Flexin' In My Complexion | Fashion Designer Kheris Rogers

0:07Welcome to the Talks at Google Podcast, where great minds meet. I'm Lauren, bringing you this episode with Karis Rogers, designer and CEO of the fashion brand Flexin' and My Complexion. Talks at Google brings the world's most influential thinkers, creators, makers, and doers all to one place. You can watch every episode at youtube.com slash talks at Google. Karis was inspired to start her brand at just 11 years old, after years of being bullied in school because of her dark skin complexion. She is the world's youngest designer to ever showcase at New York Fashion Week. She's partnered with Nike and LeBron James, and her clothing line has been worn by celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg, Lupita Nyong 'o, and Alicia Keys.

0:53Originally published in April 2020, here is Karis Rogers, Flexin' in my complexion.

1:08Hi, I'm Karis. I'm the CEO of Flexin' My Complexion, and I'm the youngest designer to ever showcase at New York Fashion Week. Awesome. That's a brief way to say it. That's a huge deal. So I wanted to just kind of get more about how did you go about starting Flexin' My Complexion? Well, first, I was bullied for my dark skin complexion, so I wanted to create something that I know a lot of people can relate to, and just to let other people know that they are beautiful no matter what. So if you don't mind, I'm going to ask you more questions about bullying and what you experienced. How did it feel to be bullied and what were some of the things that you experienced while being bullied?

1:47How it made me feel? I felt uncomfortable. It was just something that I never knew that I really didn't know it was like a real thing. I thought it was something that we just read in books or something like that. And then when I experienced it, I was like, wow, like this is crazy. And then I started like in the first grade and I realized what colorism was when I was in the second grade because I was being bullied from people in my own race. So it just made me feel uncomfortable. It made me feel sad. I just didn't feel confident in myself anymore. I'm so sorry to hear that. You have such beautiful skin.

2:21So it just it just hurts that you experienced that at such a young age. So now I want to talk about the turning point. When was the turning point of when you said, I'm dark-skinned, I'm going to own my complexion, and I'm beautiful. When was that turning point for you? I started to own my power, like, around the fifth grade. That's when, like, I started flexing my complexion. That's when I was like, wow, like, my skin color is beautiful. And it doesn't matter what other people think of you, only what you think of yourself. So you just have to take your power and just own it. Awesome. So then you started Flexing My Complexion.

2:58What does that mean to you? Flexing My Complexion means that you are smart, you are creative, you are special, and you are just yourself. You just have to embrace who you are. And just Flexing My Complexion, it is bold words. When you wear it, you're like, yeah, I'm flexing my complexion, okay? Now, talking about your business, you started your business. What were some surprises that you learned since being an entrepreneur? that it is hard times when you create a clothing line. It is going to be fun times. It's going to be the hard times. And it was just like, wow, like I'm doing this. I started at 10.

3:34I was like, wow, why am I doing this? And it was like, I was like, but then I started realizing that it doesn't matter what age you are, what race, what gender you are. You could still do anything that you put your mind to. So I was like, I always wanted to create a clothing line. So I was like, I'm going to do this one day, but I didn't think I was going to be like 10. Why not start now? Did you have support? Who supported you to start your business? Just my family, like my immediate family, like my mom, my sister, my grandma. They were just there for me through everything, even when I was being bullied.

4:07So they were always there for me. So they always encouraged me just to go for my dreams, you know, just to go for it. And it's better to start at a young age. Yeah. Yeah. Nice. So flex in my complexion. Where did that phrase come from? Well, my grandmother used to always tell us to flex in our complexion. And she's from Louisiana. So they had these crazy sayings. I don't know where she got it from. But yeah, so one day I was in this fashion show and my sister posted a picture of me on Twitter with the hashtag Flexit in her complexion. About you. Yeah. And it went viral. And I was like, oh, oh, sis.

4:43Yeah. So then we just created it from there. I was like, I just want to create something that was powerful that I knew had a powerful meaning behind it. That sounds good. So you started out with T-shirts, right? But it looks like you've had other products. You've had a backpack. What other products do you have for flexing my complexion? We have sweatshirts, hoodies. I just created a line with Lupita Nyong 'o for her new book, So We. So that was pretty exciting. I was just excited. I was like, wow, creating a clothing line with Lupita? That's crazy. That's awesome. I'm so proud of you. Congratulations.

