Kheris Rogers: If You Don't Know Her Name By Now... Get To Know It!

At 11 years old, Kheris Rogers made history as the youngest designer at New York Fashion Week. On Sunday, September 17th, Sunday,Sunday, September 17th Rogers presented and walked for her “Flexin in my Complexion” clothing line at the Museum of the City of New York in East Harlem. The young fashionista shared her excitement with Twitter saying, “I just made history as #NYFW youngest fashion designer ever!" she wrote. "I am only 11 years old and made it while encouraging people to love their skin.”

According to the Huffington Post, she Kheris Rogers she came up with the idea after being bullied about her dark complexion in the first grade. In an interview with Mic she discussed her trials with colorism.

"I've been bullied a lot, like in the first grade, I went to school with just four other black kids and kids used to bully me because they weren't used to my skin tone. There was an incident with a teacher and we had to draw ourselves and she gave us a black crayon instead of a brown crayon, and I was really upset."

This past March, Roger’s older sister Tiffany Pollard posted two pictures of the now infamous little girl on Twitter in an attempt to lift her spirits. She hashtagged the photos with “#FlexinHerComplexion” and the photos went viral with over 83,000 likes.

"Kheris really thought she was the only one going through this, but Kheris now realizes that this is a global issue," Pollard said in an interview. "That's what pushed Kheris, because she thought 'If I'm feeling this way, then we want to help others who are feeling bad about themselves too.”

This post paved the way for Roger’s brand “Flexin In My Complexion.”

The clothing line helps to show young girls that black is beautiful and comes in various shades. To further the message, the newly found designer showcased her clothing line at Harlem Front Row, which is known to be the multicultural version of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. She and three other models of different skin tones took the runway to show inclusiveness and put an end to the beauty standard.

In the future, Rogers plans to launch her fall/winter collection and continue to build her brand. Many celebrities have shown their support for Rogers by tweeting pictures of her or them in her clothing. Kheris was first endorsed by Alicia Keys in a tweet sharing her “Flexin My Complexion” brand to her 10.9 million followers. Keys said “I love this beautiful girl and I love her mission! Keep shining!” Similarly, Lupita Nyong’o made Rogers her WCW and showed herself rocking a “Flexin In My Complexion” shirt.

Kheris Rogers is an inspiration and role model to all as the youngest person ever to have a runway show at New York Fashion Week. Her mission to end colorism and spread positivity is the light we all need in a dark world. As she continues to make more people proud of their skin she says, “I am just glad that I am able to inspire others that it does not matter how old you are. It is never to early or late to chase your dreams and to always stand up for what you believe in.”

Get a better glimpse of Kheris Rogers’ black girl magic on the Flexin In My Complexion website.