Kheris Rogers was in her grade school when her teacher gave the class an assignment to draw themselves. The teacher handed her a black crayon because she was the darkest amongst her classmates. She had earlier transferred from another school to escape the bul-ing. However, it didn’t help. Rogers turned to her grandmother, who told her, ‘Flex in your complexion,’ and that sentence changed her outlook and made her feel beautiful.
She now owns her clothing label called “Flexin’ In My Complexion.” When Roger’s sister Taylor Pollard tweeted about them wanting to start a clothing line with the story and some family photos, the response was overwhelming. The brand has now caught the attention of many celebrities. Snoop Dogg posted about Rogers on Instagram.
“A 10 y.o.girl oppress about her dark skin has created a fashion line in hopes of instilling confidence in other young girls facing the same.” Producer, actress, and writer Lena Waithe also posted a picture of her wearing a ‘Flexin’ In My Complexion’ shirt. Celebrities like Alicia Keys and Lupita Nyong’o also purchased from ‘Flexin’ In My Complexion.’
Celebrities take notice
Twitter users complimented Roger’s skin and hair, saying she was beautiful. Many shared their experiences with bul-ing. Rogers participated in the Harlem fashion Week in New York. She also went on the Steve Harvey’s Show. Nike featured Rogers in an ad. She is amazed at how things turn out.
“We didn’t expect for me to start the clothing line. We didn’t expect the picture to go viral at all. We just thought it was going to get a couple of retweets. It is crazy how people want to buy my clothing line.” Rogers said.
The brand started its business in April 2017, and so far, they have sold over 10,000 shirts and made over $100,000. The next step for the company is to their clothing into stores. Rogers hopes someday she will expand her business and open her store.
She says, “I’m telling other young kids that they can do anything they want to do. Like if you want to be a model just go for it. Nobody can tell you that you can’t do anything just because of the way you look.”
