Embracing women diversity through nude: Ade Hassan, MBE

La lencería es la prenda más común en el armario de una mujer. Pero para muchas mujeres de color, encontrar su “tono adecuado de desnudo” ha sido o un reto, o no muy común, o imposible. Ade decidió poner fin a este problema. Motivada por su propia frustración con la falta de variedad de tonos de piel para la ropa interior, decidió canalizar esa frustración a través de la creación de un negocio con un objetivo social: crear ‘un tipo diferente de desnudo’. Uno que diera respuesta a la necesidad de representación del color en el artículo de moda más íntimo de las mujeres, con una fuerte declaración de acción social: “Empoderando a las mujeres. Aceptando nuestro color”

Although ‘Empowering women. Embracing our colour’ is not a common fashion statement, her Nubian Skin’s products, models and customers certainly are. Nubian Skin dresses up women with colours that match their skin tone, acknowledging the diversity that exists in human skin colour and bringing visibility to remarkable women behind an exceptional brand and purpose.

Inspired by Somali-born fashion model Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid (Iman), creator of Iman Cosmetics, and American-born entrepreneur Eunice W. Johnson, the mastermind behind Ebony Fashion Fair and Cosmetics, Ade launched Nubian Skin in 2014. This bold move required Ade to leave her successful career in finance behind her.

A vital photo that she shared on social media elevated Nubian Skin’s brand to the next level, gaining 20,000 followers over the course of just four weeks. A meteoric rise since has seen Nubian Skin become many women’s most intimate garment, and even dressed celebrities including Beyonce and her dance crew during their World Tour in 2016.

We wanted to learn more about Ade’s motivation to take a leap into entrepreneurship and so she told us a bit more about her background and journey:

Ade Hassan was born in the United Kingdom but also grew up in the United States and Nigeria, where both of her parents hail from. Ade says that she had always wanted to become an entrepreneur, emulating her business-minded parents who had a big impact on her resolute mindset and motivation. When asked about the influence of her parents, Ade explains that “they played a huge role [and] set a great example for me. I would say that role models, even if they’re not your parents, can play a huge part in helping to you to dream.”

Yet, dreaming was not all Ade needed to create Nubian Skin. Creating a business and becoming an entrepreneur also requires great discipline, resilience and determination. These skills are key to overcome challenging times. Ade tells us that her entrepreneurial journey was no different and has been marked by important challenges throughout. She started a business in an industry she had no experience in at all; oversaw the transition from starting a business to actually running one; and responded to the constant failures and pressures that any entrepreneur faces.