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Actress Tracee Ellis Ross started building her vision for Pattern Beauty while starring on the sitcom Girlfriends<\/em>, but it was her lifelong experience as a \u201ccurly girly\u201d (a woman with curled and coiled hair) that inspired the idea and was validated by generations of women with similar experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to actually create products that supported hair the way it grew out of its head \u2014 not to straighten it or anything,\u201d Ross said during a conversation with Business of Fashion<\/em>\u2019s Sheena Butler-Young at a keynote presentation during this year\u2019s NRF. \u201cThe textured-hair masses that exist in the world just didn\u2019t have a lot of products. I spent years trying to find things, and I remember in high school saying to myself, \u2018Wouldn\u2019t it be great if I could have one brand on my counter?\u2019 And I realized I wasn\u2019t the only one. I was part of a massive group that was not being serviced in that way.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Her business plan, which centered around creating products for people with curly, coily, tight and textured hair, was decades in the making (20<\/strong> of dreaming, 10<\/strong> years in development and five<\/strong> years in-market, according to the Pattern Beauty website), but now Ross and her Co-CEO Christiane Pendarvis are setting their sights on growing the brand. Pattern Beauty currently has more than 50 <\/strong>SKUs (starting with seven<\/strong>), 11 <\/strong>retail partners and 47 <\/strong>employees \u2014 and isn\u2019t slowing down.<\/p>\n During her session, Ross candidly shared key lessons from her journey so far.<\/p>\n Although Ross acknowledged her business acumen, she admitted that she had a day job that prevented her from knowing all aspects of the retail industry, inside and out. So while she learned quite a bit organically by simply doing the work, she also knew she needed to build a knowledgeable team.<\/p>\n When she was in early-stage conversations with retail partners (one of which was Ulta<\/strong> and then-CEO Mary Dillon), Ross asked for recommended business partners and settled on LA-based Beach House Group<\/strong>. \u201cI am a very intentional and purposeful leader and a very creative leader,\u201d Ross said. \u201cAnd my business acumen is very based on my creativity \u2014 I am an artist first and foremost. But now, as I build a team, I\u2019m looking for people that are team players, looking for people that really understand the full picture of what we do, that are experts in what they do. I am not a micromanager. I have no intention of micromanaging because there\u2019s many areas of the business that are not my expertise. Bringing in the right people has been extraordinary.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Pendarvis is a prime example of the \u201cright people,\u201d given her illustrious 25+<\/strong>-year career in retail working for and supporting brands like Old Navy<\/strong>, Victoria\u2019s Secret <\/strong>and Savage x Fenty<\/strong>. She now acts as Ross\u2019 right hand, enabling her to focus on her strengths as a product ideator and creative while Pendarvis runs and manages the business operations.<\/p>\n \u201cPattern had scaled at a pace that was unexpected to me, and also that brought on new challenges in areas in a business that I didn\u2019t know a lot about, and I realized that the best use of me was to really continue to be the guardian of the brand and the vision of the brand, stay focused on the marketing, the creativity and the product development, and really bring somebody in who knew and had the experience to scale a business, who understood the purpose and the intention of Pattern, and the beauty of what we do in the internal community for the external community,\u201d said Ross. \u201cThat\u2019s how I found Christiane.\u201d<\/p>\n Historically, marketing and advertising executives have followed a similar formula: tell people about a challenge they may or may not know they have, and show how your solution (or product) can fix it. But Ross believes this model feeds into longstanding negative connotations around \u201cBlack hair\u201d that have been internalized by many consumers. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to change the paradigm in the way that Black people were marketed to,\u201d Ross explained. \u201cI am a shopper. I am somebody who loves beauty products, and I also understood the way marketing works and does not<\/em> work. I feel like when I feel good about myself, I actually buy more. Particularly when it comes to the Black customer, that [problem-based approach] in and of itself is a problematic equation. Telling Black customers that their hair is a problem and that you needed this to fix it absolutely did not<\/em> work for me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Instead, Ross built Pattern Beauty in celebration<\/strong>. \u201cHow can we celebrate our hair, meet people where they are, and create a space of joy where people can enjoy what they have?\u201d she added.<\/p>\n When Pattern Beauty first launched in Ulta, the market\u2019s response was resoundingly positive. So when products sold out, the team found they couldn\u2019t restock fast enough. \u201cAs we all know in retail, the consumer is fast to change their mind,\u201d she admitted. \u201cYou pick something that you like or try. If you can\u2019t get it again, and you need something, you\u2019ll try something else, and that might become your favorite thing. The ability to restock is an important part of the process, and that is a math game that is not mine. But what I discovered [in this experience] was the underestimation of the Black consumer.\u201d<\/p>\n Specifically, this underestimation is rooted in the \u201cmyth\u201d that \u201cBlack hair care is a niche market.\u201d In fact, 65% to 75% <\/strong>of the global market is technically part of Pattern Beauty\u2019s total addressable market (TAM) because of these consumers\u2019 hair texture.<\/p>\n Ross explained that all members of the retail industry, from the C-level to entrepreneurs, must work together to \u201ctackle those pitfalls along the operational line in how products get on shelves. That was a learning lesson for Ulta. It was a learning lesson for Pattern, and those are the things that create the data that help us all as an industry continue to grow and learn and change.\u201d<\/p>\n Pattern continues to take a data-led approach to ensure it remains connected and accountable to its community. \u201cMany of the products we develop come out of listening to and being in exchange with our customer. That is, to me, at the core of humanity; that the more we listen and respond \u2014 not react, but listen and respond from informed places \u2014 we can serve each other in a much more robust way that allows for opportunity and growth and also shared humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to its branded ecommerce site, Pattern has a presence across key retail partners, including Ulta, Sephora<\/strong>, Target<\/strong> and Amazon<\/strong>, and is always exploring new retail partnerships. However, the real opportunity arguably lies in the brand name itself.<\/p>\nLearn by Doing, but Don\u2019t be Afraid to Admit what You Don\u2019t Know<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The \u2018Solve-a-Challenge\u2019 Marketing Approach is Broken<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Use Data to Drive Company and Industry Change<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Ensure Expansion Opportunities Center Around Your Mission<\/strong><\/h3>\n