I am back here with the legendary Iman.
And Iman Cosmetics launched
in 1994.
And we actually have Sharon Chuter
on the program, who did the Pull Up For Change,
the hashtag, which you participated in.
We luckily at FLOWER, you know, participated in,
'cause it's such an important thing
to be a part of what she's doing.
And she has UOMA Beauty.
And it was funny because everybody put in their thing,
what percentage of women and black women
and what everybody had at their companies.
And yours was like 100% women, 85% black,
been doing this for 25 years plus.
And I read a story about how you showed up to a shoot
and the makeup artist said, like,
"Did you bring your own foundation,
"because we just don't have it?"
Yup.
And, was there several catalysts that got you
to launch Iman Cosmetics that was so important,
necessary, and groundbreaking at that time?
Yes, actually, because it really happened
at that photo shoot.
It was in 1975.
It was my first photo shoot and it was for American Vogue.
And I have never worn heels.
I've never worn makeup before I arrived
in the United States.
I was studying political science.
I've never seen fashion magazines.
I had no idea that there was anything called fashion
that existed, you know, in the world.
So at that photo shoot, I walked in
and there was another model on the shoot
and she was Caucasian.
And the makeup artist asked me,
and by the way, I was then 19 years old.
He asked me specifically,
"Did you bring your own foundation?"
But it wasn't lost on me that he didn't ask that question
to the Caucasian girl.
So I thought something,
because I had no idea what he was talking about.
I didn't even know what foundation was.
So then he proceeded to mix and match some products
and put it on my face.
And I looked in the mirror and I looked gray.
I looked horribly gray, my skin.
And so what saved my career,
because that was my first shoot.
What saved my career was that our photographs
were actually black and white.
And those black and whites hide a multitude of sins.
Interesting.
But what I did was that I made it my job
to find something that was suitable for my skin.
So I went to all the department stores.
I went to Woolworth.
You're too young to remember Woolworth.
Oh no, of course I rocked it at Woolworths, too.
I came out of the womb, 10 with a martini in 1975.
So I was new to the planet.
I love you for that, I love you for that,
I love you for that (laughs).
I did.
So, I mixed and mixed product and put it on my face.
And I took a Polaroid camera and I took pictures,
so I could see how will it translate.
That was the seed that was implanted in my head,
that I have to take control of my own image.
You know, we were talking about language,
but in fashion and beauty, you know,
our power is how we look.
Our currency is how our images look.
So I wanted to make sure that I took control of that
and that I could put myself at the best forward light
you know, and I never went to a fashion shoot
without a foundation from then on.
And you did.
I retired in 1989 and I created in 1994
Iman Cosmetics for women with skin of color.
And I say skin of color, because before I started
my makeup, everybody, especially black,
were called just women of color.
Yeah.
And even now, when you think about women of color,
you only think about black women.
But I wanted a new language of beauty,
of how to include everybody in.
Because there are Filipinos who are as dark as I am.
There are Puerto Ricans who are, you know, the same color,
Brazilians who are light, so the whole world.
I was not interested in the ethnicity,
I was interested in the spectrum of colors
that the whole world comes in.
Well, you have been a pioneer in so many areas.
And I thank you for finding the words and the solves
in the beauty industry for women to empower,
properly address and solve what so many women need.
You are an icon with an incredible vision and soul
and proactiveness, which I think is the most insane thing.
And by the way, speaking of color, fun fact.
You have a dog named Max?
Yes.
who has different colored eyes like your beloved,
the legendary David Bowie, which I was reading a book
to my children the other night about him.
And I had never known that he got punched
and that was how his eye changed color.
Exactly, except Max was born like that.
My dog was born like that.
So you are supposed to be surrounded in these beautiful
creatures that look over you and that you love back
and you and your family, your husband, Max,
and everything you're doing and you put out in the world,
you're such a part of the majesty of human capacity
and what good people and how they make their mark
on this planet.
And I thank you so much for being here, Iman,
and kicking off this Beauty Week.
It can't be a greater honor than to do it with you.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you so much.
(upbeat music)