It’s influence that makes a true icon and Iman — the supermodel, actress and groundbreaking entrepreneur — is that rare cultural figure who has earned the right to the title.
Want proof of Iman’s lasting impact and influence? Just listen to dynamic entrepreneur Keisha Young, founder of Clay & Olive Skincare, a Black-owned, women-owned cosmetics business delivering ethical skincare products that customers love. Or, as Clay & Olive puts it, “skincare with a conscience.” (Clay & Olive products are 100% vegan and cruelty free.)
2paragraphs asked the Clay & Olive founder: “Tell us about a well-known businessperson or celebrity who inspires you to create and keep pushing through?”
Young’s answer, in the video below, is as informed and inspirational as its subject.
Iman launched her famous cosmetics line, Iman Cosmetics, in 1994, establishing a major presence and filling the boardroom with “100% women and 85% women of color,” Young. says
Indeed, the Clay & Olive founder’s first purchase on her own “journey into beauty” was an Iman-branded lipstick. It remains a treasured purchase in her memory — she recognizes today that it was as much about empowerment as aesthetic flair.
Even now, “Iman empowers me to continue pushing the Clay & Olive brand towards revolutionizing skincare,” Young says, “in many ways that will impact generations to come.”
As Young attests, for entrepreneurs of color in succeeding generations, Iman’s unique journey opened up a world of possibilities and delivered an enduring plan for operating without compromise in a frequently resistant business world — one that neglects too many, too often.
Clay & Olive also possesses the wisdom to recognize a holistic reality: that a product like an anti-aging cream is even more effective if we don’t feel guilty about how the product was sourced and made. It’s a brand that insists on clean ingredients. Clay & Olive walks the walk.
Even before Iman came along, though, to sprinkle her magic inspiration on the Clay & Olive leader, there was — no surprise — family to look to for inspiration. Tradition is embedded in the brand, as Young elsewhere explains on the brand’s website:
Watching the southern matriarchs of my family observe their daily beauty rituals sparked my passion for skincare. My mother, the youngest of seven grew up on a large farm in rural Alabama. Growing up, she’d watch my grandmother hand craft soaps made from simple ingredients harvested on their farm. She would later share this inherited wisdom with me. Clay & Olive Skincare carries on the legacy of generations of women in my family.
You can check out more Clay & Olive on Instagram. And that’s a pretty good place to get your Iman on too.
