Sly Catches Up with Fashion Icon – Beverly Johnson
The Sly factor…what is it? Iconic beauty, innovative entrepreneurship and trendsetting at its core; no woman exemplifies the Sly factor more than supermodel Beverly Johnson …
the first to transcend color lines in fashion and beauty by becoming the first African American to grace the cover of Vogue Magazine in the August issue of 1974. I got an opportunity to catch up with Ms. Johnson at her launch event for the Beverly Johnson Lifestyle Brand and her new reality series Beverly’s Full House scheduled to premiere on OWN Television this February.
SlyMagazine.com: How did your experience as the face of Amekor Industries’ wig and weave brand for over 14 years influence your decision to create a hair and skincare brand?
Beverly: I had a royalty and licensing deal with Amekor; it was an amazing partnership. It’s where I learned everything that I know today about the hair business. We were the fourth largest in the nation. I essentially just thought that it was time for me…instead of just being the name on the box…to own the box that my name is on. I decided not to re-sign with Amekor industries; we ended on very good terms and then I went into business for myself. I feel that the business, particularly the hair business is dominated and monopolized by Koreans. African Americans and other people of color who are big consumers of that industry need to participate in ownership of it also. More importantly, I am doing things a little different than what I did before because this is a new luxurious line of wigs and hair extensions –meaning I have totally taken the product up many notches in the way of quality. I am not having to compromise on anything anymore and it is absolutely wonderful.
SM: What does the Beverly Johnson lifestyle brand represent?
Beverly: The lifestyle brand represents just luxury and beauty. On my new website, BeverlyJohnson.com—my first venture into cyberspace—it is all things Beverly. All the things that I love, I am now bringing it to the public.
18 months ago, hedge fund CEO and friend, W. Brian Maillian of the Whitestone Capital Group, Inc. partnered with the iconic beauty to “bring Beverly Johnson and her life to the average consumer”. Brian believes the greatest asset any woman can possess is inner beauty.
SM: Hair by Beverly, Flawless Skin, and Beautiful body, what is your favorite product from each line?
Beverly: We have the hair care line, formulas and products that I have been after for years; I finally have ownership of those formulas. This is another company that I actually own, run and manufacture products; we are currently distributing the hair care line on the website as well as in Target in the spring of 2012. On BeverlyJohnson.com, we have two bath and body products—a body scrub and body lotion—both are to die for. Then there are four introductory skin care products. Skin care is my thing. There all my favorites. I am absolutely crazy about this Luscious Body Cream (that’s the body lotion). Oh my gosh…it’s unbelievable; right now that’s the hottest seller on the website. As for the hair care line, I am still in love with Hairline Magic only because I have an issue with my hairline and I know other women do too. I am very into treating and taking care of the hairline and promoting growth since it’s the most fragile part of our hair. But all of the products are absolutely superb. Lastly, the other secret weapon is Beverly’s Secret Oil. It’s a superior oil that makes your hair shine and it doesn’t weigh your hair down. It can also be used as a grooming product after your hair is dry or you can do an oil treatment with your hair while it’s wet. You can leave Beverly’s Secret Oil on the hair and then rinse it off…the oil is my secret weapon.
Beverly’s stylist for the evening, Robby Wilson of Juls Studio has been styling healthy hair for 12 years. Beverly’s vision to Robby was to “create beautiful healthy hair”. Robby loved Beverly’s Go Curly cream, a nourishing styling product used to create soft, flowing and freeze free curls. Beverly’s Secret Hair Oil also topped Robby’s list of must-haves to give hair a “nice shine and professional finish”. Robby’s salon is located in the heart of Montclair, NJ at 375 Bloomfield Avenue.
A long way from her days as Ms. Trinidad on the hit FOX television series Martin of the early 90′s, Beverly is now going from scripted to reality with the premiere of her series Beverly’s Full House on the OWN Network.
SM: What motivated you to delve into the unscripted world of reality
television?
Beverly: I have a production company and I took a number of ideas to the Oprah Winfrey Network. I have been friends with Oprah for a long time; she invited me to bring my projects there. When OWN showed a lot of interest in my personal life, from my sharing some anecdotes about my daughter moving in and her expecting a baby, Oprah, myself and the network thought it would be a great idea to document my day-to-day life on television. I always wanted to share with my daughter things that happened in her early years and I my goal was to open the lines of communication with my daughter now that she’s expecting a child. I felt it was so important that we strengthen our bond and that’s essentially how the show concept evolved.
