Kheris Rogers, an 11-year-old entrepreneur from Los Angeles, has made history at New York Fashion Week as the youngest fashion designer ever to present. Kheris became an internet sensation earlier this year after her sister posted photos of her promoting her unapologetic Flexin’ in My Complexion apparel line.
She created the line after being bullied for her dark skin, and becoming inspired to boost the self-esteem of other dark skin girls.
This year’s New York Fashion Week took place on September 7-13, 2017, and featured many different shows and the collections of many different famous designers. Kheris too presented her designs at the Museum of the City of New York in East Harlem on Sunday, September 10th.
Afterwards, she tweeted: “I just made history as #NYFW youngest fashion designer EVER! I am only 11 years old and made it while encouraging people to love their skin.”
How she got started
Kheris got her start in fashion after she was bullied by her classmates for being “too dark”. She says she went home crying, and eventually transferred to another school. But her older sister was determined to boost her pride and confidence, and started taking model style photos of Kheris. When she posted them on social media, the photos instantly went viral with more than 100,000 likes and shares.
This encouraged Kheris to not only be proud of her skin tone, but to also do something about it. So, she decided to start an apparel line called Flexin’ in My Complexion.
On being famous
In addition to New York Fashion Week, Kheris has also presented her designs during Harlem Fashion Week and at Tom Joyner’s Family Reunion.
She has received tons of press from the likes of Vibe Magazine, Ebony Magazine, and BlackNews.com. She has even been featured on all the mainstream blogs like HuffingtonPost.com, Mashable.com, BuzzFeed.com, PopSugar.com, and Bossip.com. She even was interviewed on CBS News.
But she remains humble and says that she is inspired by the positive words and the success of other “chocolate” girls like actress Lupita Nyong’o.
She told one reporter: “Now, I know I’m pretty, and I’m not going to let anyone tell me different.”
For more details about her Flexin’ in My Complexion apparel line, visit www.flexininmycomplexion.com or follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/kherispoppin/
source:businesswomen.org
