Flexin’ in My Complexion: Kheris Rogers' Inspiring Fashion Journey

Kheris Rogers has gained tremendous attention because of her resilience and passion for fashion design.

The teen is known for her role as Bel on the Brat TV series, Chicken Girls, and for making history as the youngest designer to ever showcase at New York Fashion Week with her clothing line Flexin’ in My Complexion.

The world got their first glimpse of Kheris when Alicia Keys featured her on Instagram, writing, “I love this beautiful girl @kherispoppin and I love her mission! Keep shining.”

However, Kheris is not an overnight success. Here is everything you need to know about her fashion journey.

The young entrepreneur was born and raised in Los Angeles, where she had a turbulent early life, especially with constant racial bullying in her high school. At the age of 10, she had to cope with numerous hateful comments, especially from her classmates. The constant bullying she faced at school made her insecure, especially with her presence in public.

Kheris's sister, Taylor Pollard, finds out about Kheris’ insecurity and constant bullying at school and she decides to help out. She took several photos of Kheris in a bright-colored yellow dress and posted them on social media in 2017. “My sister is only 10, but already a royalty,” she captioned the post, which went viral instantly and got huge support from people globally who admired Kheris's beauty.

Due to the positive response she got on social media over her sister’s post, Kheris went on to turn her negative bullying story into a positive one. She thought of creating something where self-confidence among young people with different skin tones would be promoted.

With her newly discovered self-confidence, Kheris went on to launch the Flexin’ in My Complexion clothing brand with her sister.

In her own words, “Dear Black child, you are smart, you are magic, you are beautiful, you are hope, you are brave, and you are enough.”

Kheris's mission with her newly-found passion is to empower people of different skin tones to feel comfortable with their uniqueness and become even more confident with their skin.

Her fashion line produces products such as T-shirts, and sweatshirts that adorn the brand’s name.

Kheris was faced with numerous challenges as a beginner fashion brand owner. She particularly had challenges sourcing materials, designing, and building her brand image. However, she stayed committed to her passion and was motivated by her mission to make a positive impact in the lives of her followers. Kheris was able to collaborate with fashion suppliers, manufacturers, and designers to get the right materials and design for her clothing brand products.

“The most exciting part of watching my brand take off is being able to travel the world, going to speaking engagements, and speaking to young girls and boys to encourage them to love themselves and chase their dreams,” she told PopSugar. “I have learned to trust my instincts, to have fun with it, and to not be afraid to be different.”

In 2020, Kheris debuted her fashion line at Harlem Fashion Week at the Museum of the City of New York — making her the youngest ever at just 11 years old.

Ahead of the show, she spoke more about the inspiration behind her collection, telling Refinery29, “The other kids did not want to play with me or be my friend because of how dark my skin was. Going through this inspired me to begin Flexin’ In My Complexion, because black comes in so many shades and they all are beautiful.”

According to CNBC, the brand “Flexin’ in My Complexion" sold more than 10,000 t-shirts in 2018 alone, generating up to $110,000 in revenue — and we can only imagine that number has skyrocketed.

So, what’s next for Kheris? She has big plans for her brand, telling PopSugar, “As a designer, I am excited to use my experiences to inspire new designs. I would love to collaborate with a Black-owned brand like Fenty or Ivy Park.”

We have no doubt she will accomplish whatever she sets out to do!