SM: What do you hope your fans will learn about Beverly from the show that they have
never seen in any spread or tear sheet?
Beverly: Everyone has this fun yet complex mother-daughter relationship and sometimes it can be “not-so-fun”, so I thought ‘wow…what an amazing opportunity, with the help of life coaches and therapists, to really help the world benefit in all of their personal relationships. Communication, listening and hearing someone are all so important in relationship building and that’s something you get from “Beverly’s Full House”. The show also made me reflect on the relationship with my mother. My mom and I have a great relationship but she was from an era where they just never talked about things that happened. I wanted to show viewers that things need to be discussed; my daughter and I simply call it ‘constructive reality’–a lot of tears, a lot of laughs but essentially a lot of growth. I also had a strong desire to illustrate how I’ve built businesses; taking them from just an idea to a real life manifestation. These are all things that should be interesting for the viewers to see.
SM: What is the greatest accessory that any woman can possess?
Beverly: Besides a good body!? I mean seriously, then there’s good jewelry. I love beautiful things and I am working on a handbag line. My daughter is a handbag junky and I take her hand-me-down bags when she’s finished with them. I think a beautiful watch and jewels and one good pair of diamond posts are all essential.
SM: What is your favorite tech product in use right now?
Beverly: I am an Apple girl. I am a Steve Jobs fan; I just think he was absolutely brilliant. My favorite tech product is the I-pad; the new one; the new I-phone. I have the Apple computer—everything is integrated and I love Twitter; I have been doing that for a while now. You know what’s so wonderful about Twitter? I really get to speak to people and just the outpouring of how people really feel about me and how I have affected their lives; it’s so cool. Then when I answer my fans back, the level of excitement and if I can just do that with just one tweet. I just love the Twitter effect. My Twitter handle is @BeverlyJohnson1 and I do my own; Saturday mornings I do a lot of tweeting and posting. I try to do something every day. It’s such a great way to connect with people that you would never ever get a chance to connect with.
SM: How have you managed to keep yourself relevant in our ever changing, high-tech society?
Beverly: In the beginning of my career, it was by design because I always thought that in order to be relevant, I had to stay around a while and that I was going to constantly reinvent myself. Then, I consistently tried to follow my dreams; follow the ‘rolling rock’ and just go with what GOD puts before me. Even during the time that I was semi-retired for about three and a half years, I always stayed true to myself—wherever that might go or take me. I constantly strive to be authentic and always accepting any challenge that I never thought that I’d be able to do and it is very exciting; a very exciting path and this is my time now.
SM: You are quoted on BeverlyJohnson.com as saying, “cause girl, if I can do it, you can do it”…for all those Sly women of the 21st century who are trying to “do it” what is one piece of advice you would offer our readers?
Beverly: I meant that…as long as you have that connection with your spiritual self, your higher power—whatever you want to call it—which is something that makes fear and guilt irrelevant—if you can keep that connection you can accomplish anything. This is an abundant universe; there is enough for everybody. Keep yourself connected in a spiritual base; you can accomplish everything and anything you want.
An inspiration and icon whose beauty transcends the pages of fashion and time…Beverly Johnson has reinvented herself in the new millennium as she continues to empower women globally. Now that is what the Sly Factor is all about.
Beverly’s Sly Factor Facts…
* Beverly’s Lifestyle Brand represents “All things beautiful, all things Beverly” as her motto suggests. The expert in multicultural products; for women of every age and color.
* “Modelprenuer”: supermodel/entrepreneur—owns and manufactures products under the umbrella of BJE, LLC
* Beverly has graced the covers of more than 500 magazines
* Beverly is an avid HIV/AIDS activist and gay rights advocate
* Beverly’s brand launches at Target in the spring of 2012
* Beverly’s Full House is scheduled to air on the OWN Network in February of 2012
[Photo: Michael Stewart/WireImage]
–Crystal Ilise, SlyMagazine.com Contributor. Follow Crystal on Twitter: @Crystalilise
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