5:17Thank you. And now we're coming out. We're going to be coming out with a new line in the summer, maybe. And I'm coming out with my new edge control. Yes. It's called Edge Flex. Yes. The edge has got to stay laid. Period. How does it feel to see your brand? I've seen Lupita's worn your shirt. I've seen Lena Waithe's worn your shirt. Whoopi Goldberg has worn Flexin' in My Complexion. I've seen a shout out from Snoop Dogg, LeBron James even. How did it feel when you first, the first celebrity that mentioned your brand or your name, how did that feel, that moment feel? I was excited. And I think the first person was Alicia Keys or Snoop Dogg.

5:57I think it was one of them. And I was like, oh, wow, Snoop Dogg. Like, he's like the main person in L.A. And that's where I come from. I'm born and raised in South L.A. So I was like, wow, Snoop Dogg. He knows my name. That's crazy. But I was just like excited. I was like, wow, I can really make a change in my whole community everywhere, even across the world. And how old were you when that occurred? I was 10. I was 10. So a few months into your business. Yeah, it was. And how many sales have you made so far? Over 100 ,000? Yeah, over 100 ,000. Wow, congratulations. Thank you. How does it feel to be accomplished at such a young age?

6:32I've also seen you've done a collaboration with Nike and LeBron James, and you've been recognized as Teen Vogue's 21 Under 21. How does it feel? How does that accomplishment feel for you? It was fun. I mean, it was just like so—I was overwhelmed. I was like, this is crazy to be doing this at a young age, and you really don't see young people that look like me doing things like this. And just for me to be an influence for that, just to let other people know that they can do it as well. It's just amazing. Like, it's just like I have the platform to let other people know. If I can do it, you can do it.

7:06Absolutely. So who inspires you? Who inspires me is Lena Waithe because she is helping other young African-American people lead their voices out on the big screens for something that they've been wanting to do for years And just for her to do that, it's just overall like that's girl power. Like for someone that can do that, it's just amazing. What words of encouragement would you have for people that want to pursue a career in entrepreneurship? How would you tell them to go about it? Any pain points from your experience? I would just tell them to go for it. I mean, it doesn't matter what age you are.

7:44You just do it. Like if you just look up things, like have resources, like tell people that you know who have done this before. work in that business and just ask them questions or just reach out to people like your influencers, because I know a lot of them will respond through emails, stuff like that. So just asking them like how they came about it. And this is, I mean, to me, it was pretty easy. I mean, it wasn't that hard. You just had to just have to get up every day and be like, oh, I'm going to do this. You just want to have the mindset to do it. That's true. So then in terms of getting, getting your first brand out, your first t-shirt out, can you walk me through the steps that you did to actually produce your first shirt?

8:22Okay, so first we had this guy do the shirts because my mom knew him, so we didn't really know like what the business was or whatever. So we just asked him. He made, it was a, we sent out a 20, 20 t-shirts on my website and they all sold out in less than 15 minutes. So I was like, oh wow. And so it was like just getting like someone just to make, like a manufacturer, get the t-shirts from somewhere and just figuring out how you want and like feeling the textures and stuff like that. That was like the first part, like feeling the texture. Doesn't want to make sure it's like, doesn't feel cheap or something.

8:58So you just want it to people feel comfortable in it, you know, and just like taking a moment and just going through it because everything is not going to happen in a blink of an eye. It's always going to take time. So you just want to go slow and just ease your way in there. All right, that makes sense. And so then now it's been over three years of when you launched your brand. And has anything changed in your production process since the first time you made your first T-shirt, your first 20 orders till now? Oh, yes, baby. It's even more harder because now you get over 100 orders a day. Wow. Like, it's just like, oh, Lord, like we're doing all of this.

