Tracee’s own lived experience inspired her to create PATTERN. Tracee explains in her interview
with Glamour, “I tried to beat my hair into submission to do what I thought it should do. I straightened it, I dyed it, I fried it.” She then realised the beauty industry was leaving her out, shaming her for her natural hair. That was the starting point of her healing journey. She explains that the initial reason for creating these curly hair products was that she wanted them herself—a selfish reason with great success. Following a long journey of many disappointments and lack of support, Tracee finally achieved her dream in 2019. On Instagram, she said PATTERN was “the result of 20 years of dreaming, ten years in the making… and two years of working with chemists.”

Products formulated with Aloe Vera, Jojoba Oil, Shea Butter, and many more are exactly what curly hair needs. With curly girls’ struggle in mind, packaging, design, and conditioner tubes that are bigger than shampoo bottles, the brand supports everyone who chooses to wear their hair naturally.

The Pattern line-up that will come to the UK consists of four conditioners, varying from lightweight to intensive, a leave-in conditioner, a cleansing shampoo, and styling products like a Jojoba Oil Hair Blend, gels styling creams and a hydrating mist. But that’s not it. PATTERN also has styling tools in its pocket. The Edge Tool, Shower Brush and Hair Pick will make every curly girl’s hair game easier. Products range from £9 to £25.

PATTERN will be available in your local boots and online at boots.com from the 29th of June to ensure everyone has access to high-quality curly hair products. “With PATTERN now being available in the UK, I am reminded of the importance of being a Black-owned business in one of the country’s largest retailers”, says Tracee. “Today, we are one step closer to creating an industry where the curly, coily and tight, textured community is no longer overlooked or overshadowed. Instead, it is centred and celebrated”

Words By Maxi Pfeifer

_{Photo Credit: Pattern Beauty}

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Today, we’re honouring Tracee Ellis Ross. No, not for her fabulously hilarious ‘rich aunt’ style Insta videos featuring her on vacation (which we all love), but for her new hair brand Pattern Beauty which centres itself on “fulfilling the unmet beauty needs of the curly, coily & tight textured community”.

The Golden Globe award-winning actress who starred in Black-ish and is currently producing spinoff Mixed-ish has always been an activist in her work. Sitcom Girlfriends gave an insight into the everyday experiences of a diverse group of African American women in the 2000’s and made history for being one of the only shows on primetime television featuring an all-Black, predominantly female cast. Mixed-ish follows in a similar route in the way it illuminates the African American experience, but it mainly focusses on the identity crises of mixed-race children growing up in the 80s.

Certain scenes from the show resonates strongly with the motivating force behind Pattern Beauty, particularly in the way black children are frequently told by teachers or authority figures to control and “neaten” their hair. Mixed-ish as stated by Ross on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah took inspiration from the real-life scenarios of her childhood. Despite having a natural-haired style-icon mother (the Diana Ross) Tracee still felt that:

“Growing up, society told me there was a right way to wear my hair and a right way to look. Those ideals didn’t match what I saw in the mirror, so I tried to beat my curls into submission— putting body lotion in my hair, sleeping in rollers, blowouts, relaxers, texturizers, ponytails so tight they gave me a headache”.

Over time, thankfully, she managed to begin the “healing journey towards loving [her] hair” and Pattern Beauty is most definitely an emblem of this. The range features 7 highly-anticipated products including conditioner, shampoo, washday towels and claw clips all tailored towards 3B to 4C hair types. What is particularly commendable about the range is it’s the affordability – the products range from $9 to $42 – which Tracee pushed for as “everyone should have access to their most beautiful hair” despite their economic background.

At a time where more black women than ever are embracing their texture, initiatives like Tracee’s are much needed. The philosophy of this line stated on patternbeauty.com – “Don’t feel the need to “tame”, “control” or “stifle” your curls & coils”, along with Tracee’s personal experiences resurfaces deeper issues of American society surrounding black, or natural hair.

Only earlier this year was hair-based discrimination officially recognised as a type of prejudice in New York City. Cincinnati on Wednesday followed in the same footsteps and became the second state to make it illegal to discriminate against people with natural hair. Although change is occurring, cases like Andrew Johnson, the high-schooler who was forced to have his dreadlocks cut to participate in a wrestling match in 2018, still occurs.

We can most definitely see the raw authenticity behind Pattern Beauty. We love how its ethos parallels the ‘Black Is Beautiful’ movement of the 60s and how Tracee, by being open about her experiences, helps contribute to a much-needed paradigm shift surrounding big and bold hair. Pattern truly adds to the 21st century natural hair movement by creating “products made by and for us” and we’re excited to see how her line will expand over time.

Artwork by Luke Walwyn

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