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Kheris Rogers is the 16-year-old CEO of the self-empowering clothing line 'Flexin’ In My Complexion,' a brand that has gained admiration and support from millions around the world, including people like Alicia Keys, Lupita Nyong’o, Whoopi Goldberg, and more. Fresh out of elementary school, Kheris became the youngest designer to strut the runway for New York Fashion Week. Her radiant beauty, confidence, and personality have led her to sit down and speak with Steve Harvey, CBS Mornings, Associated Press (AP), Google, and much more. During her interview with business mogul Steve Harvey, Kheris was granted $10,000 in support from FashionNova to aid in the sustainment of her brand. The young boss and advocate has done so much in just 5 years that it’s hard to keep track. "I feel like I’ve done everything…kind of. I don’t know what else to say," the entrepreneur replied with a smile that burst into laughter.
The Birth & Purpose of Flexin' In My Complexion
Flexin’ In My Complexion began six years ago when Kheris was only 10 years old. Her older sister had published a tweet on Twitter, admiring and praising Kheris’ beauty. The tweet was signed off with the hashtag "FlexinInHerComplexion." To the surprise of Kheris and her sister, this tweet gained an unbelievable amount of traction from users and quickly went viral with tens of thousands of likes and re-shares! Not too long after this, Kheris recalled thinking to herself, "Why not start a clothing line called 'Flexin’ In My Complexion?'" According to Kheris, the saying originated from the lips of her grandmother, who would often recite it around Kheris and her sister and even say it to them to remind them of the power and beauty their brown skin holds. Thus, Rogers thought why not help others do the same by sharing the powerful slogan.
Surprisingly, Kheris was unaware that her sister was going to make the tweet that changed her life. Originally, when her sister expressed that Kheris had gone viral, Kheris was confused. "I was like, ‘Girl, why are you lying! Like be so for real.'" she laughed. The same day Kheris broke the internet, she also underwent a baptism, she joked that she literally became a whole new person the following day.
This is how Kheris’ clothing line came to be. She emphasized that she wanted to create something unique and empowering that could show young children, teens, and adults the power of self-appreciation and let them know that "you’re beautiful no matter what. And it doesn’t matter what other people think of you; only what you think of yourself, and that you should always walk in a room and hold your head up high," Rogers spoke with vigor.
It only took her a few days to launch her clothing line. On launch day, Flexin’ In My Complexion sold out in ten minutes! "So, you know, after that, I became Kheris Rogers, purr," she laughed, accompanied by an eye roll and a hair flip (as she should, of course).
10 years of age is incredibly young for someone to decide to start a business, especially one of Rogers’ caliber. Of course we had to know what was going through her mind, leading up to the execution and establishment of ‘Flexin’ In My Complexion’. The young boss, author, actress, model and singer expressed that she simply wanted to create something that could help Black children feel comfortable and confident within themselves and know that they are more than their complexion, even if she was only aiding one person. "It wasn’t just a thought like, ‘Oh, I just want to have a clothing line!’ I never thought that before, I just knew I wanted to be seen by people," she chuckled briefly before continuing. "But I thought that this […] what I wanted to do... I feel like it touched me a lot because I’ve been through situations where I’ve experienced colorism, I’ve experienced racism. So, I feel like I just wanted to make sure I inspired at least ONE person, but obviously, I’ve inspired more, so I feel like that was really my goal."
It is no secret that Rogers experienced bullying to a disturbing degree, due to the richness of her dark skin, because the birth of her clothing line is rooted within this experience. Yet, Rogers is part of the fortunate few who turned lemons into lemonade and has now blossomed into a young woman with an immense amount of influence and impact on her peers! Kheris was bullied some years ago in elementary school, and with all the time that had passed, we were curious to know whether any of her childhood bullies had changed or mustered up the maturity to take ownership of their actions and apologize. We were surprised by Kheris’ response. When asked, the teen responded, "Girl, no," with a laugh. Genuinely shocked, we had to ask again, and Kheris made it clear that she was being very serious. Yet, the closest thing to communication she has received from past harassers is when a former elementary school peer followed her on Instagram, an action Kheris chose not to reciprocate. However, Kheris is aware that her work and achievements have spoken for her, as well as her growth over the years. Therefore, she is not waiting or expecting anyone to come to her with an apology or an attempt to rekindle because, as she later made clear, "I'm poppin’, period."
