With the rise of more and more black women breaking away from traditional 9-5s to become their own bosses, the CEO is getting a revamp as the SHEeo. In the Meet The SHEeo series, we talk to melanated mavens leveling up and glowing up, all while redefining what it means to be a boss.
During a trip to Nigeria, Chioma and Uchenna Ngwudo were inspired by the beautiful, handmade garments and accessories in the marketplaces and brought a piece of Africa back home to the states. Seeing that there was a demand for the authentic pieces, the sisters launched Cee Cee's Closet NYC — a go-to destination for fashionable women who love to add meaningful color to their looks with a pop of West African prints. Despite some challenges along the way, the brand continues to grow in popularity and expand its reach through digital marketing and social media, while having a positive economic impact on Nigeria.
Meet Chioma and Uchenna Ngwudo.
Courtesy of Chioma and Uchenna Ngwudo
Title: CEOs of Cee Cee's Closet
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Year Founded: 2015
# of Employees: 7
30-Second Pitch: Cee Cee's Closet NYC is the go-to destination for fashionable women who love to add meaningful color to their looks with a pop of print. Our brand is both a celebration of black women and an economic engine for opportunity in Nigeria.
What inspired you to start your brand?
I always wanted to build a business but I didn't know what kind of business I wanted to build for quite some time. The idea for Cee Cee's Closet came to me during a trip to Nigeria four years ago. At that point, I hadn't been to Nigeria for almost 10 years and everything felt new and distant. I realized that even though I knew better, I still harbored a lot of the negative views of Africa often propagated in Western media. That trip reopened my eyes to the beauty of Nigeria and I wanted a vehicle to share that beauty with others. When I found these gorgeous handmade clutches in a market, I was immediately struck by the craftsmanship. They were the perfect gift for myself and my sister and just the accessory I needed to spice up my graduation party look. At the party, they were a hit. My friends kept asking me where they could get a bag like mine and the idea for Cee Cee's Closet NYC was born.
"Even though I knew better, I still harbored a lot of the negative views of Africa often propagated in Western media. That trip reopened my eyes to the beauty of Nigeria and I wanted a vehicle to share that beauty with others."
What was your a-ha moment that brought your idea into reality?
The a-ha moment that transformed Cee Cee's Closet from an idea to reality was when my friends were willing to pay me money for gorgeous pieces I brought back from Nigeria. I didn't have to push it on them, they actively asked me about them. When I made back my $500 investment in a couple of days, then I knew that Cee Cee's Closet could be a business.
Who is your ideal customer?
Our ideal customer is a fashionable 20-40 something who loves adding statement pieces to their wardrobe.
What makes your business different?
This is a question we have to ask ourselves time and time again to ensure that we're creating products and imagery that is relevant to our customer base. Our approach to African prints is creating pieces that are attention-grabbing but fit seamlessly into your closet. We decided to expand into clothing because the market seemed to be divided between expensive extravagant dresses and cheap Chinese-made ready-to-wear pieces. We wanted to give the fashionable woman an alternative that was well-priced and perfect for everyday wear and special occasions.
"We wanted to give the fashionable woman an alternative that was well-priced and perfect for everyday wear and special occasions."
What obstacles did you have to overcome while launching and growing your brand? How were you able to overcome them?
When we first launched our website, I was definitely naive and thought that we would get sales right away. It's hard to get any sales when you have 10 visitors a day (5 of those visits being our mom). So we had to learn how to create content and collaborations that led to traffic and sales while also building consumer trust. One of the key ways we did that was through doing pop-ups around New York City. The pop-ups allowed us to show that we were a real online store (and not a scam), have customers engage with the products and share that engagement with our audience, get our very much-needed first sales, build our mailing list, and generate traffic to our site that led to follow-on sales.
What was the defining moment in your entrepreneurial journey?
I don't think I've had a defining moment in my entrepreneurial journey yet. I'm still learning and growing on a daily basis and I wouldn't consider myself fully formed as an entrepreneur yet.
Where do you see your company in 5-10 years? (The ultimate goal?)
In 5-10 years, I see Cee Cee's Closet NYC as a full closet. A place where you can get fashionable pieces to work into every aspect of your life, from the clothes you wear to the decorative pieces in your home.
Where have you seen the biggest return on investment? (i.e. marketing, ads, vending, social media)
I would say that all of those marketing tools are more of an ecosystem that works together rather than individual actors. We have customers that first encounter us on social media, but they don't purchase until they see us in person and vice versa. For us, our social media has been a big driver of brand awareness, but vending and ads, have played a crucial role in increasing our revenue and driving additional sales after customers encounter us on social media. Even with return customers, you have to constantly remind them about your brand, your story, and your value add.
"For us, our social media has been a big driver of brand awareness, but vending and ads, have played a crucial role in increasing our revenue and driving additional sales after customers encounter us on social media."
Do you have a mentor? If so, who?
We haven't had any formal mentors but we're constantly learning from other entrepreneurs around us. We've been incredibly lucky to meet so many other amazing female entrepreneurs who have taken the time to share their experience with us and give much-needed guidance. In the very beginning, before we knew any other entrepreneurs, we learned numerous lessons from podcasts like Dreams In Drive and Side Hustle Pro and by using Google of course.
Biggest lesson you’ve learned in business?
One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that the only way to fail is to give up. We've faced countless challenges while building our business (some a lot scarier than others), but our reaction to each one has been to pivot, try something new and ask plenty of questions. So far, it's worked out very well for us.
For more of Chioma, Ugenna, and Cee Cee's Closet, follow them on social @ceeceesclosetnyc.
RELATED
So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff