Black Women & Style with Gok Wan
Black Women Mean Business - Celebrating Fashion, Beauty & Women of Colour
Gok Wan
@therealgokwan
"Had such a good evening talking at the houses of commons last night. Great crowd and such an inspirational panel. Thanks guys! X
Charlene Edwards
@CharleneEdwards
"@Sar_Am84 Sarah Amarteifio an inspirational speak at the House of Commons with @therealgokwan her words touched me with her fashion journey"
Phillippina Prempeh
@Creative_Pina
"Still buzzing from the PEARLS OF FASHION WISDOM spoken at The House Of Commons on Monday @IreneShelley @Sar_Am84 @therealgokwan @HackneyAbbott"
Diane Abbott MPVerified account
@HackneyAbbott
"Big thanks to fab panel on beauty & style @HannahPool @Sar_Am84 @IreneShelley @therealgokwan Very special evening"
Diane Abott set up Black Women Mean Business in 1992 with the aim of supporting, encouraging and celebrating black businesswomen in the UK. It was the first organisation of it's kind at the time.
"As ever, 'Black Women Mean Business' remains a not-for-profit group with a simple agenda; to support, encourage and celebrate black women involved in business as well as black entrepreneurship in general."
BWMB was re-launched on 25th February to continue to provide a forum for black women's entrepreneurship, allowing them to access useful information and training; hear presentations from successful business people and professionals; and get the practical advice and support they need for their business of profession.
On Monday 7th April 2014 Sarah-Alexis appeared on the panel of speakers for Black Women & Style BWMB event, Celebrating Fashion, Beauty & Women of Colour, alongside special guest speaker Gok Wan, Fashion consultant, author and television presenter.
The panel brought together Gok Wan and the following individuals with experience of different areas of fashion and beauty to discussion perceptions, trends and consumer power. Guardian columnist Hannah Pool, Black Hair and Beauty Magazine Editor Irene Shelley and Sarah-Alexis Amarteifio as Former Styling and Creative supervisor for Topshop and currently Freelance Stylist and stylist at MATCHESFASHION.COM, offered aspiring designers, stylists and young professionals advice on how to crack the fashion industry and discuss the racial issues still prominent in this super-competitive industry.
Black women remain the largest consumers of cosmetics products in the world. In the UK a large proportion of the business' owned by black women are in the beauty industry, and increasing numbers of black women are working in the British fashion industry.
Sarah-Alexis' talk covered;
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Her journey through the fashion industry
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Family background and early inluences
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Her perception of black women and style
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Achievements and acknowledgement of people of colour and their roles in fashion
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The limitations faced by people of colour in fashion
Contains quotes, exerpts and text from www.bwmb.org and
https://uk.beamly.com/exclusives/gok-wan-discusses-black-women-and-style-with-mp-diane-abott/.