By Staff
Tell us about The Blairisms and how it came to be.
Created by married, entrepreneurs, Blair and Brandon Dottin-Haley, the #BLAIRISMS movement is intended to uplift and enrich using the power of words. Coined #BrandActivists by Erika Alexander, #BLAIRISMS uses language with intention, passion and purpose, and is #OutfittingtheResistance. #BLAIRISMS encourages everyone to rest their voice and #SAYITWITCHYACHEST.
The #BLAIRISMS apparel (theblairisms.com) is for the melanin loving, pro-BLACK, warriors at the front lines of the resistance. We celebrate Black culture from all across the world, especially those New Orleans wodies! #GETCHUSUM and spread the INSPIRATION, REFLECTION and LAUGHTER with everyone you know.
Blair and Brandon Dottin-Haley created the #BLAIRISMS in 2016 because they wanted more clothing in their closet that celebrated Black culture. They wanted more clothing options that celebrated all of the beauty in the African diaspora and the impact Black people have on global culture.
Blair and Brandon are Edu-tainers and entrepreneurs who believe that everyone can celebrate Black culture, support Black business, and live a life full of INSPIRATION, REFLECTION and LAUGHTER.
#Blairisms are affirmations meant to inspire, create moments of reflection and hopefully a little laughter. The #BLAIRISMS family works to strengthen individuals and communities with a healthy dose of honesty, inspiration, reflection and laughter. This “Edu-tainment” lifestyle brand encourages self-care, accountability, self-advocacy, and above all else…LOVE!
In 2020, @The.BLAIRISMS created The #SAVAGECHATSERIES, where Blair and Brandon, of The #BLAIRISMS, sit down with cultural savages to celebrate Black culture and the impacts and contributions of Black people around the world. Each episode of the #SAVAGECHATSERIES is available on @The.BLAIRISMS IGTV, and streaming on iTunes, Spotify and other major platforms.
#BLAIRSMS Makes a Difference:
Since 2017, the #BLAIRISMS has partnered with non-profit organizations and individuals within our community to uplift and support marginalized people. The #BLAIRISMS uses its e- commerce platform to support grassroots organizations focused on LGBTQ+ issues, voting rights, education, and empowering Black women and girls, organizations. Here are some of the initiatives the #BLAIRISMS has supported:
Fair Fight
Peer Forward
Girls for a Change
Black Theatre United
Black, Gifted & Whole
Noah’s Arc Reunion GoFundMe
What did you expect from creating this platform?
Not all of this, for sure! We hoped that the messages of inspiration and reflection would resonate and that the laughter would bring some joy to people’s lives. We did not imagine that it would spread as far and wide as it has.
How has the pandemic impacted your platform?
3 months in to the pandemic, we decided to take the brand’s instagram platform to create the #SAVAGECHATSERIES. The #BLAIRISMS sits down with cultural savages to celebrate Black culture and the impacts and contributions of Black people around the world. Each episode of the #SAVAGECHATSERIES brings new perspective and life lessons to uplift, inspire and help us all grow.
What have you learned most about yourself through this journey with “The Blairisms”?
You just never, never know! You don’t always know what is inside of you that is meant to be shared with the world. We started the #BLAIRISMS brand with 6 t-shirts that had messages we wanted to share and now we’ve sat down with over 400 people to share their messages with everyone. So, allow the journey to unfold in front of you and trust yourself to show up prepared to tackle every opportunity.
What has been the most memorable comment that you have received from someone regarding your platform?
Finding out that there are cancer patients that were using the #BLAIRISMS as affirmations to empower them while undergoing treatment. We have received hundereds if not thousands of messages from people that talk about how much more full their lives are, and how much happier they are after bringing the #BLAIRISMS into their lives. People have ended toxic relationships, mended broken relationships and found new ways to celebrate their identity, which is what the messages and mission are all about.
What advice would you give someone who seeks to follow their passion?
Go! Recently, we were at the Micheaux Film Festival, where we were noinated and won Outstanding Digital Talk Series. Also being honored that night was Robert Townsend, who’s advice to the audience was to run fearlessly towards your dreams. You have to put one foot in front of the other on the journey towards creating your destiny. So the best advice is to Go!
Where do you see your platform in the next five years?
Our hope is to continue to reach and resonate with as many people as possible and share as many stories and uplifting messages as possible. We are open to however that shows up in our lives. Blair often says “God is the best Executive Producer that we could have asked for.”
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