Shine Bright: Becoming a Published Author
For quite some time, Kheris has enjoyed writing. The young advocate recalls writing stories and essays for leisure and school. A love that she believes blossomed with the help of her grandmother, who often made her write. After being given the opportunity to start working with publishing giant Harper Collins in 2020, Kheris realized she wanted to share her story in a new way. Most people resonating with, sharing, and learning from Kheris’ story are typically teens and adults. However, Rogers believes that change should start before then, so she decided to share her story with kids through the power of literature. "Letting them know like, you’re not alone in these situations. This is what you’re going through [...] I want to teach them about self-esteem, confidence, racism, colorism at a young age, instead of when they’re getting older [and] they’re confused on why their self-esteem is so low and why they are not comfortable in their skin."
Kheris wrote her first children's book titled "Shine Bright" and recalled the excitement she felt the moment she received the final draft and thought, "Yo, this is dope! I feel like I'm doing my thang, okay?" The pride she has in her work was evident in her voice and body language during our discussion. She hopes that her book "Shine Bright" will teach kids and their families that colorism and racism should not be normalized, despite how common it is today around the world.
"Growing up, I didn’t always like going to school. And so, for Imani [...], the character in the book—um, I feel like, after she realizes what’s happening to her after she’s talking to her sister, her sister is taking her through this journey and letting her know, people are afraid of the dark, and you have to change that narrative. And so, for her to go back the next day and she walks up… with her head up high, like ‘Yeah. I’m that girl! Okay? And nobody in here is going to tell me different!’ And I feel like, I want everyone to have that type of confidence." The author candidly revealed that she did not always have the captivating confidence many have grown to love her for. Through affirmations and a perspective shift, she realized that the only thing that matters is what she thinks of herself and not others. This is an epiphany she hopes she can help others come to as well through her work.
Modeling & Music
As the face of Flexin’ In My Complexion, Kheris models the clothes for her brand. It is apparent that Kheris is a flawless beauty, and we had to know if any agencies had been obsessed with her in recent years. Rogers revealed that IMG modeling agency did reach out to her with a contract a year ago; however, she is currently signed to L.A. Models and has every intention of also pursuing modeling as a profession. "I feel like modeling is something I love to do. I feel like…people see me as one… I just like being in front of the camera! I just like showing people my face! I mean…" Kheris trailed off with a playful shrug. Kheris also credits her sister with turning her into the photogenic girl she is today. She recalls constantly being the subject of many of her sister’s photo shoots. Though she does not know why her sister loved taking her pictures so much, she does believe that this routine helped build her confidence and love for the camera.
Kheris also sees herself expanding into music. "I feel like singing, for me, came from competing with my sister in the house." The sibling competition aided Kheris in tapping into her musical side.
In 2020, Kheris was signed to Columbia Records as a member of the Justice curated group Run The World (RTW). A pop girl group that consisted of four tween and teenage influencers, hailing from different ethnic backgrounds. After RTW, Kheris felt that it was time to give people a better look at her and her personality.
A bit over a year ago, Kheris released her very first independent single called Drop Top Thang. For Rogers, her single ‘Drop Top Thang’ was the window she gave people to peek into her life. "Drop Top Thang was me showing people… this is my real life… this what I go through like going to parties, you know — I do this in real life! You know I’m that girl in real life!" Drop Top Thang garnered over a million views and has left many waiting for her next drop. Specifically, a handful of commenters beneath her single have asked for holiday music. Though Kheris expressed that we won’t be getting any Christmas this year, it is something she hopes to deliver sometime in the near future! Further elaborating that "I feel like music is something I always wanted to do, and I feel like it’s something I want to pursue and take seriously." Drop Top Thang helped her test the waters, but now that she knows people are interested in her music, she’s ready to show us what she’s been working on.
