“Our hope and aspiration with this brand is Madam C.J. Walker will truly be elevated to the American icon she is. She did so many things no other woman of her time did,” said Latraviette Smith-Wilson of Sundial Brands. “From a business and historic perspective, she found out what were the needs of women that were not currently being met. Think about how bold and audacious one had to be at that time to accomplish what she did and to be an inspiration for others.
“There are so many ideals women today can identify with that are relevant. No matter if you’re Black, white, Latina or Asian, we all can see some of ourselves in her, because she is a woman and that’s the most exciting part.”
The new hair care line, making its debut exclusively at Sephora stores March 4, will offer four collections: Jamaican Black Castor & Murumuru Oils, Coconut & Moringa Oils, Brassica Seed & Shea Oils and Dreams Come True. Customers can expect a variety of hair care products in each collection such as shampoo, conditioners, deep-conditioning masques, curl gel and co-washes.
The Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper spoke with Richelieu Dennis, CEO of Sundial Brands, and A’Lelia Bundles, great-great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker, to learn more about the hair care line.
Indianapolis Recorder: When was the idea brought to the table to introduce a hair care line inspired by Madam C.J. Walker?
Dennis: This has been a journey of mine for about 10 years. We were able to make a deal about four years ago, and we’ve taken our time to think about what the 21st century Madam C.J. Walker Enterprises would look like as a business and what the product would look like, and it’s how we ended here. The idea didn’t just come up; it’s evolved over the decade.
Madam Walker and what she did was amazing, but when you think of her business and what she created, (it) is astounding. When you think about what she should mean to the beauty industry today, we have more work to do. She should be right up there with Estee Lauder, Coco Chanel and others who changed the beauty landscape.