Like most of us, Jatavia Shakara Johnson, better known to the world as JT, grew up with KISS Colors as a household name. From press-on nails and lashes to professional hair straightening tools, KISS Products have proudly been part of every Black woman’s beauty must-haves in their bathrooms and bedrooms for years, and now the Miami native has become their latest brand ambassador while being one of half of the chart-topping femcee duo known as City Girls.
“I'm a big fan of KISS. I think we all are and we grew up [on it]. It was always in a beauty supply store or Walgreens. It was always a quick go-to. You always see it. It's always there for you. KISS, even now with your nails, it's just there for you. So when I heard about them doing partnerships and stuff, I was interested in doing it,” JT excitedly told xoNecole correspondent Sha Ravine during her official New York Fashion Week launch event.
Decked in Acne Studios while sporting a Hermes Kelly bag and fresh jumbo braids, the “Act Up” rapper revealed that the girls can expect “a whole lot of motherfucking laid edges” from this forthcoming collaboration, which was made possible thanks to the brilliant minds of Harp Media & Creatives.
“I just felt like she'd be a perfect fit. It was around the time that [she] and Yung Miami had started to venture off and do their own solo projects, and I just wanted to have the opportunity of trying to get JT her first major brand deal - and we did,” Whitney Harper, founder of Harp Media & Creatives, exclusively told xoNecole. The multifaceted Beauty and Style Creative Director’s style concierge and agency work has expanded across the entertainment industry from Glorilla and Yung Bleu to Coi Leray and her very own niece Saweetie, who also had her own KISS Colors & Care collaboration.
Whitney Harp.
Photo courtesy of Harp Media & Creatives.
But now, with a goal to level the playing field between Black and brown women and mainstream beauty and fashion campaigns, she is securing a top spot for the “Pussy Talk” raptress with a major beauty retailer while dismantling the notion that all representation in the beauty industry equates to diversity.
“JT being the face of Kiss Colors & Care is a big deal. It's bigger than any of us - it’s the beginning of so much more,” Abesi Manyando, owner of Abesi PR and public relations expert for Harp Media and Creatives, told xoNecole. In an effort to put more women who “look like us” at the forefront of endorsements and securing branding dollars, Harper and Manyando are passionate about the monetization of personal brands and social media leverage to translate representation into streamlined income for Black and brown women.
Manyando continued, “Oftentimes, Black women set beauty and fashion trends but get erased from profiting from that or being the face of major campaigns. Many times [marketing executives and brands] fulfill the diversity box by inserting what they call 'ambiguous' models who can appeal to all audiences. This is erasure. Whitney and I are trying to dismantle this in media, beauty, and marketing.”
And Whitney's partnership between JT and Kiss Colors & Care is one of the first steps. Included in the launch with JT’s ambassador debut are products such as the KISS Colors & Care Braiding Gel Maximum Hold and Braiding Gel ($8.99), KISS Colors & Care Locking Gel Regular Hold and Locking Wax ($8.99), KISS Colors & Care Twist Curl Gel ($8.99), KISS Colors & Care Foam Mousse ($7.99), Care Edge Fixer Wax Stick ($9.99), and the Reversible Premium Crepe Satin Bonnet ($8.49).
When asked what inspired JT to expand her portfolio outside of music and entertainment and into the chaotic world of fashion and beauty, she promptly responded, “I’m pretty.”
She followed with a light laugh and added to her initial answer. “No, I’m just joking. I want to be more into beauty because I'm obsessed with beauty. Like my make-up artist will tell you, my hair stylist will tell you, I'm very hands-on with them. God knows, they know I know how I want my make-up to look [and] I know exactly how I want my hair to look.”
Attesting to her passion for creativity and beauty, Harper chimed in on how hands-on her client was during the process from ideation to product placement. “JT is a very hands-on person. I don't care who you are; she's hands-on. She's a creative in her own right. She knows what she wants. She knows what looks good, and you really can't blame her.”
While JT’s undeniable stage presence and effortless beauty, as demonstrated through her viral Paris Fashion Week runway slay, would make her the obvious choice as the face of any beauty brand, there was something uniquely special about this partnership that embodied empowerment, self-expression, and trendsetting individuality in its entirety.
“Fighting with brands to give the talent what they want is extremely hard. But my company makes it happen,” Harper said about the deliverables and approvals that go into a brand endorsement deal. “KISS is a brand, JT is a brand, and for me, it's important that it is an equal amount of representation for each person. I don't mind because my main goal is to make sure all of my clients are happy.”
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Feature image courtesy of Harp Media & Creatives.
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To help you better understand why this was such a mental awakening for me, I first need to give a bit of my backstory. I’m in my late thirties. I’m an attorneyand a journalist. I own a home and have traveled the world extensively. Essentially, I’ve done everything in life I set out to do. However, when it comes to dating, I struggle. Not because there is anything wrong with me per se, but because my career and “lifestyle” often create problems in my romantic relationships.
View from my hotel room
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I’ve been told everything from, ‘I can’t continue to date you because you seem to choose your career over wanting to settle down and have kids’ by a man after only the second date to ‘Maybe if you just sat down somewhere for a while, I’d actually wife you’ by someone who has honestly never proven themselves to be the settle down type. And these are only a handful of the things I’ve been told over the years.
It’s been frustrating, to say the least, and there have even been seasons where I purposely dimmed my light in hopes that my career wouldn’t push away potential suitors. I know what you’re thinking, “Girl, why would you even consider that? If they’re for you, it won’t matter what you do.” Hey, don’t judge me, but also, I one hundred percent agree.
My hotel bathroom
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That’s why this recent moment in Switzerland was right on time. When I first walked into the hotel to check in, I was blown away by the surrounding beauty. It was a five-star property with one of the world’s most famous thermal bathhouses. Yet, it was something about seeing that 90% of the hotel’s guests were couples, that forced me to sit back for a bit of introspection—while soaking in the thermal spa, of course.
As I went through the mental conversation, there was a battle of sorts. On one hand, I knew that being able to partake in experiences like the one I was having at that moment was important to me. I knew that, at times I actually love being able to dabble in the finer things—after all, I’ve worked hard to be able to afford them. On the other hand, and sadly, I knew that sometimes being a single Black woman that publicly showcases her “luxurious” habits can intimidate men and even scare them off from pursuing you under the guise of them feeling like they “can’t do anything for you, because you have everything.”
My hotel room
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So, what is a girl to do?
Do I minimize/hide the life and experiences that I have? Do I play down the hard work I’ve put in to get where I am professionally? Or, do I risk being single in exchange for being able to have said life, without backlash?
Luckily, the joy that I felt while being at this property won. There was something about taking a full day to simply pamper myself at the bathhouse and in my in-room steam shower and soaker tub, indulging in cuisine from a 2-star Michelin restaurant and doing all of this while surrounded by an amazing group of Black women that reminded me—this is certainly the life I was meant to live and that I deserve. Even if it means that right now, I’ll just have to provide it for myself until the right partner comes along. And honestly, I’m okay with that.
Restaurant at 7132 hotel
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