It began her junior 12 months in university. Nana Agyemang, a gourmet of images and style, became swept up within the influencer explosion taking location on the social media platform Instagram. But what grew from that self-recognized obsession turned into a realization that the everyday Black woman did now not have a presence. In her senior year of university, the now-social media editor determined to change that. Birthed from her frustration changed into the YouTube channel “Every Stylish Girl”, offering professional advice, style suggestions, and mentorship. On Sunday, that virtual area will become a real accumulating of like-minded women of color to do what Agyemang calls “sip and slay.” “Bring your enterprise playing cards, come prepared to slay to your satisfactory brunch outfits, and brace yourself for an empowering afternoon with captivating conversations and visitor audio system so that you can learn how you may have your very, very own big ruin,” Agyemang says on the website selling the “commercial enterprise truncheon.”
The inaugural Sip & Slay was held in 2017, while Agyemang found that offline studies presented a unique contact that online couldn’t offer. “We had to build those girls up face-to-face and convey actual life girl-boss reviews to fulfill them wherein they had been to without a doubt encourage and create alternate in Black ladies’ lives,” the Columbia J-School grad explains. After the initial occasion, Agyemang received emails from visitors who found out that their attendance spurred them to, in the end, begin their podcast, give up their nine-5 to construct their dream employer, and pursue a lifestyle they usually desired but were too afraid to chase. “That made it well worth it, and we couldn’t forestall there,” Agyemang tells ESSENCE. When the Ghanaian-American journalist created Every Stylish Girl (ESG) in 2016, the purpose became not only to create a space wherein Black girls’ stories are highlighted but also to sell non-traditional professional paths in which other women may not see themselves. “I set out to be a motivator and using pressure for empowering young Black female,” Agyemang insists.
The NYC-primarily based fashionista predicts that Sunday’s Sip N’ Slay could be the most effective yet. Tapped to talk is Lindsay Peoples Wagner, the newly appointed editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue; Channing Hargrove, fashion author at Refinery29; Alexander Julian, former editor at GQ, freelance stylist, and content material writer; and Brianna Agyemang, Senior Director of Marketing at Atlantic Records. “All of those visionaries are breaking limitations and using their systems to uplift and underrepresented network,” Agyemang says of the dynamic roster. “They have set their dreams to making sure Black voices are being heard, and it’s inspiring.”
As a content material writer herself, Agyemang is happy to convey the everyday memories of Black ladies doing badass matters in every enterprise. She knows that with the aid of shining a mild on them, others will understand that each and something is possible, so long as they want it horrific sufficient. If you’re interested in attending Sunday’s NYC event, tickets are nevertheless to be had. Be sure to say good day to Agyemang, who wouldn’t display exactly what she’d be slaying in, but did inform us (in true Millennial fashion) she’ll be dressed in powder blue due to the fact; nicely, it’s the modern color scheme of her Instagram account.
