This is where Femme It Forward step in. They are back for their fourth year of the Next Gem Femme mentorship programme, offering opportunities for nine months of one-to-one mentoring with their large list of over 150 industry mentors. Their expertise ranges from marketing, business development, talent management, to publicity – and have affiliations with an array of household names such as Apple Music, Netflix, Republic Records, and YouTube.

Only for US and Canadian based applicants, you must be over 18 years old and enrolled in school or employed in order to apply. Over the course of 8 months from August 2024 to March 2025, this programme offers professional coaching, industry insights, and networking opportunities with female industry leaders in their chosen field.

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The programme’s access to a large list of industry experts – such as music, media, entertainment, or technology – allows applicants to engage with professionals with real hands-on experience and advice. The programme will support over one hundred applicants, including those from historically black universities and colleges, and will help provide mentees with the skills they will need for long-term development in the industries they choose. 

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Femme It Forward’s founder and CEO, Heather Lowery, is no stranger to the lack of opportunities that exists within the media and music industry. Her education at Spelman College and employment at various record labels has left her with insight into obstacles that women of colour face when attempting to break into the entertainment industry. In an interview with Forbes in July 2023, she stated that “I initially created Femme It Forward as a series […] It was a series to give more women opportunities to perform on stage […]. I realised I wasn’t doing enough for women in live music. It irked my soul until I did something about it. Five months later I launched Femme It Forward with ten performance line-ups and three panels – all women!”   

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Lowery makes it clear that the Next Gem Femme programme is a direct response to the increased need for black women in professional and entrepreneurial capacities, with 52% of women without mentors expressing a need for additional help with associating with other professionals.

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Therefore, this programme aims to bolster women of colour and afford them with the opportunities she feels they are lacking. She says that the goal of Next Gem Femme is to “Give the next generation of leaders access and opportunities to help combat opportunity gaps and structural barriers that exist for young women of colour.”

Applications for this programme close at 9:00 PM on Friday 7^th June 2024. 

_{Written By Bethan Gwynne}

The post Next Gem Femme And Heather Lowery: The Mentor Program That Is ‘Curated By Women, For Women’ appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Not only were we super excited to learn about their wonderful products, which by the way, are all vegan! We loved hearing the family’s entrepreneurial story and their perspective of growing up with intersecting identities. The young brand is truly built upon the passion the three women share for solving the problems which themselves and others have experienced while purchasing beauty products. Quality has definitely not been neglected as the Khan sisters put their hearts and souls into their products and solving the common issues they know all too well. Their authentic brand values, cultural awareness and high-quality products are all amazing reasons why you should make CTZN your 2023 go-to beauty brand.

This interview was a pleasure conducting and we are sure you will find it just as interesting and inspiring as we did.

Tell us about your experience, and how CTZN started?

Aleena: [Speaking of CTZN’s inclusive nude lip collection, NUDIVERSAL] We get so passionate talking about our neutral lip shades. When people think of products that suit all skin tones, they often just focus on the complexion category, i.e. foundations and concealers. At CTZN, we believe that your complexion, lip tone and undertones actually impact every makeup category – from shade range, to formulations needing to be adjusted for certain skin tones within one collection, to the level of color payoff. If you look at eyeshadow, you need to think about how much pigment you need for the color tone to show up as powerfully on certain skin. Even fragrance, it’s so interesting, because we have learned that melanated skin requires a higher perfume and alcohol concentration for the scent to be as long lasting and prominent.

We started with the lip category to show that it’s not just foundations and concealers that need to be disrupted for people of color – nude lipsticks are a perfect example of this.

With CTZN, because we are South Asian, we noticed from a personal experience as beauty consumers that when we stepped into a mainstream department store, not one model on the displays or posters around us were South Asian or Middle Eastern. This wasn’t just on a product level, which is the obvious part, but even the imagery around us.  There was not one person with a middle brown skin tone; South Asian or Middle Eastern complexions. I think that’s crazy, because we’re such huge beauty consumers and it’s a big market. So, even if you’re looking at it from a business perspective, which rules a brand’s decisions, why are we being ignored? One thing that we could work on as South Asians is more vocal about why this matters, and demanding this focus from mainstream brands! We purposefully did not make CTZN just for South Asians because we concluded through research that people don’t want to see a niche brand just for one sub-group where you are again isolated, but actually feeling represented within a global brand where you are equally considered. So, that’s how CTZN came about. 