9:34And then plus you don't want to just use one thing. You just don't want to be known as, oh, I have T-shirts. You want to branch out to other things. So it was just it was just now it's like, oh, Lord, I'm doing all this. It's like, oh, yeah, but it's fun. I mean, it's something that a lot of people can do. I mean, everyone can do it. And just going for your dreams, basically. Yeah. So how do you get your inspiration for the next thing that you're going to present on your website and in your business? Well, social media does play a big part in everything nowadays. Like going on and seeing what's popular, what people are wearing.

10:05But then you want to make it your own. You just don't want to make something that, oh, this person had it on their website. Why can't I just get it from there? You want to make it more outside of the box. You want to make it more comfortable for people. Just making it your own, basically. Just making it not better than someone else's, but making it your best thing on your collection. So depreciating yourself from other websites that are selling t-shirts or backpacks or hoodies. That makes sense. Yeah. So then in terms of making it your own, I just want to kind of get into your head of how do you come up with, this is my next thing.

10:37Is it just you wake up and you say, I got it. This is my next design idea. or is it based on, I know you mentioned the social media. Is it based on just like reviewing what's popular on social media and saying, this is how I'm going to branch out for my brand. How does that work for you? I mean, me and my sister, we could easily look at something and be like, that's a good idea. Like this morning, I was getting ready and I was like, let's do this. It just came up in my head. I don't know. It's just like, everyone has that one place in their home where they can just come out with the most random ideas and the bathroom is for me.

11:09Like I get everything from the bathroom. Yeah. So it's just like just thinking of random things. Like I could easily be in a grocery store and be like, that's a great idea. Why hasn't someone came up with that? Like you could have like a crayon makeup line and that's like something that only one person has done. And that's super, super saying, yes, she's done that before. And it's just like creating different things that you don't see other people doing. Just making it your own in terms of what's next. So you mentioned you have an edge flex that you're bringing out, a line that you're bringing out, and then you have some summer collections that you're bringing out.

11:43What else are you working on for your brand and for your company? Oh, well, for my company, we just started my own foundation. It's called the Flex My Complexion Foundation, where we just did our most recent event was a back to school drive where over a thousand kids came. But we were only, unfortunately, we only could get 500 kids who came something. So we're just going to make it bigger and better next year and just helping my community out because I am from South L.A. So there isn't a lot of fortunate kids in that area where they easily can go to the store and get school supplies. So just for me to help them out, just amazing.

12:18So that's what we're working on now. It's creating a foundation. I just don't want to do a clothing line. I want to do more than that. I want to branch out to other things. Just don't want to stick to one thing. Like that's what my family is. We want to branch out to everything. Everything that we're able to do, we will do it. It doesn't matter how long it will take. We will do it. I also wanted to know, in terms of New York Fashion Week, I know you're the youngest, youngest designer at New York Fashion Week. What was that like? How did that feel in terms of getting called to come and showcase your line at the event and then designing your line for the event?

12:54How was the whole process like for you? So I came home one day and my sister was like, you're going to New York Fashion Week. She just said it all nonchalant. And I was like, okay, whatever. That's how she said it. Did she get a call or something? They emailed. Okay. So it was like, I really wasn't thinking anything about it till we got there. And I was like, oh, wow. Like, this is happening now. And then the next day, that's when I found out I was the youngest designer to ever showcase at New York Fashion Week. And for me to be a young African-American girl is paving a way for other young women behind me to let them know that they can do it as well.

13:27Yeah. Just paving their way, helping them out. Absolutely. So in terms of design and the line that you you created for Fashion Week, what did that look like? So my favorite piece from that line was we did a crop. It was like shorts and it was like a crop hoodie. It was like a matching set kind of. That was my favorite. I don't know. That was my favorite. But everything was kind of like everyday wear, like something out of the box. Everything wasn't on the website. It was just we're just throwing it out there like, oh, yeah, we're going to do this. We're going to do this. We're going to do this.

13:57It was like it was just a overall fun opportunity. Awesome. And did you get to model at Fashion Week? Yes, I did. I got to. What did you get to wear? Did you get to wear your crop? That's my favorite one, y 'all. Did anyone else get to wear your crop outfit? No, that was mine. You only. As a designer, was that your first runway walk at Fashion Week? Yeah, it was. Oh, awesome. And how long ago was that? I was in the sixth grade, so about two years ago. Wow. She's done so much. Yeah. At 13 years old. That's awesome. And so then how many girls got to model your line at Fashion Week? About 10, 6, 10.

