I’m really happy and proud about this story…it is another way that HBCUs are becoming a bigger part of mainstream culture:
From Black Enterprise:
When Victoria’s Secret Pink visited Florida A&M University (FAMU) last fall to announce that the historically black university would be included in Pink’s roll out of its collegiate collection—the largest retail distribution that has ever been given to an HBCU collegiate apparel—the students responded by buying out every single item at the makeshift Pink pop-up campus store.
So it’s no wonder that Richard Dent, CEO of Victoria’s Secret Pink brand is expecting huge returns when Howard University, Hampton University, North Carolina A&T University, and Southern Louisiana University joins FAMU in the second phase of Pink’s collegiate collection, which already includes 33 other schools that were launched in June 2008.
Last July, Amelia Reid, a sophomore at Howard University wrote a letter to Pink to express her dismay at the absence of HBCUs in the fall line. Reid, a Pink fan and an employee of Limited Brands, Victoria’s Secret parent company, received from the company a response that she described at the time as “sugarcoated” and dismissive.
Her disappointment materialized into a crusade to bring Pink into the black, and she launched a blog called “HBCU Ladies Wear Victoria’s Secret Pink Too” on Facebook in an effort to encourage people to write to the company and state their dissatisfaction with the HBCU oversight. Reid’s fan base grew significantly and her group has more than 700 members.
Dent contacted Reid through the Facebook group. “I reached out to her because she was a fan of the brand. I wanted her to know that we were not being insensitive,” Dent said at the time.
Dent said that the company had been in contact with many of the HBCUs months prior to Reid’s Facebook site and that she did not play a part in their decision to launch the line of HBCU apparel.
I may not be an HBCU Alum—I’m actually a GW Colonial–but given that Howard University is such a big part of the city I live in I may cop a shirt or two.
December 17, 2008
elledub08
8 responses to “Victoria Secret Adds HBCU’s to their PINK Line”
Jennifer
December 18th, 2008 at 02:17
Oh, FAMU. I expected better from my alums, I really did. VS threw you a bone and you threw back every dollar in your pocket.
elledub08
December 18th, 2008 at 13:46
would you like to elaborate?
I’m not doubting you I am just trying to understand your point of view is all.
steph
December 18th, 2008 at 19:13
Wow, this is what I have saying all along. We blacks have a tremedous amount of spending power. Unfortunately we do not harness that power as we should. (By this i mean using it to demand social change.)
I say to Reid, “Good for you!” They may deny it all they want, but she put the fire beneath VS feet to get this going.
Although I don’t too much care for the PiNK line (I identify with the sarcasim of the first commenter: demanding that “HOWARD” be added to the seat of VS sweats?! A very trivial matter indeed.), the spending was justified in this case. Why? Because we sent the message to corporate American that when you align with our beliefs, viewpoints and goals, we will reward you accordingly.
Jennifer
December 21st, 2008 at 11:52
But Steph, why does it seem that we’re always somewhere begging white folks for representation? I wasted a lot of money on VS during at my days at FAMU, and had this happened when I was there, you know what we would’ve done? BOYCOTTED!
And then Reid gets blown off by the powers that be and wages a campaign to GIVE MONEY TO THE COMPANY THAT DID SO? We sent a message, all right: feel free to treat us like an afterthought and we will be so grateful when you acknowledge us (eventually) that we will make you rich. I bet these were the same idiots who lined up and spent money on Vogue’s ridiculous ‘black models’ magazine.
elledub08
December 21st, 2008 at 17:29
@ jennifer: i really think the vogue issue is a different situation…yes, the issue had some faults (a lot actually) but i think people were buying it just because it was a special edition issue.
elledub08
December 21st, 2008 at 17:31
but, i understand the idea that we’re asking someone who did not see the value of including black people in their brand and blowing us off and then, essentially, rewarding them for it
Allison @ Entry Level Living
December 30th, 2008 at 13:34
What I’m seeing is how she harnessed social media to gain their attention. Sorry old fashioned ways of writing letters clearly dont work. Who says you cant bring about change online?
And, for better or worse, black people want to be included. Yes, we can start our own, but why should we have to? This is our country too, right?
Jennifer
January 1st, 2009 at 18:09
Here’s an idea for change: when a white company has to have its arm twisted in order to include you, and then denies that you had anything to do with their decision to include you, pay attention.
And stop equating power with making white people rich.