Deirdre Roberson is a scientist who is using fashion for a social cause. We would call her wonder woman but Deirdre is all about Eumelanin, which is both the name of her company and a type of human melanin that is specifically found in brown and Black skin and hair. With her jewelry and apparel brand, Deirdre seeks to address colorism while fusing science and style. As a staple, the brand offers styles that incorporate chemical compound designs for eumelanin and a vast array of neutral tones which depict the diverse shades of melanated skin all over the world.
Although Deirdre has been a creative person since she was young, she didn’t always know she could merge her passions. She worked in science when it came time to choose a career, but she struggled. As a Black woman in a white- and male-dominated field, she often felt limited and undermined. She worked for five different companies looking for a more nurturing environment for her, but she was disappointed every time. These frustrations are what inspired her to do her own thing, so she built her website and began putting together Eumelanin. She wanted to create a work culture like she never had before.
Deirdre wasted no time in making her dream a reality. She put in her paperwork in February 2018, and just a month later, her business was live. The amount of support she received resulted in over $1,000 in sales in just four hours. Once she saw this could work, she enrolled in business classes with us and invested in a storefront in Fairlane Mall located in Dearborn.
The COVID-19 lockdown did not slow Eumalanin down and Deirdre even saw a surge in sales during the #BlackLiveMatter movement. Deirdre has taken this opportunity to build out her team and formalize other structures of her business, such as logistics and marketing.
The brand has begun to grow in new directions as a socially conscious brand that it has incorporated “Color Convos,” open conversations online on race, color, and other related topics. Going forward, Deirdre plans to release her first fashion line this fall 2021 which will feature new designs and colors.
Follow her fashion journey online at @eumelanin_ and be among the first to rock her new Fall 2021 styles. Visit eumelanin.com for more info.