14:40Yeah, about 10. Yeah. Okay. That's awesome. That's a pretty manageable size. Yeah, it was exciting. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm at New York Fashion Week. All these big names are here. I'm like, we about to show off, y 'all. So you mentioned earlier that your family likes to get into as many things as you can, whether it's fashion, establishing your foundation. What other interests do you have besides fashion and foundation? Well, modeling. Well, I started off as a model. I'm signing to IMG now. Congratulations. Yes. Yes. Yeah. And I think I'm the youngest black girl in there. I'm going to be maybe.

15:24Wow. Yeah. Because there isn't like with these big modeling agencies, you only like see like one or two dark skinned girls or they may be lighter than you. And so I'm just excited for that because then I'm like, oh, yeah, another girl is going to come in behind me. And she's like, oh, yeah, she has big hair. She's doing this. I can do that, too. And so besides modeling other interests that you're going into. Yeah. Well, I'm starting acting. I have my own Nickelodeon cartoon. It's called Middle School Moguls. Wow. I can't wait to watch it. Yeah, it came out a few months ago. So that was exciting.

15:56So I branched out to that. Yeah. So you do the voice for it. What's your character name? It's myself. I play myself. Okay. Aw, Karis. That's awesome. So what's the show about? It's just about fashion moguls going to this big school. And it's just like sports. It was like fashion, music and all that. So, yeah. So you mentioned earlier about paving the way for others. I wanted to get your thoughts. Have you felt that anyone has paved the way for you to follow in their path? And also, how do you feel like you can open doors for others coming behind you? Well, people who paved the way for me, Marseille paved the way for a lot of young African-American girls for being the youngest producer to produce her own movie called Little.

16:43And that paved the way for a lot of young girls. And they were like, like a lot of directors. I saw like, I'm seeing more like dark skinned girls being on the big screens now. So she paved the way for a lot of people. Who else, who paved the way for me for like my hairline or like my clothing line? Shoot, a lot of people have like nowadays, like when you go to the beauty supply, you're seeing like more black brands in these big beauty supplies now. So a lot of those paved the way for me. And how I feel like I could pave the way for a lot of younger girls is by just speaking out for something because you don't always see, like, a lot of people nowadays are speaking out about their, out of their comfort zone and stuff like that, things that they've been through.

17:25And then for me to do that, to be young when I started, I was 10. So being young to do it then, it was kind of crazy because I was like, I was pretty nervous to do it because I didn't know how people would think. I just didn't know. So now I'm kind of comfortable to speak out about it. It's just like, it's just amazing. Like, it's just, yeah. That's wonderful. And then with regards to your Edge Flex coming out, any other hairline products that we should be expecting? We're going to branch out some bonnets, like scarves. So yeah, that was supposed to come out before the Edge Control, but I was so excited about the Edge Control.

17:58I was like, why don't we just do it first? Like, come on. Like, Edge Control is in right now. Everyone is using it, like literally. everyone. Yes, it's needed. So we're just making it. We started off with one little thing where it's just like, oh, it just had like the little, the basic name on it or whatever. But then we were like, why don't we just do something more than that? So then we held it back a little and it's going to come out in next month, I believe now, because we wanted it to be more creative. We want it to be like something where it's not just a bottle, like everyone just has a bottle.

18:30So we just wanted to make it like bigger designs, just like more creative. Okay, well, I can't wait to see it next month. So how did you come up with formulating the perfect edge control? Well, I mean, it wasn't hard at all. It was just like, it wasn't. Experimenting? Yeah, just experimenting, you know, just going out and like, oh, well, this person did this, this. Let me just make it more natural, like more, not basic, but it's just like more healthier for the hair. Yeah. Yeah, that's wonderful. So how did you get the idea of starting your edge control? I'm obsessed with edge control. I always use edge control.