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CTZN Cosmetics NUDIVERSAL Bali

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CTZN Cosmetics NUDIVERSAL D.C

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CTZN Cosmetics NUDIVERSAL Ibiza

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CTZN Cosmetics NUDIVERSAL Lahore

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CTZN Cosmetics NUDIVERSAL Rome

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CTZN Cosmetics NUDIVERSAL Stockholm

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Launching a beauty brand is not easy!  Are any of you from a beauty background? How did you start? 

Naseeha: Yeah, I do have a beauty background as a certified makeup artist, from Los Angeles Makeup School! I have always been obsessed with makeup and beauty in general, ever since I was young. I played around with makeup a lot, and then in high school I would do my friend’s makeup. When I was in college, I was working as a makeup artist on a popular beauty concierge app. I was working with different skin complexions, and that really helped me to understand how to approach artistry on different undertones and face shapes. I really understood the background of makeup and formulas from the beauty concierge app experience. I also taught myself through YouTube. I used to watch it religiously after school, I would run home and put my YouTube on and not talk to anyone and just learn, learn, learn. I also attended Makeup By Mario’s Masterclass, and I learned a lot of tips from that. I had one-on-one experiences with some Instagram makeup artists as well, which was really helpful.

Aleena: We always joke that we didn’t take advantage of it enough back then. Naseeha would always beg to do our makeup and me and Aleezeh would say ‘No, we’re not in the mood’ and now we’re trying to book appointments and she’s over it, she’s too big for us now [laughs].

You all sound like such a powerhouse, all three of you have got such different skillsets. We are intrigued by the brand name, how did you come up with the CTZN?

Aleezeh: We always felt that we didn’t resonate with just one culture because of the way we grew up. We’re Pakistani and were born in LA, but then moved to Dubai when we were pre-teens. Our dad moved there for work, so we all moved as a family. So, we grew up in Dubai and then we all went to high schools that were super international and diverse. So, thankfully we’ve all been exposed to different cultures.

Naseeha and I then studied in London and Aleena went back to Los Angeles for university. Our upbringing truly inspired a desire to create a global brand that felt ‘of the world’. Growing up in Dubai especially played a part in this passion for a multicultural focus, because over 80% of residents here are actually expats from all backgrounds, races and ethnicities. Cultural tolerance was such a pillar embedded in us from a young age – Dubai is the city where you go to a waterpark and see someone fully clothed in a Burkini next to someone in a bikini, and both were accepted and normalized!

Aleena: Before CTZN started, that concept of a ‘citizen of the world’ came from our grandma. In school it would be super confusing to answer when people would ask us where we were from. Unless you have ten minutes to hear our whole story (laughs). People want this one answer, or they want the answer that they’re looking for. I remember feeling like until you answer why you’re brown they’re just going to keep asking. Someone once said ‘your passport is where you’re from’, but I’m not just American either. So, it’s a strange question and it’s so multi-layered, but our grandma said ‘just say you’re a citizen of the world’!

Naseeha: And now it’s a trend to be multi-dimensional and own your cultural mixup, especially with everyone proudly now posting their results from identity tests such as 23 and Me!  Now it’s accepted to have a little bit of this blood, a little bit of that ethnic background.  

Aleena: Yeah, it’s interesting how back in high school you’re so self-conscious about the different layers of who you are, but as you evolve into an adult, you realize the parts that make you unique are the most beloved!

Aleezeh: On International Day we never knew which culture to represent – should we wear our American clothes or our Pakistani clothes? It was so hard to juggle which ones to represent because we resonate with both.

