FASHION FAIR: The Brand that NEVER Left!
Photos from fashionfair.com
Long before inclusivity became a beauty industry buzzword, Fashion Fair was already proving that Black women deserved to be seen. Founded in 1973 by Eunice Johnson, co-founder of the legendary Ebony Fashion Fair, the brand was born from a simple but powerful realization: Black models traveling with the fashion show couldn't find makeup that matched their skin tones. Rather than accept what the beauty industry offered, Johnson decided to create something better.
Photo from fashionfair.com
Fashion Fair quickly became the first prestige cosmetics brand created specifically for women of color. At a time when most brands offered little to no shade diversity, Fashion Fair introduced complexion products designed to celebrate the richness of deeper skin tones. It wasn't just selling makeup—it was filling a void that the beauty industry had ignored for decades.
Photo from essence.com
The brand soon became a household name. Its luxurious packaging, department store presence, and high-performance formulas made it a staple in countless makeup bags. More importantly, its advertising boldly placed Black women front and center, celebrating their beauty in a way that was rarely seen in mainstream cosmetics. Fashion Fair helped redefine beauty standards by making representation the expectation, not the exception.
Photo from NBC News
Like many legacy brands, Fashion Fair faced challenges as the beauty industry evolved. After years of financial struggles, the iconic brand entered a new chapter in November 2019, when Desirée Rogers and Cheryl Mayberry McKissack acquired Fashion Fair Cosmetics. Their vision was not simply to relaunch a historic brand, but to preserve its legacy while introducing it to a new generation of beauty lovers.
Photo from fashionfair.com
Under their leadership, Fashion Fair returned with modernized formulas, refreshed packaging, and the same commitment to serving women with deeper skin tones that made the brand iconic in the first place. The relaunch honored the foundation Eunice Johnson built while ensuring that the brand remained relevant in today's beauty landscape.
Fashion Fair's story is a reminder that inclusive beauty did not begin with a trend or a viral moment. It began with women who refused to accept being overlooked and chose to create opportunities where none existed. Long before the beauty industry embraced diversity, Fashion Fair had already set the standard.
More than fifty years after its debut, Fashion Fair continues to stand as one of the most influential brands in Black beauty history. It didn't disappear. It evolved. And that's exactly why it remains the brand that never left.
