, much of that legacy had been paved over by redevelopment and gentrification. She decided to build…