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One need only listen to an interview with Gabrielle Union or follow her on social media to know that speaking truth to power is a way of life for her. Whether uplifting her youngest daughter Kaavia’s first words on Instagram or calling out hair discrimination in the workplace, Union emanates the kind of courage that inspires and stirs in every area of her life. And though she is always immersed in myriad projects that flex her prowess as a multi-hyphenate creative, right now she’s putting her focus on her hair-care line, Flawless by Gabrielle Union.
If you remember back to early 2017—when the word Corona only referred to a beer and celebrity beauty brands will still mostly a rarity—Union had first announced she was launching her own hair brand. Bloggers and editors went wild for it, and it was poised to rake in millions. Then suddenly, seemingly overnight, the products vanished from shelves and its social media went dark.
While the brand’s big relaunch this month proved the fanfare is still there for Flawless, a couple things are different now. Most notably that the line is now co-owned by Union and her longtime hairstylist Larry Sims. “It was not a Black-owned company,” Union tells Glamour of its initial launch. “The problem with only being a Black-fronted company is that the voices and the needs of Black women are not always centered.” That’s why it was so vital for her and Sims to have not just a seat—but the seats—at the table.
Union was also in the middle of her IVF journey when she launched the brand in 2017, which she says ravaged her hair and caused bald spots. “Launching a line called Flawless when I felt anything but felt fraudulent and inauthentic,” she says. “I wanted to wait until my hair grew back, but they felt we had a certain window.” So she wore wigs and hair pieces throughout the line’s promotional period, all styled and installed by Sims.
“When that deal ran out, my first order of business was grabbing back the company, investing myself, and bringing on Larry,” says Union. “He’s not only one of my best friends and one of the best hairstylists in the game, but also a man with a tremendous amount of experience and expertise who can actually be in the lab with the chemists revamping all of these products.” Sims got to work updating the ingredients for the brand’s star products—putting the knowledge of his and Union’s kitchen trials into the product formulations.
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The relaunch has been a long time coming; the duo announced its rebirth at Cannes Lions last summer. “The excitement about a Black hair-care line was palpable, and it was so exciting to be there with all these Black marketers, advertisers, and talent at the premiere Black event in the south of France,” Union recalls fondly. “That event was all about Black business and the strength of the Black dollar and Black community. We knew we were on the right track then.”
Flawless was originally supposed to be reintroduced at the end of March, but the COVID-19 pandemic hit, prompting a delay. But Union and Sims didn’t want to continue delaying the rollout, as they were hearing that so many Black women were struggling with beauty and self-care amidst the pandemic.
They’re seeking to end that struggle by delivering luxury formulations at affordable prices. “We wanted to make our products available to everyone through our partnership with Amazon and when we get into stores in October with Sally Beauty,” Union says. “We chose Sally because they are in Black and brown communities, and we wanted to make sure our products were accessible to feel and see in brick-and-mortar.”
Price is paramount for Union and Sims, with Flawless products ranging from $4 to $10 (the first iteration of the line ranged from $19 to $29). “We both agreed that we didn’t want to overprice this to line our pockets—neither of us really need to do that,” Sims says. “When you’re in the position to help a community that’s in need and a community that should have access to salon-worthy products and experiences at an affordable price, you should do so. We didn’t think about ourselves first—we first thought of our consumers and making sure they have access to what has worked for Gabrielle’s personal hair journey that I’ve been a part of for over 10 years now.”
The new formulation-testing process was also a family (and framily) affair, as Union and Sims wanted to test on a cross-section of textures. “We asked family and friends—my little sister was a huge part of it, thanks, Tray!—and we took meticulous notes on how it worked for their different textures over time,” Union says. “We had to make sure the products were consistently great, so we had to tweak along the way.”
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This wasn’t an overnight mission, and no beauty launch really is. When Union and Sims announced the line was making a comeback last June, they had already been in the lab for almost eight months trying different combinations. “There were certain ingredients we were using as we were trying to grow my hair back in 2016 and 2017,” Union says. “Biotin, creatin, avocado and coconut oils, aloe, and rice oil complex. We had all those ingredients in the kitchen sink, so to speak, but we had to make sure they could all come together to work in one product.”
The prescience that could guide the pair to make resolute product decisions—i.e., safe ingredients at a low cost—for the betterment of community came from years of training their gut in business and in life. It's one of the hardest decision-making skills for entrepreneurs, especially during a pandemic when scarcity not only feels, but is very real.
But when Union decided to make herself and Sims the majority owners—thus making the company Black-owned—she centered Black voices. “We’re now in the position to trust our instincts,” she says. “We know when to speak up. And when something’s not working, we’re not going to push it just because we can sell it. We’re leading with ingredients that are not as well-known as others, but with education and time, we can inform the consumers about another way of getting to their hair goals.”
The relaunch is a first for Sims. Even though he’s worked with stars like Union, Danielle Brooks, and Alicia Keys over the last 15 years in his career, he has never been offered equity and ownership in any of his past collaborations with other beauty companies. “None of them were Black-owned, by the way, though that’s not a negative thing,” he adds. “I’m happy that at this point in my career, I’m able to not only have ownership but to also have a voice in the process. For hairstylists right now [in the pandemic], it’s super hard. I work in an industry that can be lucrative, but if you weren’t right with your money by saving and paying your taxes, then you may be having a hard time.”
With Flawless, Union and Sims have talked about how they can uplift other hairstylists, salon owners, business owners, and entrepreneurs who don’t have the platforms and massive reach they both have. “I don’t think the universe makes mistakes—and we're in a position where we can use our platforms and a portion of our proceeds to uplift, inspire, and help fund people who are going through hardships,” Sims says. “A lot of people from my neck of the woods are thinking about how they can restructure their approach to money and savings. I think we’re inspiring a movement by spreading the idea that there’s enough to go around for all of us.”
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Union very much feels she has a responsibility to bring other people along because of her platform, privilege, and fame, and the opportunity that comes with them all. “When people talk about a seat at the table, I’m like, ‘Fuck that table; we’re building something else,’” she says. “When you can build your own table, that’s your responsibility. On our Amazon pages, we amplify and uplift other Black-owned businesses.”
Forty percent of Black-owned businesses may not make it out of the pandemic, so Union believes that those who can promote Black business owners should. That way these businesses have a chance of being saved. “We can save some other people, and it’s just a matter of not hoarding resources, opportunities, space, and money,” Union says. “There is enough to go around, and there is something to be said about being your brother’s and your sister’s keeper. If too much is given, give that shit back.”
And not just in opportunities, she adds, but also in speaking up. “A lot of the times, we get in rooms and we know things are not right, but we are so afraid of losing access and losing our spot,” she says. “[We’re only] the chip in the cookie, so we don’t say anything. We can be a part of dead-bolting the door that people are trying to come in through just to have a seat at the table.” Union specifically feels that part of the responsibility she has is to speak truth to power and to call out problematic behavior. “That problematic behavior is holding our brothers and sisters back,” she says. “We can’t get to equity until we call a thing a thing. So many people get in those positions of power, and then they shut up because they’re afraid of losing it. To me, you’re powerless if you don’t use your voice when called upon and when you know damn well something’s wrong.”
Until then, you can trust Union won’t sit quietly. She’ll stand in her power, saying what needs to be said.
Faith Cummings is a copywriter, editor, and journalist who lives in New York City. Follow her on Instagram @iam_faithc.