Aleena: The important thing with the name CTZN is that it’s a global brand. It’s not just a North American brand, it’s not just a Middle Eastern brand, and we don’t want to fall into that silo. From day one we wanted to be of multiple regions and we still want to expand in that direction even more.

When you launched CTZN, what kind of challenges did you come up against in such a noisy, competitive beauty space? You have a unique selling point and there was nothing like what you guys had when you were launching.

Aleezeh: Because our brand is all about coming up with a shade for everyone, regardless of complexion or gender, we wanted to test our products on a lot of people. So, I think a challenge was how long everything took. We usually hold focus groups in Dubai and London for example, lots of different countries, so that we’re covering all skin tones and backgrounds. And then we make sure that the formula feels good on your lips, and it needs to be both high quality and vegan friendly. There are so many factors that we have to consider that take longer than the development process. But we think that it’s worth waiting for, because we need to make sure that these formulas work on all skin tones, while also being high-performing.

Naseeha: There’s so many steps in creating products. There are compatibility tests, then you have to test the formula in the packaging. It sits there in a fridge at different temperatures and you test the melting point. Those processes take such a long time. You can’t just create a product and launch it after four months; it takes a long time. So, there’s a lot of planning ahead of time that you need to factor in. I feel like the challenges don’t stop, it’s not just in the beginning.

Aleena: A challenge at the beginning was launching a product that was not just a great formula, but a great vegan formula. We are perfectionists with the formulation. So, when we thought we were close to being done on this one lab visit, we felt that the lipstick was too transparent on the lips and wasn’t the pigmentation level that we had hoped for. We had to make an executive decision that we had to try again. So that delayed the launch a bit, but it was so worth it because we’re so proud of the formula now. Because we’re not like a celebrity brand with a huge platform, we really like to think about what doesn’t exist, and what is different about us. So, that is a challenge in itself but it’s also a fun motivator.

We constantly put that extra pressure on ourselves to give you something that you haven’t seen before, otherwise why, in the saturated market, would you buy from us? I think it’s that innovation, that fresh perspective that we try to give.

I think that’s great, your authenticity is so true. When you launched CTZN, did you immediately get the response you wanted, or was it a long process in the 3 and a half years since you’ve launched? 

Aleena: I think we always had the mindset of slow and steady wins the race, so that’s how we think. Anything else feels like a bonus, because we want to be the long-term brand that’s still here decades later that we can pass on. We really feel like it’s here to stay. I think we got really blessed that there was early recognition. So, I wouldn’t say a big break, but in the beginning, months after launching we won an Allure Best of Beauty Award. That was crazy for us because that was the industry recognition that we dreamed of before.

I think the coolest part was that our NUDIVERSAL Lip Duo in shade Stockholm won Best Neutral Lipstick for Dark Skin Tone, and it was the deepest shade out of our collection. So that was even cooler, because it was that recognition that we were looking to show that we have solutions for deeper complexions that were historically unaddressed. It was just surreal because the year after that, shade Koh Samui then won Best Neutral Lipstick for Medium Skin Tone. So, we’ve really been positioned as a category leader, which we believe we are, and it’s why there are 25 nude lip shades from a warm beige to a fudge brown.

Aleezeh: And I think it was important for us in that first year to participate in those big beauty moments, so we had a booth at BeautyCon. Even though we weren’t a known brand at that time, just having that exposure in that space was so amazing for us. We had people that stopped by at our booth that are still following our brand and still purchasing now. So, I think just having a presence where a lot of people end up going for beauty was important. It’s about being at the right place at the right time.

Aleena: Yeah, we visited our Nordstrom location in Newport in California. It was so crazy, by chance, we bumped into someone that met us at BeautyCon the first year we launched. And she was like ‘Oh My God are you guys CTZN?’ and she’s like ‘I don’t know if you remember but I met you at BeautyCon’ and we did remember her. So that was such a full circle moment, she didn’t know that we were there that day and she didn’t know that CTZN was even in Nordstrom, because we had just launched in that new location.

