Fashion Fair: The Iconic Makeup Brand for the Black Community

Tyshca Nicole

The legendary Eunice Johnson launched Fashion Fair in 1973, which was the first high-end international line of cosmetics for darker skin tones. It was sold in stores all over the world, including Neiman Marcus and Printemps. The brand boldly launched a new affirmation of Black beauty and broke down barriers between races in the commercial world.

Back in its heyday, Johnson, who was also the co-founder of Johnson Publishing company, which published Ebony and Jet magazines, tapped now-legendary Black celebrities like Pat Cleveland and Aretha Franklin as faces of the brand. For a long time, it was one of the few brands on which Black women could rely for hues that matched their dark skin tones.

The brand declared bankruptcy in 2016 after Ebony and Jet were sold to a private equity entity. Businesswomen Cheryl Mayberry McKissack and former Johnson Publishing CEO Desirée Rogers teamed up in 2019 to purchase Fashion Fair, after they acquired another well-known company for the melanin-rich, Black Opal.

Fashion Fair evokes the same nostalgic memories that Max Factor mascara or Nars Orgasm blush might for someone outside of Black communities in the United States.

To learn more and to get your own products, be sure to visit Fashion Fair.