ATLANTA — Spelman College alumnae are making history as their scent becomes a success.
Tai Beauchamp, Malaika Jones, and Nia Jones, the co-founders of Brown Girl Jane, visited their beloved alma mater to share their recipe for creating an award-winning fragrance brand.
"Our steps were divinely ordered, being here, to be quite honest," said Beauchamp.
Their brand has become the first Black female-founded with no celebrity status to debut at luxury beauty retailer Sephora. They recently released their latest fragrance, Carnival.
Jones reflected on how her times at Spelman led to the woman she is now.
"I think Spelman has shown us that no matter where your journey takes you, it's going to end up. You can create this sort of brand and community that you wish you had," said Jones.
As a crowd of Spelman Jaguars listened to the trio talk about the challenging road that led to this historic moment, they walked away feeling like their goals were within reach -- after years of not seeing Black women thrive in the $17 billion beauty industry.
"For us to be alumni and be able to touch students and share with them our journey and our legacy of building a brand is one thing, but I think on top of the fact that Spelman just institutionalized on the cosmetic science program and just makes it even more special," Beauchamp.
Ashe Kelsey, a Spelman College sophomore, felt inspired by the three women and their journey.
"I think it's just such a full-circle moment. I know in the past we didn't have as many opportunities, and I know just seeing someone who had the same undergrad experience as I do and similar life experiences, it's just great to see them as inspirations," she said.
Jones left the young Spelmanites with some words of wisdom.
"Know that you belong here, that you deserve to be here and that you're going to change the world. So always believe in your destiny," she said. "And know that you can do it."
The Fragrance Foundation pledged to change the face of the industry by nurturing small businesses. President of the foundation, Linda Levy, said they've even implemented internship programs at schools across the country.