We’re also all about gifting, because we feel like it’s a more authentic way to promote your brand because you’re not forced to post and there’s no pressuring them to react unless they like it. And so, I think through gifting we’ve been really lucky that some key makeup artists love the brand and they’ve been using it on their celebrity clients. The celebrity placements that happened organically were a dream for us. From Hilary Duff, to SZA to Demi Lovato, we’ve just had some cool moments like that.

It’s because your products are great! So, this is super exciting, how did Sir John end up becoming a part of your team?

Aleena: I would say that was one of the moments that felt like the big break, because he’s such a guru in this industry, to see that kind of partnership being solidified was just crazy. He was in that first list of PR gifting when we first launched CTZN!

Naseeha: I remember when we looked at the PR gifting list and I saw Sir John’s name, I was so intimidated. I thought that he was never going to get our gifts or even open them. So, the fact that he wanted to work with us a couple of years later truly felt like a full circle moment, especially for me.

Aleena: What happened was someone in the industry introduced Sir John to our team, and we had a Zoom call. We honestly didn’t know where it would lead, it was just exciting enough to tell our story and hear his story as well. And I think it’s mainly the fact that he’s a humanitarian, he has such a deep soul and he doesn’t want to put his name on just anything. He really cares about that human aspect. Because CTZN is about cultural awareness and making people feel seen in an engaging community, he felt so aligned and passionate about our mission. I think it’s also the fact that we’re a young brand; he was able to make an impact and we could grow together. Longevity is important to us and him.

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CTZN Cosmetics Code Red: Ahmar

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CTZN Cosmetics Code Red: Kirmizi

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CTZN Cosmetics Code Red: Laal

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CTZN Cosmetics Code Red: Pula

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CTZN Cosmetics Code Red: Rooi

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CTZN Cosmetics Code Red: Rosso

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He goes so well with your brand message. What else do you have coming up in 2023? Are you allowed to say?

Naseeha: We can’t say specifically, but we’re excited because we’re expanding beyond the lip category and we are focusing on eyes. I’m not going to say the product exactly, but I’m excited to focus on a new category, it’s going to be fun. 

Aleezeh: It’s actually the first product that Sir John ideated and developed with us completely from scratch, so we’re really excited that it’s our first launch with him, where he helped us creatively on all fronts.

Aleena: Another focus for 2023, is related to our Culture-Torial segment and really building that library. Culture-Torials are a video segment we created and also trademarked, where shared what they love about their culture while doing their CTZN makeup routine. This year, we’re aiming for 52 Culture-Torials; we really want to get a flow where there’s one published a week, so that’s a big, big goal for us. That’s a whole part of our brand that we’ve realized is unique, that no one is doing. Anything that we feel like we are doing that’s unique, we know we need to be louder about it, so we’re passionate about that angle of CTZN. We feel like we are the first beauty brand that’s merging cultural awareness and beauty content, where you are actually learning about culture through a makeup tutorial. It’s about the mannerisms of people, what people love most about their culture, whether it’s food, music, nightlife. It’s actually inspired by this Cancel Culture era, where everyone feels this disappointment of not being understood rather than finding solutions to connect us all through education and shared platforms.

We feel like CTZN is a lifestyle brand, it’s not just about the impactful, high-quality cosmetics, that should be standard if you are launching a new brand today. For us it’s this cultural awareness angle that we’re equally passionate about.

That’s amazing. My last question is what advice would you give to someone who was getting ready to launch a beauty brand?

Aleena: We feel like it’s about listening to the community. We never create a product just because it’s what we personally want. First of all, my sisters and I represent just one skin tone demographic, we’re one perspective, we’re one gender. So, you really need to conduct focus groups, surveys and do research online of what other people are saying from different backgrounds. If we’re doing things all from one lens, that’s how Cancel Culture happens, that’s how you don’t realise that you have missed something very important. Things are missed, because you’re only exposed to one mindset.

