The Fantastic thing about Blackness, a documentary that tells the story of Fashion Fair Cosmetics, the primary cosmetics line created primarily for Black women, is out there to stream on HBO Max.

Eunice Johnson – the co-founder of JET and EBONY Magazines – created the corporate in 1973 after she couldn’t find products that complemented the skin color of the models who were a component of the Ebony Fashion Fair. The upstart cosmetics company provided darker tones of lipstick and eyeshadow versus the more common, neutral hues.

“She began this company to actually provide an answer for an issue,” said Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, President of Fashion Fair. “The overall market firms who were selling cosmetics weren’t making shades for girls of color.”

In keeping with the Hollywood Reporter, the documentary features interviews with models, entertainers, and fashion experts akin to celebrity MUA Sam Fantastic, designer Sergio Hudson, and the Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and actress Kelly Rowland.

“Fashion Fair Cosmetics provided a few of a very powerful cultural moments for people of color,” said Fantastic. “With little to no representation in cosmetics, Eunice Johnson single-handedly made history and created a shelter for girls of color in cosmetics — for each consumers and employees alike. I used to be thrilled to take part in the documentary and speak on the historic rise, fall and relaunch of this iconic brand. Having develop into the primary Creative Makeup Director and launching the primary co-branded collection for the brand has been a highpoint in my profession; a homecoming of sorts.”

After purchasing the corporate in 2019, McKissack and current CEO Desiree Rogers brought Fashion Fair to the following level, fully understanding the needs of today’s consumer. It now offers vegan products and includes quite a lot of makeup options for all skin types.

“It truly is the primary cosmetics company that was developed in honor of Black women’s glamour, beauty and fashion. Black women sit on the cornerstone of this amazing brand, and we don’t have lots of those which were around 50 plus years,” said Rogers.

Directed by Tiffany Johnson, The Fantastic thing about Blackness was filmed in 2020, and produced by Sephora in collaboration with Epic Digital and Vox Creative.

“One among the belongings you see in it’s that it tells the history and creates that bridge to find a way to inform the story of what has been, but can be equally essential to inform the story of what’s and what will be,” said Mayberry McKissack. “And so, you’ve got like three different divisions: what happened, what is going on, after which you might have people projecting what this implies for the longer term.”

“Fashion Fair has all the time been inspired by the sweetness, fashion and glamour of Black women,” added Rogers. “It gave Black women the chance to experience beauty in the identical way other women had been doing for many years, so we understood the importance of documenting the relaunch. This documentary is a nod to the brand, which was certainly one of the primary, and continues to, recognize and rejoice Black beauty.”