The Kheris Rogers Foundation
At the beginning of 2020, Kheris became the founder of the Kheris Rogers Foundation, a nonprofit. The Kheris Rogers Foundation partnered up with household names like Nike, Nickelodeon, and even Coca-Cola for their first community event, which was a back-to-school drive. The nonprofit event was such a success that Kheris and her team even had to mail supplies out to people in addition to the thousands of community members they served during the event. "That’s something I really love to do. For me, [...] I’m from south L.A., so… my mom wasn’t always fortunate enough to us school supplies, or ya know, buy us shoes. And so, I felt like, this was something— now that I’m placed in position where I can… I feel like that’s something I’m meant to be doing as well." Kheris’ commitment to servicing her community also branches from her experience and childhood, similar to the birth of her designer brand. Rogers also exclusively unveiled that she will also be hosting another event in February 2023. A summit for teens meant to educate them on relationships, confidence, social media, and more. "I feel like these are topics that us teens need to be [talking] about right now, uh cause, ya know— we go through a lot. Especially based off social media, we create these narratives of ourselves," narratives that Kheris believes are rooted within the influences of society via media.
Changing The Narrative
Despite being bullied and disliked by students, she is now admired and supported by many across the nation. She enjoys being a role model to others and an admirable figure, and she feels that she is right where she is supposed to be, doing what she is meant to be doing. "I was meant to show other young kids… they are beautiful no matter what."
If given the opportunity to take a trip to the past and speak with the younger version of herself, the designer and entrepreneur would tell herself to block out the external noise and focus on her inner voice, "because I know— and you know, girl— you are gorgeous, okay? Do not let what those people are saying get into your head at all. Hurt people hurt people, and you should just shine regardless, period… what SZA said." The radiant teen spirit elucidated with sincerity.
What's To Come For Kheris Rogers
Within the next four years, Kheris sees a storefront for her clothing line ‘Flexin’ in "My Complexion.’ Rogers recently moved ‘Flexin’ In My Complexion’ into a dedicated warehouse, a milestone that has given her greater hope of achieving her goal of owning her own store in the future. "That’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I want it to be pink. I want it to be nice and big, I want it to be blinged out! You know, I’ve already got this planned out in my head a little bit." Kheris would also like to have or direct a television show based on herself. Further elucidating that she would not have to play herself, but it would be nice too if given the opportunity. Her main purpose of having a show would be to share her story and provide additional representation for other girls who look like her! She also desires to see her foundation blossom and host big events that will impact communities around the country regularly. "So, there’s so much that I want to do, but I feel like I’m still young. I feel like I have a little bit of time, but I want to get it down now!" the ambitious teen vocalized.
In such little time, Kheris Rogers has gone from being a victim of racism, colorism, and prejudice, to a business owner, designer, model, actress, advocate and recording artist! She has also earned the privilege of working with brands and names that many hold to a high regard. At just 16, Rogers has also made history in the fashion industry and gained the respect of millions around the world for her courageous and confident spirit. Kheris is undeniably a tycoon to keep an eye on because it is evident that she is adamant about making an impact and building a legacy. If you ask us what we think about this queen, we’d tell you that Kheris Rogers is poppin’ and we can’t wait to see what this trailblazer has up her sleeve in the coming years!
STAY CONNECTED:
You can keep up with Kheris Rogers by following her on Instagram @KherisPoppin and support her business @OfficialFlexinInMyComplexion! Also be sure to keep up with XBlaze Magazine via Instagram, Twitter, and our YouTube Channel!
Written by Torera of XBlaze Magazine
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