Naseeha: That was helpful for us actually, and we have an amazing advisory board in our team. With what Aleena said, we have different age groups, ethnicities, genders and that helps. Because, we don’t claim that all of our ideas are right. We always take our ideas back to the advisory board, and we tell them about it and hear their feedback and that’s how you grow and know about different ideas.

Aleena: And we’ve been challenged! So, we don’t just have ‘yes men’ around us, that wouldn’t be inspiring. But I think even just testing on different people, making sure that yeah, you’re creating 25 shades, but did you test on different complexions to make sure everyone still has a fit? It’s not just about the number, it’s about actually engaging our community. That is how the Code Red collection came about. We heard from people that they wanted to see our take on red lipsticks after the nude range was so successfully received. So that was born out of people organically telling us they wanted reds. So, we are very reactive to feedback. That is the beauty of a small or indie brand, or a growing, emerging brand like us. We have the ability to listen to what you’re saying and go straight to the lab, because it’s still a very intimate team. So, keep letting us know what you want to see, because we can move quickly and it’s not twenty levels of people that have to approve an idea, we can go straight to the factory and develop something that you want. So, that is a really cool part of the stage we’re in right now.

Aleezeh: I think also some advice for launching a brand is that you need to know your deep why. You shouldn’t be launching your brand for the sake of it. You have to have a meaningful reason as to why you’re launching it, I think in this time because people are looking for something to connect and resonate with.

You guys have been so amazing, everything that you’ve achieved is so inspiring, and what a powerhouse you all are!

Words By: Jyoti Matoo and Aleena, Aleezeh and Naseeha Khan

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The post CTZN Cosmetics: The Powerhouse Sister Trio With Passion And Instinct For Inclusion In Beauty appeared first on Voir Fashion.

How did your journey begin with Khanum’s?

Khanum’s started as a side hustle. I had lost my job through redundancy and was left unemployed for 18 months. After interviewing for jobs non stop everyday and being rejected everyday,  I finally found a full-time role. When I eventually landed this role, I told myself that I needed an additional stream of income with hopes of additional financial security. The only option for me was to start a ‘side hustle’. 

The idea to start a niche evening wear, particularly jackets, stemmed from seeing a gap in the market for affordable, luxury statement pieces. There were several established high end designer brands offering what I wanted to create but the price points were never attainable for women like myself. My personal preference and ‘financial lane’ at the time admired luxury fashion with some high street styling. I loved the luxury customer experience from the quality of clothing to the sophisticated packaging detail and wanted to create a brand which offered this. I thought, what can I do to cater to an aspirational customer like myself, and create something quite luxurious yet affordable at the same time? That’s how Khanum’s started.

£ 460

Khanum’s Kamia Black Blazer

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Khanum’s Kamila Black Blazer

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Khanum’s Kys Crop Blazer

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You’re an entrepreneur and saw a gap in the market! So, you didn’t have a design background at all?

No, I didn’t. I studied Law at University. It’s quite a broad subject and I feel like it’s equipped me with a lot of analytical and research skills. I specialised in Intellectual Property Law which has proven extremely beneficial to Khanum’s with the design law aspect, protecting my designs etc, so I don’t regret it at all.

With you not having a design background, which is not unheard of, how did you actually get into fashion design? What does that process look like?

Well, I feel like I’ve always been a natural creative.  My parents are Bangladeshi immigrants who came to London in the late 70s and worked in the garment-making industry. They would produce bulk orders at home for a London-based manufacturer which was just round the corner from where we lived in Brick Lane. So, I was fully exposed to garment production at home. I witnessed my mum cutting patterns and fabric on our kitchen dinner table, then stitch all those fabrics into clothing in our machine room. My dad would do the same after he’d come back from working in restaurants. My older sister was artistic too, she’d always be sketching designs. Just from observation I’d see what they’d be doing and I’d sneak off to do it myself. Creativity and design has always been with me. It’s just not something that I chose to pursue because of certain circumstantial challenges.

Wow! When did you feel like it went from a side hustle to the full-time business that it is now? 