19:03Who doesn't use edge control? I mean, everyone needs edge control. I'm not going to walk out the house with no edge control on my edges. So, I mean, somebody needs it. That is true. So, how did you come up with the name Edge Flex? I mean, we wanted to use, I mean, Flex is my complexion. So, my sister was like, oh, let's just do Edge Flex. So, she just said it. And we were just like, okay. It sticks. Yeah, we just went on with it. That was the first name, actually. We never even said any other name. It was just Ash Flex. Like, that was it. One and done. Yeah, one and done. That's awesome. So are you also considering going into makeup?

19:43Oh, yes. That's what we were planning on now. But, you know, you don't want to say too much now. I don't want anybody to steal my little brain ideas, you know. I understand. Keep it sacred till it's secure. Okay, that sounds good. Awesome. I also wanted to ask, also just kind of going back to what you started out talking about, how you came about starting Flexin' to My Complexion because you were bullied and because you experienced colorism. What would you say to others that are being bullied right now? What advice would you give to them? First, I would tell them to do affirmations like in the mirror every day, just telling beautiful words, saying beautiful words about yourself.

20:21Like, I am confident. I am special. I am creative. I am me. And it doesn't matter what other people think of you. Like I said, it matters what you think of yourself. So it's just, and that, yeah, Just block all of them out. Like they don't, people who've messed with you are like talking about you. That means that they have something going on at home with themselves as well. So they're taking out all their anger on you. So what you want to do, you want to talk to them if you feel comfortable talking to them. You want to talk to them and tell them like, oh, I don't like that you're doing this. And it makes me feel uncomfortable, but I want to help you out.

20:53You want to help them out, come out with whatever they're going through. You just want to help them and help yourself. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So in terms of the affirmations that you mentioned, I am confident, I'm beautiful, I'm smart. Do you do that every day? Mm-hmm. Girl, that's how I get myself up in the morning. Girl. I'm going to start doing that too. Yeah, I'm going to walk out the house with saying affirmations. Girl, it don't matter where you're going. So who gave you the idea to start doing affirmations? My mom. Yeah, she did. Yeah, my mom. And that was part of the turning point to help you overcome that bullying that you felt.

21:33Yeah, definitely. That's wonderful. So if you have any words to your former bullies, what would you say to them? I would say thank you because without them, I wouldn't be in this room today. Because without them, I would never have the story that I can tell. You know, just saying thank you because, I mean, a lot of people would be like, why do you want to say thank you? Because without them, what would I be doing now? I would just be at home going to school, going to regular school, not even being homeschooled having all these opportunities. And just to say thank you because, you know, I'm here for them.

22:02I mean, I'm here to help them out because they're the ones that was messing with me. So I'm here to help them know that it wasn't OK. That's a positive way to look at it. So you mentioned your homeschooled. How do you balance everything that's going on with your education? Well, now it's easy because I'm doing it at home first. And then like when I'm traveling, I could just easily pull out my computer on a plane and just do school. Then it's I mean, it's boring. I mean, Like it's not something a kid would want to do, even though the kid doesn't want to go to school. They just don't want to be sitting at home.

22:32So it's just kind of mean. Now that I have friends that are in the industry now, I can just easily call them and be like, what you doing, girl? Let's hang out. Yeah. But still getting your education because that's important. Yeah. And I'm only have to do two hours of school. Oh, that's wonderful. But I have more class, not more class, but I have more work to do than what you would do in regular school. Well, that makes sense. Just to keep up with the curriculum. Yeah. So then you're in the eighth grade now, I believe. Okay. Awesome. So that means you're going to be homeschooled throughout your high school.

23:04Is that correct? I'm going to high school freshman year, but I'm going to go to a private school. So, yeah, more easier, you know, keeping it private, you know, private school, period. I hope it's fun. I'm sure it will be. I hope high school is like high school musical, you know, where you can sing them hallways. Yeah. But I'm pretty sure it's not. But it's okay. I hate to break it to you. It's not going to be a musical. Unfortunately, there won't be any singing by Troy and Gabriella. Okay, so I'm guessing High School Musical is one of your favorite movies. No, it's not.