The 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture had a number of celebrities, beauty industry professionals and content creators help us create magical moments on stage. One of those very special moments were led by TikTok’s very own, Chazz Inniss, who sat down with content creators Pierrah Hillaire and Nydia Twitty to discuss their journeys of being Black content creators on the platform, building community and the importance of supporting one another.
Hillaire, whose TikTok username is @pierrahh, has garnered a following of over 50K on the platform for her content centered around Black-owned fashion brands. “Two years ago, I didn’t see a lot of people talking about Black-owned brands, but now I’ve seen a shift and a lot more are people sharing Black-owned businesses and are interested in learning more about Black designers and brands,” says Hillaire.
Twitty, also known as @slimreaperofficial on TikTok, is actually a Black designer herself in addition to being a content creator that has built a following of over 500K followers on the platform. She’s known for her content that shows how she converts items into fashion designs. For the panel, Twitty wore a color ensemble designed by herself made out of backpacks. Twiity says, “Before TikTok gave me this platform, I thought it was just me that liked my clothes and that were into this kind of fashion, but TikTok really helped me find my community and it encouraged me to be myself even more.”
As we know, our culture’s influence is undeniable, but sometimes it goes without being credited. During the panel, our panelists touched on the importance of supporting other Black creators and doing what they can to make sure creators are recognized for their original content. “It’s important for us to call out when we recognize someone’s content being copied,” says Hillaire. “It feels like a community when I support other Black creators. We don’t get it often outside of spaces like this, so it’s really important that we uplift and support each other.” Twitty adds, “I’m a movement by myself, but I’m a force when we move together.”
See the full conversation from our #BlackFashionTikTok panel in the video above. For more of everything you missed at the 2022 ESSENCE Festival, click HERE.