I never saw Khanum’s as a business that would become something as amazing as it is now.  I never envisioned that at all. I thought, it’s just a side hustle, a bit of money coming in, and I’ll put it towards savings. I’ll continue my 9-5 job, because that’s the main security. However, within the first few months there was an incredible surge of brand credibility and validation through revenue and brand awareness from social media and influencers that wanted to collaborate with us. 

The first collaboration that we did was with an influencer named Charlotte Emily Sanders, who was incredibly nice. She was happy to borrow a jacket, take a mirror selfie, and from that we had so many influencers requesting to collaborate with us. It was like a domino effect. It was so natural and organic and that’s what really helped increase revenue and generate sales beyond expectation. 

In the first seven months of running the business, as a side hustle from my bedroom, I managed to solely generate six figures. I then thought, maybe I should quit my job? I had a lot of customers, and I couldn’t continue my job as well as running my business outside of that. I was picking and packing orders, responding to customer service emails and DMs, marketing and putting Instagram/email posts together before work, during lunch breaks and after work. It just got to a point where it was a lot to keep up with the demand. I sat on the idea of quitting the day job, because I was scared. The fear of losing financial security lingered from my past experience of being unemployed for 18 months. 

In my mind, I was scarred by the fact that it was hard to finally get a job and here I am now thinking about quitting? What if my business fails? What if I quit my job and I don’t get as many sales as I do right now? It was a really difficult decision. It was only 18 months after I started Khanum’s where I semi took the leap of faith. I had a conversation with my manager and I asked her if I could work part time, and that my business wouldn’t conflict with that job.  She asked if she could have a look at my business, so she looked at my website and social media. Plot twist! She knew my brand, but didn’t know it was mine. It was quite crazy. She was the one to tell me to quit my job and focus on the business. It was the push I needed.

It sounds like it was scary for you, but it’s really paid off, hasn’t it? Were there any other creative influences that you had when you were growing up?

In terms of role models in business and entrepreneurship, when I was unemployed, I read the book ‘Girl Boss’ by Sophia Amoruso. Then, the Netflix adaptation came out, and I watched that five times. If you’ve watched that, or if you’ve read the book, you can see her journey when she’s struggling with her day job, wanting to make a quick buck which then unintentionally exploded. That planted a seed in my mind and thought maybe that’s what I could do as well? 

I also read ‘How to Become an Overnight Success’ by Maria Hatzistefanis, the founder of Rodial Beauty. She detailed her entrepreneurship journey over 10 years which finally led to success. Those two were key inspirations for me in terms of starting up a business. 

In terms of key role models, without sounding cliché, I saw my mum as a great role model. I saw her raising seven kids at home, an amazing full-time mum, she was a housewife, but was also working to make ends meet. She was making clothes for all of these brands and was doing so whilst raising all of us. I just thought; she’s a woman that’s so efficient, so militant, and gets everything done. I admired that, and recognised her determination with zero excuses at all. If this woman can do all that? Why can’t I, as a woman working 9-5, with a side hustle, and also being a mother to only one child? So, in terms of resilience, efficiency and dedication, my key role model has always been my mum.

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Khanum’s Khatt Kimono

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Khanum’s Khefali Top

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Khanum’s Kira Maxi Dress

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What advice would you give to aspiring creatives or people that want to go into the fashion business? 

Many say that the fashion industry is extremely saturated, but I feel like there’s a space for everyone. I think the key is to really research the market that you want to go into and find a niche. You have to stand out from the crowd and you need to have a unique selling point. Master your niche/USP, then the next key is finding methods of communicating why your brand is IT. You also need to consider your niche as finding a solution to a lot of people’s problems. For me, I thought, I’m young and I want to buy statement pieces. I love jackets, but the only other brands I saw that did those kinds of jackets are very high fashion, established brands, selling them for thousands of pounds which wasnt attainable for me. I wanted to create an affordable, luxury brand and provide the customer service and experience of a luxury brand. That way it’s honed in on both experiences, but you’re not paying the price. My advice would be to find a unique selling point and figure out the experience that you’re going to be providing for that customer.

