Tracee Ellis Ross has always promoted diversity, both on-screen and off, for example with her haircare line for Black women, Pattern, but now she's making it official and has accepted the position of Diversity and Inclusion Advisor to the retail giant Ulta Beauty.
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One of the biggest chains of beauty stores in America, Ulta shops, is the only physical place where Tracee’s Pattern products are sold. And they were exclusive partners for Alicia Keys’ soulcare cosmetics line as well. But of the 624 brands sold at the retailer, only 13 are black-owned businesses, and the label wants to change that.
Tracee says that she’s already been informally talking with executives for a while about improving and is excited to formalise the position and start making measurable goals for them to achieve.
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To start with Ulta has promised to double the number of Black-owned brands they sell by the end of this year and will spend $4 million (more than R59 million) on promoting those products, such as their new Muse programme which will magnify, uplift, support and empower black voices in beauty.
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