Upon waking up this morning, I immediately felt the regular Monday blues (you know, feeling like the weekend went by too fast and fatigue is fully in gear). I pushed past those feelings, completed my morning routine, and suddenly, my blues disappeared, because I saw the best news at the top of my Instagram timeline. Diarrha N'Diaye, founder of Ami Colé — the beloved brand that was committed to uplifting Black beauty — has been appointed Executive Vice President of Skims Beauty.
The news comes just a month after N'Diaye officially closed the doors of Ami Colé, in part due to a lack of support from investors. "Instead of focusing on the healthy, sustainable future of the company and meeting the needs of our loyal fan base, I rode a temperamental wave of appraising investors — some of whom seemed to have an attitude toward equity and 'betting big on inclusivity' that changed its tune a lot, to my ears, from what it sounded like in 2020," she wrote in an article for our sister brand, The Cut. Her story echoes the idea that for Black-owned brands has waned since 2020.
This power move holds significance, and not just because Kim Kardashian is part of the conversation. It's more than just another Black figure being appointed to the helm of a brand for token purposes. The partnership between N'Diaye and Kardashian represents hope for the future of beauty. In her new role, N'Diaye will oversee product development and innovation as well as brand strategy, owning a major role in shaping the beauty identity of the Skims empire — one that includes everyone. "I want Skims Beauty to be a place where everyone feels represented, and there was no better person to help us do that than Diarrha," Kardashian said in a press release. N'Diaye also said in her latest feature with The Cut, "I have been around the block, and I'm happy to bring this vault of knowledge to Kim's beauty closet to work on a new wave of inclusive beauty for all. The sky really is the limit, and I want every little brown girl to know that." The sky's the limit, indeed.
As we await the Skims Beauty era, shop some of our favorite Ami Colé products.
