L&rsquo;OFFICIEL speaks with beauty mogul Kristen Noel Crawley about founding KNC Beauty, making space in the industry for BIPOC with the School of Beauty, and her historic debut at Complexcon with J. Balvin.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/kristen-noel-crawley-dior-mens-spring-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kristen Noel Crawley</a>&nbsp;took the world by storm with her Insta-worthy millennial pink lip masks. The beauty mogul is best known for being the brains behind <a href="https://kncbeauty.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KNC Beauty</a>, a brand that prides itself on clean, cruelty-free products and is highly praised by Hollywood royalty and influencers everywhere.&nbsp;
Crawley is well aware of the difficulties that come with being a Black businesswoman and entrepreneur. Drawing from the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/black-lives-matter-fashion-beauty-brand-donations-movement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Lives Matter</a> protests that made giant waves during the height of the pandemic last year, she launched the <a href="https://kncbeauty.com/pages/kncschoolofbeauty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KNC School of Beauty</a> initiative as a free educational program designed to empower BIPOC business owners in the beauty world. Split into multiple online sessions, the classes combine Crawley's own experience along with lessons from industry professionals and specialists to provide business lessons and insight on how to break into the industry.
The program, which is sponsored by Revlon, provides opportunities for students to win a first-prize $10,000 business grant, a second-place prize of a social media takeover on Revlon and Revolve's Instagram accounts, and a KNC Beauty Instagram takeover for third place.
In preparation from the next semester, Crawley catches up with L'OFFICIEL&nbsp;about her work with KNC Beauty, the School of Beauty curriculum, and her historic debut at <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/our-top-picks-from-complexcon-chicago" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Complexcon</a> with J. Balvin.&nbsp;

L'OFFICIEL: What has your experience navigating the beauty industry as a Black female entrepreneur been like, and how has it inspired your work with KNC Beauty?
Kristen Noel Crawley: I started my business with very little knowledge of the beauty industry or the steps it would take to grow KNC Beauty into what it is today. I knew I wanted to make a big splash so I decided to introduce an all-natural lip mask as my first product, something that wasn&rsquo;t very popular here in the U.S. at that time. I think the first thing I should have been prepared for, especially as a Black woman, is that right off the bat, people didn&rsquo;t take me seriously. A lot of folks thought my products were too whimsical or couldn&rsquo;t possibly be part of an effective skincare regimen. Cassandra Grey from <a href="https://www.violetgrey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Violet Grey</a> was one of the first people to show my business unwavering support as she introduced the products to her amazing platform of beauty enthusiasts.
Another obstacle I ran into frequently was that different buyers, retailers, and even media outlets wouldn&rsquo;t give me the time of day unless I could show significant financial growth of the brand. I&rsquo;m very proud to have gotten this far, being entirely self-funded, and I couldn&rsquo;t have done it without the incredible support KNC Beauty has received on social media. Our following has in many ways propelled the business forward more than any prestigious storefront or magazine ever could. I&rsquo;m truly most inspired by the constant excitement &amp; encouragement our customers show the brand.

L'O: What inspired the idea for the School of Beauty initiative and how did you go about building the curriculum?
KNC: I created the KNC School of Beauty during the summer of 2020 as a direct response to the Black Lives Matter movement. It was such a reflective period of time for me and helped to invigorate my desire to give back to my community. For a long time I felt the need to develop a platform where I could provide insight and advice to other inspired women who wanted to venture into the beauty industry. When I was starting out, I had very few resources to help jumpstart my business so I was eager to try and create a pathway for other young entrepreneurs to find their own success.
We really wanted the curriculum to be focused around the stories of successful Black female business owners at the top of their game. To have these experts on our panel, discussing the trials they&rsquo;ve endured as well as the knowledge they&rsquo;ve picked up along the way, has been so inspiring for our audience to hear. I personally have gained so much from this experience, learning bits of knowledge I would have never received unless I took the initiative to create this amazing community. I&rsquo;m so proud of the grants we&rsquo;ve been able to offer on behalf of our partner Revlon to some amazing startups that have participated in this workshop. I can&rsquo;t wait to see how the School of Beauty grows as we elevate our topics and introduce new, exciting speakers for our audience to connect with.

L'O: In the upcoming season, you're working with a variety of instructors from companies like Eadem, Parlour West Ventures, Lionne Clothing, and Sami Miro Vintage. How has collaborating with these specialists helped in creating an empowering curriculum and atmosphere for aspiring entrepreneurs?
KNC: All of the panelists we&rsquo;ve introduced through KNC School of Beauty have been amazing experts in the field in which they specialize. Each of these women have been invigorated by their own experiences in business to persevere and really build something of incredible worth. The knowledge they bring to the table during our conversations is so valuable to everyone watching, including myself. I think we&rsquo;ve all learned so much from each other regarding the different areas of business we each specialize in. I&rsquo;m happy that we&rsquo;ve been able to provide a well-rounded approach to sharing our entrepreneurial insights with everyone in attendance. This atmosphere of inclusivity and support has encouraged our audience to connect outside the School of Beauty to help encourage one another and continue the cycle of growth. I&rsquo;m thankful that this experience has inspired others to push forward and really pursue their goals in the industry.

L'O: You went from having your own booth to now co-hosting Complexcon with J. Balvin! What has this journey meant for you?
KNC: I&rsquo;m incredibly thankful for the support Complex has shown me over the years. Getting to participate in their annual convention has always been a major highlight for me, and I&rsquo;m so proud of all of the amazing moments we&rsquo;ve created together. My past booths have literally been a dream come true, from the execution process to the response we&rsquo;ve seen from our fans. It was a definite pinch-me moment when Complex reached out to me about cohosting on this year&rsquo;s panel because I&rsquo;ve had so many big ideas since the beginning of our partnership. I&rsquo;m absolutely thrilled to get to collaborate with their team as well as J. Balvin to curate the best lineup for this experience. I really have been getting more &amp; more into design so I&rsquo;m especially looking forward to the KNC Beauty buildout this time around. I think it&rsquo;s going to be our biggest one yet, and I can&rsquo;t wait for everyone to see what we&rsquo;ve been working on!
L'O: As the first woman of color serving on the committee for <a href="https://www.complexcon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Complexcon</a>, what are you most excited to bring to the festival? What can people expect coming up?
KNC: I&rsquo;m excited to bring my personal aesthetic to the committee and give a unique insight into some fresh new businesses that are coming up right now. I think that as the first woman of color in this position, I hope to curate a special and diverse lineup that will speak to different enterprises within the fashion and beauty space. I&rsquo;m looking forward to positioning the right brands at the forefront of this experience so that they are given the opportunity to engage with a new audience. In the past, Complexcon has been so influential for me in terms of growing my customer base, and so I hope to provide that in return as part of my new role. I think there are going to be a lot of exciting announcements made that you won&rsquo;t want to miss!

This season of KNC School of Beauty sessions are <a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6916310541333/WN_07g3wo76TEG3_LFJs78HKw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being held</a> on September 21 from 1-4 p.m. EST.

What Kristen Noel Crawley Taught Us About Building a Beauty Business

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