Kahlana Barfield Brown’s New Fashion Brand Features Her Signature Style
@kahlanabarfieldbrown/Instagram
@kahlanabarfieldbrown/Instagram
When you hear the name Kahlana Barfield Brown, it’s hard not to pay attention to what the former Beauty Director is up to. Between married and mom life, she’s found a way to pursue a dream that’s been in her heart since she was a little girl; founding her own fashion brand By Kahlana.
Equally known for beauty expertise, Kahlana’s first love has always been fashion and her impeccable style proves she knows exactly what she’s doing. For example, her outfits usually feature a blend of casual coolness mixed with an elevated piece like heels and her signature red lipstick.
How did By Kahlana come into fruition?
In a self-penned article for The Cut, Barfield Brown detailed how By Kahlana came to be. Inspired by her grandmother’s love of shopping and perusing the aisles of Nordstrom, the fashionista would stare at the tags of gorgeous garments. It sparked something in her that imagined “touching a future in which little Black girls…don’t just wear beautiful things.” Instead, she envisioned a reality that gave underrepresented voices a space to create and contribute to fashion.
From there, Barfield Brown honed her style at Howard University and went on to score an “internship at Suede, a start-up magazine for Essence, working for a $15-per-day food stipend.” That eventually led her through the doors of Instyle where she landed a role as the beauty director’s assistant.
She was no stranger to the ways fashion wasn’t always inclusive or accessible, but began to see a shift in the industry around 2017. But, it was a chance encounter in 2020 that would push her closer to her dreams of having her own brand.
Sadly, this experience would come with a heaviness that she nor others could’ve expected.
When Excitement Turns Into Confusion
I spent two years creating my fashion brand, set to debut at Target. Months before, the DEI news hit.
It’s no secret there’s been a growing shift in both the beauty and fashion industries, but it’s been particularly telling to hear brand founders dish about what’s going on behind the scenes. Their experiences and thoughts about changes in things like grants available for small businesses to DEI policies has reiterated sentiments circulating on social media. The reality? Black and brown brands are having to make tougher decisions. For example, Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye shocked loyal customers
when she announced she was shuttering her beauty brand Ami Colé. Although some brands like The Lip Bar and Range Beauty continue to thrive, that doesn’t lessen the blow of things CEOs have to navigate during trying times. In the case of Barfield Brown, she’s had to come to terms with signing what felt like the contract of her dreams only to watch the retailer she trusted make a huge political shift that’s led to boycotts. If you immediately thought “Target,” you’re absolutely correct.
Prior to the shocking change, Barfield Brown was “invited to speak on a panel at Target’s headquarters in Minneapolis,” (via The Cut). Shortly after, she got the chance to speak with Pamela Brown, Target’s head of talent partnerships, and stepped into "a beautiful partnership” that led Barfield Brown to speak about her “HBCU story for Target’s Black Beyond Measure campaign.” She was able to honor her grandmother in a beautiful way while also highlighting the impact attending an HBCU had on her.
It didn’t take long for her to become Target’s “first design partner for Future Collective” and the results were astounding. Collections quickly sold out — all four — and it signaled to Target they’d chosen the right person to collaborate with. Due to that success, Barfield Brown says Target’s merchant team were eager to expand the scope of what she could bring to the table.
But Target’s senior vice-president of apparel and accessories, Gena Fox, was the person who truly ignited Barfield Brown’s vision to make her dream fashion brand a reality.
“Only 7.3 percent of U.S. fashion designers are Black. Less than one percent of brands sold in U.S. retailers are owned by diverse founders. So ownership was important to me,” said Barfield Brown (via The Cut).
She immediately got to work and hired Crystal White as her “VP of design.” White attended and graduated from RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), and went to design for companies like Donna Karen and Skims. According to Barfield Brown, they worked hard to create “handtags crafted from hefty card stock, a color palette of creamy ivory and sleek black, and adjustable waistbands to accommodate multiple body types and prevent waist gaps for curvy women,” (via The Cut). For them, it was about being “intentional, from fabric to fit to finish.”
But despite their best efforts, Target publicly changed their DEI tunes and seemingly refused to explain to their core customers’ demand for an explanation. Even though Barfield Brown was reassured behind closed doors, she couldn’t ignore the grave disappointment her community felt. A ripple effect was felt and some people have continued to staunchly boycott the very retailer that swore they were committed to unapologetically supporting diversity and inclusion.
Final Thoughts
Barfield Brown’s fear about if her community would label her a sell out is valid given how abrupt Target’s decision in January 2025 was. Though the retailer has still claimed to uphold the same values, their decision to change their initiative’s name felt like they were caving under pressure from the current administration. What can be said is that she understands two things can be true at once; she can be excited that she’s remaining true to a dream she’s had since she was younger and that she “can’t tell anyone where to shop or how to spend their dollars.”
In other words, Barfield Brown has decided to “fully respect the decisions of others.”
If you do choose to support, keep up with all things By Kahlana by following the brand on Instagram.