You’ve had some exciting influencers and cool people wear your clothes. Who would you say has been your favourite person to work with so far?

Seeing Nicole Scherzinger wear a Khanum’s blazer. She was always a woman crush for me. So that was amazing.  

Is there anything exciting that you’re allowed to share with us that you’ve got coming up? 

We are launching our bridal collection next March, which is going to be incredible.. We’ve been working through the embellishment swatches and designs, we’re getting there! Khanum’s Bridal is not your traditional bridal gowns, it’s not going to be anything like that. It bridges the gap for the non-conventional bride and provides a 360 wardrobe for the brides entire wedding journey abnd experience and journey from engagement party to honeymoon fits.  That’s the niche I’ve discovered for bridal, and that’s what I want to push into. 

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Khanum’s Kiyah Maxi Dress Ivory

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Khanum’s Kerl Mini Dress Ivory

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Khanum’s Kamila Blazer Ivory

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Interview by Jyoti Matoo

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The post An Interview with Khanum’s Founder: Rokeya Khanum Chats Past, Future and Brand Success with Us appeared first on Voir Fashion.

“I wanted to create a brand that was luxe, empowering, bold, unapologetic… a community that women could come… to learn from experts and [confidants]”, Emaan Abbass.

Having been featured in Forbes, Cosmopolitan, and Vogue, Emaan is conquering this worldly taboo with the recent launch of KETISH. Having created a platform with luxury goods that celebrate and promote feminine care openly and unapologetically, along with a blog, COOCHIOLOGY, Emaan is demystifying feminine concerns and prompting discussion between women with shared experiences.

After the most recent release of KETISH’s fem product, The Quickie, Voir catches up with Emaan about her entrepreneurial journey in establishing KETISH, her work within the beauty industry and her new products coming up.

Before we dive into the exciting world of KETISH, could you tell us more about your background?

I’m from California, I grew up in a little country town called Hollister. My parents are Egyptian immigrants who moved to the states to give me and my sister a better life. I started my beauty career working at the Sephora headquarters as a supply chain manager. I always had a deep, sincere passion for beauty, skincare, makeup – basically everything beauty! When I joined Sephora, I thought ‘finally I’m working for one of the biggest beauty brands in the world, I should be satisfied’. But I wanted to work closely in product development and fulfil my dream of having my own brand instead.

I didn’t have a ton of experience, but I did have a lot of passion. I ended up meeting Huda when I was going on vacation to Dubai. I was completely obsessed with her and it really was a miracle that I got to meet her – to this day I still am not entirely sure why she said agreed, but thank god she did! I remember leaving the meeting with her thinking ‘wow, this woman is incredible’. I believed she was creating something magical and I definitely wanted to become a part of that magic.

How did you get into doing product development with the Huda Beauty Team?

I asked Huda for a job a few months after meeting her. I expected again to be a supply chain manager, but she brought me on as a product development manager, I was shocked because I didn’t have experience in that field. Huda reassured me saying she would teach me what I needed to know – I knew the beauty industry and I had a passion for my job which was more important for her.

We saw your pitch to Huda & Mona on an episode of Huda Boss – Tell us more about how this opportunity came up?

I have always wanted to start my own brand but it wasn’t until I heard about the Huda Beauty Angels Fund that I actually put pen to paper, mapping out the picture of my brand. Huda wanted to invest in young, female entrepreneurs as she had experienced difficulty beginning her brand as people didn’t exactly support her or what she had wanted to pursue. Initially, I made a pitch that was between Huda and me, it was quite an intense experience. It was originally just a business plan and an idea. She was excited to see where my mind was going and was proud that I had the courage to approach her with this idea. Feminine and intimate wellness was something not as well known, so she was originally a little hesitant but after a few meetings and conversions on the subject, she chose to jump in feet first with me. Huda essentially told me it was time to cut the umbilical cord, so I moved from her product development team to being involved in KETISH.

How have you found transitioning from an employee to a Brand Founder?

