When the Bobbi Brown cosmetics empire started in 1990s Soho, the goal was clear: to make women feel naturally confident in their own skin, despite trends dictating otherwise. (Really, stop and picture the colors and prints and patterns from the early part of that decade.) And while the brand’s been a beauty staple for nearly 30 years by now — promoting individuality, inclusivity, and natural self-expression from the very start — it’s taking an even bigger stand this fall to support women in feeling beautiful, their way.
This New York Fashion Week, Bobbi Brown is sending its brand’s best artists to create beauty looks for 16 fashion shows led or launched by female creators. In a world where just about anyone can pick up a feminist-slogan tote or tee or coffee cup and say they support women, this is a major commitment to fashion week, and the fashion world at large, where traditionally male-led labels and bold looks have earned the lion’s share of press. This is Bobbi Brown’s largest roster of female-founded shows to date, an effort that not only spotlights the brand’s continued and growing presence as a supporter of women in business, but also points toward a changing fashion business — one where women designers are seeing more of the spotlight than ever before.
Most of the NYFW designers backed by Bobbi Brown Cosmetics don’t just design for their lines — they run them. Consider fashion forces such as Ulla Johnson, whose dreamy bohemian-chic is a celebrity closet standby, or Gabriela Hearst, a queen of sophistication and sustainability. (The beauty brand is sending star artists Romy Soleimani and Hannah Murray to their shows, respectively.) The brand will stand alongside these powerhouse designers and many more, including the iconic Cynthia Rowley, Veronica Beard (helmed by not just one but two designers sharing that name), and sister-led label Zimmermann. So while we’re waiting eagerly to see the beauty looks walking down the runway, it’s even more exciting to see women-founded brands working together in community — in a very stylish moment where female leadership is celebrated, diversity is welcomed in every way, and real looks are designed for real women.
These runway shows are a big step for women in male-dominated industries, but this isn’t the end of the road. Bobbi Brown started out fighting unrealistic, exclusionary standards of beauty nearly three decades ago, and if this year’s fashion week is any indication, there’s no sign of a slowdown. Follow all the fashion week action @bobbibrown on social — we know we will be.
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All images courtesy of Bobbi Brown.
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