Diversity Woman » Stars That Mean Business

Kim Wayans

Diversity Woman — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:35:53 +0000

With 38 nieces and nephews, many of whom are multiracial, Kim Wayans, actress, comedienne, writer, and producer, decided it was high time for children’s literature to reflect multicultural young people in a positive light. She and her husband, Kevin Knotts, have coauthored a series of children’s books called “Amy Hodgepodge,” about a young multiracial girl and her diverse group of friends.

“We really want to use the books to promote tolerance and encourage kids to feel good about themselves,” Wayans told Teen Project RACE recently. “We want to help young people embrace diversity.”

So far, the dynamic duo have created six books, with a seventh due out this year, all focusing on the spunky Amy and her fourth-grade adventures. An online “Amy store” sells T-shirts, tote bags, scrapbooks, and more Amy-related items, and Wayans has her mind on eventually creating Amy movies and cartoons.

The multitalented entrepreneur, who grew up with 10 lively siblings, some of them now famous actors, started writing stories in fifth grade. “My passion is being creative in all its many forms,” she says.

Wayans hopes her books will make a difference in children’s lives. “There’s just nothing else out there where multiracial kids can see characters that look like them,” she says. DW

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Jennifer Lopez Means Business

Diversity Woman — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:11:58 +0000

For a girl from the South Bronx who, as she puts it, “grew up on very limited resources,” Jennifer Lopez has done more than okay for herself. Not only has she made it big time as an actress, singer, songwriter, and dancer, but she has also been a huge success as a TV producer and fashion designer. According to Forbes,she’s the richest person of Latin American descent in Hollywood.

Known for her sense of personal style, Lopez paired with Andy Hilfiger (Tommy’s brother) to found Sweetface Fashion in 2001. Sweetface was the holding company that produced lines of women’s clothing, jewelry, footwear, intimate apparel, and fragrances that bear the star’s nickname, J.Lo. and were sold through department stores and the Internet (www.sweetface.com). In June 2004, Sweetface Fashion opened the first freestanding J.Lo store in the Crocus City Mall in Moscow. The brands were sold in more than nine countries, with licensed products being marketed in more than forty. Though Sweetface went on hiatus in June of 2009, it did as much as $200 million in retail sales in its heyday.

Don’t feel too badly for Lopez, though; her JLO costue jewlery line is still sold in Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret catalogue continues to carry the brand’s footwear collection, and her company’s fragrances do quite well. To date six scents have been launched with Coty, and a seventh is due to be introduced this year.

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Penelope Cruz Means Business

Penelope Cruz Means Business

Diversity Woman — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 01:41:30 +0000

Sultry Academy Award-nominated actress Penelope Cruz not only knows how to wear clothes—she designs them too. Last year, Cruz and younger sister Monica introduced a 25-piece Urban and Evening wear collection. Designed for multinational Spanish fashion house Mango (MNG), the collection embraces everything from jeans to cocktail dresses to accessories.

No strangers to partnering together in business, the Cruz sisters have previously developed a handbag line for Japanese designer label Samantha Thavasa. Penelope’s store, Amarcord, carries the handbags and is located in the upscale Salamanca area of Madrid.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Cruz, 33, admits to being a perfectionist and notes she and her sister have always loved fashion. “This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Cruz says. “We’ve always loved clothes—we used to hide in the bathroom with fashion magazines and say, ‘I want that one.’ We’d get a pencil and mark the pictures, and show how we’d transform them at home.”

The Penelope and Monica Cruz Collection can be found in Mango stores across the United States (www.mngbymango.com), or by shopping online at www.mangoshop.com.

Sources:

HYPERLINK “http://www.mangoshop.com/home.faces” http://www.mangoshop.com/home.faces

HYPERLINK “http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/f60/penelope-monica-cruz-mango-55402.html” http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/f60/penelope-monica-cruz-mango-55402.html

HYPERLINK “http://www.waleg.com/style/archives/008709.html” http://www.waleg.com/style/archives/008709.html

HYPERLINK “http://shopping.msn.com/content/shp/?ctId=4227″ http://shopping.msn.com/content/shp/?ctId=4227

HYPERLINK “http://www.watch-trend.com/watches-and-fashion/penelopecruzclothingline.html” http://www.watch-trend.com/watches-and-fashion/penelopecruzclothingline.html

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Jennifer Lopez Means Business