It definitely has been a transition, it also has not been linear. Breaking through my shell as an employee under one of the most powerful women in the industry was a lot of pressure. It’s odd because I’m still under her wing as a mentee, but at the same time, I’m a business partner. There is still moments of hesitation or overthinking, based on my self-doubt, but every day I have to remember she invested in me for a reason and to keep pushing myself forward.

What message lies for you at the heart of KETISH?

I feel like KETISH is something that has always been inside of me – it took a lifetime of experiences to bring it to where it is today. Having gone through cervical cancer, caused by HPV, without the ability to turn to my family for support definitely shaped me. I wished at that time, I had a community or educational source I could turn to when I most needed it. Going through the medical journey made me increasingly aware of the products I was using, I became more intrigued by the feminine and intimate wellness space.

Back in 2009, it was still a very limited space, I questioned why I could only buy products in the drugstore, rather than stores where I buy items to make me feel good and confident. I wanted to be proud to show products on my vanity without having to hide them when my boyfriend came over. This brought me to a place where I wanted to make a brand that was powerful, luxurious, and unapologetic – a brand giving women effective products she could trust. I wanted to build a community so women could lean on one another, but also a space where they could learn from experts and other women with shared experiences.

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Tell us about the name KETISH, how did you come up with it?

I wanted to make sure the name represented my culture and tied back to my Egyptian heritage, so I asked my parents and researched along those lines. We found that the ancient Egyptian goddess of love, passion, sexuality and pleasure was named Qetesh, it definitely spoke to the core of the brand as a powerful, goddess unapologetic and unashamed, who champions sexuality and pleasure.

You’ve been working on KETISH for the past two-three years what was that like in a pandemic?

To say the least, it was rough. For KETISH, it forced us to slow down, we took more time to consider what we stood for. We had the opportunity to have conversations with the women we wanted to launch this brand for, rather than have to rush into things. It was tough and a challenge, but also a blessing in disguise for the brand as it gave us more time to think about who we are.

What challenges did you come up against when building KETISH?

I definitely anticipated challenges. To launch a feminine and sexual wellness brand out of the Middle East is a big thing – since the launch, we have started to hear what people think about it. Launching here, we knew there was the possibility for backlash but it allowed us to speak to women from the Middle East, to understand what they wanted to see from the brand and how to not alienate people, to create the brand the right way and stay true to our ideas. We have learnt that as long as we stay true to what our focus is – amazing products, education, and creating a community – that you can’t go wrong with that.

What has been your most rewarding moment since launching KETISH?

Reading the messages, we have received from women all around the world and the response from women has been incredible, a lot of them bring me to tears. I am so grateful that women feel safe and trust us enough to share their personal journeys. What we wanted to do was to break down these barriers to help women engage together in a safe environment.

What advice would you give to other female entrepreneurs’ looking to start a brand?

The number one thing is to really understand and know your purpose, a lot happens behind the scenes which can potentially through you off course. If you don’t have the guiding star and belief in your brand, it can cause things to crumble. It is a tough road to start but with personal belief it is doable.

You have more exciting products coming up – can you tell us more?

I can’t give away too much, but I will say we are focusing on products for targeted body care and will range from intimate, pleasure focused products. We started with a less intimate product, unintimidating and accessible for every woman, as something to begin the conversation. But we are slowly moving over to the sexier side, you can anticipate us to be a well-rounded brand that focuses on the woman and her body first.

And lastly, some words of wisdom for our Voir readers?

Never giving up – if a door shuts in your face, you build another door and do not give up!

My mom always says ‘everything in its right time is beautiful’. I really believe that – when the world is falling apart it is falling apart for a reason, with something more beautiful to come in its place.

Shop and discover more about feminine care through KETISH

£ 27

KETISH: The Quickie Wipe – 20 Count

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KETISH ships internationally to the UK from Ketish.com and Hudabeauty.com!

Words by Caitlin Sahin

_{Header Photo Credit: KETISH}

The post Those Who Dare Win: KETISH, The Feminine Wellness Brand Changing Well Being History appeared first on Voir Fashion.