California Apparel News

Los Angeles–based heritage streetwear brand Cross Colours has carved out a new path thanks to its partnership with cosmetics brand Black Radiance. The Cross Colours x Black Radiance partnership opened the door for Cross Colours to pursue new categories that support its evolution from clothing to lifestyle brand while retaining its messaging of celebrating African American culture, peace, inclusivity and hip-hop influences.

“Someone is beside us now who really understands what we want, what we want to see and how we want to see the brand,” said TJ Walker, Cross Colours co-founder. “It really mirrors our customers and our core values for the brand.”

The partnership has created a bridge for Cross Colours to join other fashion houses that have grown from their apparel roots into other products, said Sherry West, brand marketing manager at Black Radiance, a subsidiary of City of Industry, Calif.’s Markwins.

“When you see a designer’s collection coming down the runway, the models have that brand’s makeup on their faces. Now, Cross Colours has its own makeup,” said West. “When you are a lifestyle brand, you’re touching on every aspect of that consumer’s lifestyle.”

The December launch of the collaborative makeup line was followed by a fashion show Feb. 27. Products in the collection reflect Cross Colours’ foundation of clothing in bright colors, including hues of blue, yellow, green and red.

“Nobody else is out there doing these really bold colors,” West said, explaining that inspiration came from the clothing brand’s early 1990s advertising campaigns and impactful messaging. “They have a saying, ‘Beauty without prejudice,’ and that was a guiding light. We wanted to add ‘Color without prejudice’ because when you look at other people’s palettes, there’s brown tones, there’s red. You don’t see the yellows and greens.”

West’s team captured the essence of Cross Colours beyond the hues of the cosmetics through the packaging. Development of the collaboration began at the intersection of the 30th anniversaries of Cross Colours and Black Radiance in addition to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

“The boombox, the mic—what a creative way to present our brand to customers with the packaging concept,” noted Carl Jones, Cross Colours co-founder. “It expresses hip-hop, our ethos, our culture, the music—it was a perfect presentation.”