Eryca Freemantle - Fashion Capital

8
WEE COUNTY NEWS
Wednesday December 17, 2008
Eryca presents a question of colour to
the worldwide make-up marketplace
FEATURE by LEE SIMPSON
“
INTERNATIONAL make-up artist
Eryca Freemantle is on a mission to
change the face of the beauty industry.
Having worked with with celebrities such as Yasmin le Bon, Seal,
Whitney Houston, and publications
like Elle and Vogue, the thinking
behind Eryca’s ambitious make-up
crusade is, apparently, very simple.
As a proud black woman, the stunning former model believes it’s time
“women of colour” had equal access
to make-up.
And she believes any UK firm
forward-thinking enough to help her
produce a comprehensive make-up
range for all women from white to
black, will see sales surge by millions
in the first year.
According to Eryca, black and
Asian women are forced to spend
over the odds on make-up due to lack
of choice. Considering the same consumer group spends £63million a year
on make-up, Eryca believes the big
names are clued-up enough to take on
her challenge.
She said: “I believe I am on a onewoman campaign. I want global
recognition, not for Eryca
Freemantle, but for what I stand for.
“We, as women of colour, want to
be able to buy cosmetics from Boots,
Superdrug and pharmacies and all
other well-known department stores
just like our caucasian counterparts.
“At the moment we are forced to
pay uptown prices for our make-up or
have to send for it from abroad.”
America, it seems, is streets ahead
of the UK in terms of the range of
cosmetics it offers black and Asian
women. There are only a handful of
brands that cater for all skin shades,
such as Mac, Prescriptives and a few
others.
Eryca, who has plans to launch her
hand-made Eryca’s Secret beauty
products in Africa and the international market, added: “We either pay
“I want to align
myself with a
make-up company
that is not afraid
to create a
comprehensive
make-up range
that goes from
white to black”
”
a lot for our make-up or have to use
sub-standard products but why should
we not have as much choice as white
women?
“There are 42 different shades of
black among black women, as we have
so many different hues in our skin,
but there is no range of make-up
that’s accessible and comprehensive
to all women, black or white.”
It is hard to imagine Eryca as anything other than the confident, poised
and beautiful woman she is. But her
life was turned upside down when she
was involved in a serious car accident
20 years ago.
She was a freelance model until
she was involved in the smash, which
left her with 200 scars on her face and
the near-amputation of her left leg.
The impact was so severe her system went into shock, causing her hair
to fall out at the scene.
Eryca went on: “I tried wearing
wigs and conforming to what I
thought society wanted – but it just
wasn’t me.
“They said I would not walk again
but, though it took some time, I did
and was eventually able to look into
the mirror and like what I saw looking
back. I did try to get back into modelling but nobody wanted a one-legged,
black model with facial scarring and
no hair.”
The tragic turn of events turned
her life in a completely different
direction and she decided to learn
more about corrective make-up techniques and applications to camouflage
facial blemishes and scarring.
Two decades on and she is an
expert in her field, following in the
footsteps of her idol Pat McGrath,
who has been described by style bible
Vogue as the most influential makeup artist in the world.
And no-one is better prepared to
advise and transform women who
have suffered scarring than the
woman who battled back from a personal abyss.
Eryca added: “I have suffered
from depression for three or four
years, through different illnesses, and
during that time I did not believe in
myself at all, so I know what a lot of
women in my position are going
through.”
She is keen to point out a lot of
firms want to produce make-up for all
woman – but they are afraid to step
into the unknown and want someone
else to make the first move.
Eryca said the fundamental concept many make-up firms seem to
miss is the fact they are dealing with a
lot of different skin types and tones.
She said: “I’m looking for sponsorship and I would love a firm to come
to me without fear of what lies ahead.
“They should also bear in mind
that there’s a massive market out
there as 85 per cent of the world is
made up of women of colour.” In the
UK alone, women spend £3.2billion
annually on make-up and one in 10
will not be without their mascara or
lipstick.
Eryca is keen to put herself forward as a role model for these
women.
She said: “The apparent ignorance
surrounding the issue was highlighted
at one exclusive industry event to
which I was invited.
“I paid to go to this event and
seized my chance to stand-up and ask
why there was not more choice for
women of colour out there. I was
basically told to sit down and shut up
and one woman next to me quipped
‘there’s just not enough shelf space’.
“I want to align myself with a
make-up company that is not afraid to
create a comprehensive make-up
range that goes from white to black.”
And Eryca’s battle does not stop in
the UK, as she has plans to visit
Africa early next year to spread the
word over there. During her trip,
Eryca will visit many high profile
women in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda,
Zambia and South Africa.
“I have been invited as a top international make-up artist to promote
my skills and artistry and it would be
great if I could go over with the sponsorship of a UK firm.
“I could introduce that firm to a
completely new market, as I will be
meeting the wives of statesmen, television celebrities and other prestigious people.
“I’m tired of excuses. It will soon
be 2009 and, if we can accept a black
President of the United States, surely
we can do more for women of colour
in the make-up business.
“People need to understand it is
such a simple concept.
“Because I am British I would love
it to be a British product but I cannot
do this on my own.”
Anyone keen to talk to Eryca can
call the Wee County News on 01259
726501.