Vol. 1, No. 1: A Leap of Faith
(*in my Erykah Badu voice) Hello hello, hey, hello hello.….
There are 4 Sundays left in 2024 and I just can’t let this year go by without getting things started.
For quite some, I have put off starting this substack. A laundry list of fears just kept building in my mind that would not allow me to actually see this through. Yes, I had already established the title and created the account over a year ago, but little things that I turned into big things just got in my way. I’ve had several conversations with friends about my wanting to get this thing started and each discussion was met with encouragement (thank you for listening) to just rip the bandaid off. So here it goes!
My name is Kia, and I am very happy to present to you, between friends. I can’t fully take credit for the title, as it was inspired after one of my favorite albums by Tamia, released in 2006. For her fourth studio album, Tamia worked with longtime collaborators, thus inspiring the title. (You’ll notice as you embark on this journey with me, that music has been my greatest source of inspiration.) For me, the title represents a relationship through conversations that I share with my friends. If you’re reading this, I consider us friends - old and new. There is so much that friends can share with one another and more specifically, what I want to share with you, my friend, is my insight and knowledge into the fashion and beauty space. My day-to-day job as a fashion and beauty market editor for Vanity Fair, allows me to interact and connect with a host of brands, from heritage to up and coming. It has been one of the biggest joys for being able to do what I do. Learning someone’s background and seeing someone’s vision being played out from season to season, is all very inspiring and helps to keep the wheels of the fashion industry constantly turning.
For as long as I can remember, I have had a deep love for magazines, which is what led me into this world. But unlike many of my peers, I didn’t get my start fresh out of college. Once I graduated from undergrad (the North Carolina A&T State University!), I was at a major crossroads trying to figure out my path, so I thought a career in Human Resources was going to be the journey for me. It was not. But I don’t take my time spent in that space for granted. It helped to shape me into the person I am today and help me to relate to people. And having been in fashion 10 years later, what a wild ride!
Enough about that — Here. We. GO! My aim is to bring you this newsletter once a week on Sundays on brands and trends that I am seeing and loving, with fun conversations in the mix. The sky is the limit!
Thank you for taking the time to be here!
xo Kia
P.S. – Imposter syndrome is real and it has me so terrified. But if you feel so inclined to take this connection further, please do subscribe. I promise to not disappoint you.
I love this 💕