Last Friday, we teamed up with NYX Professional Makeup to host a Creator Day, a dedicated space for beginning creators of color to learn, connect, and feel truly seen. Days like this remind us exactly why our mission at red. matters: amplifying underrepresented voices in an industry that still hasn’t caught up.
The beauty and social media landscape is full of opportunity, yet too many emerging POC creators continue to be overlooked or underestimated. This event was built to change that. By giving these creators practical tools, industry knowledge, and direct access to the people and platforms shaping the future of beauty.
To build momentum ahead of the event, we launched a social campaign with 17 influencers, each sharing their personal stories around diversity and inclusion. Their honesty resonated far beyond what we expected: the campaign reached well over a million views and inspired 800+ creators to sign up for this day.
From those sign-ups, we welcomed 100 talented creators for a full day of learning and inspiration. They joined a workshop by Shae Beers-Locadia and an honest, insightful panel with Dounia Souadi, Bettina Sarpomaah, Stefanie Van Mierlo and Coco Chloë Aarts (moderated by Cheyenne Esajas), filled with experiences, practical advice, and the kind of transparency that rarely shows up on social media.
What made Creator Day truly special wasn’t just the programming, it was the energy in the room. Creators met each other, shared their journeys, asked real questions, and left with new tools, confidence, and community.
The event may be over, but the momentum isn’t. Supporting emerging creators of color requires consistency, collaboration, and commitment. And that’s exactly what we’re here to build.
Thank you to everyone involved, but especially Tessa Leo, Habiba Morsy and Olema Kweli.
Images by Merel Daantje
