About

ABOUT US

 

At EMBRACE we know that beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and colors, even if other hair and skin care lines don’t. That indisputable fact is what lead us to create our luxury line of products that caters to all types of beauty. Embrace is about Beauty, Culture, and Heritage. Embrace Yours!

 

Women of color have always had a legacy of amazing style and substance when it comes to hair and skincare.  From corn rows that helped incorporate messages to help slaves navigate to freedom, liberation activist who strutted their afros in defiance, beautiful press and curls that captured a difference force of nature, women have always made a statement with their hair. 

 

EMBRACE YOUR HERITAGE

Co-Founder and CEO, Lucan Breedlove was inspired by the legacy of Sarah Breedlove (Madame CJ Walker – hair mogul, first black female millionaire and largest black employer of her time). He spent his early years serving his country as an United States Marine. Upon leaving the Marine Corps, Mr. Breedlove began climbing the ladder in Corporate America as an Automotive Executive. His hard work lead him all the way to the top as he became a General Manager and Managing Partner of 3 very astute and well respected Luxury Automotive Brands; Jaguar North America, Land Rover North America, Infiniti North America. Mr. Breedlove is no stranger to the best quality or dedication to excellence. With all of his success Lucan Breedlove had an overwhelming desire to help move business forward for the generation he will one day leave behind. He decided it was time to walk away from the safety net of Corporate America, and Embrace his Heritage and his people! THIS DAY EMBRACE WAS BORN!

 

Lucan Breedlove decided to celebrate this heritage and embrace the legacy of great haircare by capturing the essence of Sarah Breedlove, Madam C.J. Walker. Much like Madame Walker, Lucan is a philanthropist, and staunch businessman whose experiences have brought him back to serve and help others celebrate beauty in our community. 

As fate would have it, accomplished scientist Dr. Iglehart was also searching for more as well.  The two met and decided they wanted to preserve and protect the history and heritage of African American owned and operated business here in the U.S!  Dr. Inglehart was the creator of many early hair care products that shaped Black Hair and Black Culture to include the very first Dry Curl Activator.  

The combination of scientific intelligence, business savvy and the dedication to make a difference is what created EMBRACE.  The reward is now yours. 

Growing up with a twin sister, Co-Founder and COO, Janae Dotson constantly felt the urge to do everything together. If her twin got ice cream, so would Janae, if her twin played sports then Janae was playing too. Things were no different when it came to hair, except their textures were vastly different. Janae used to get so jealous when her twin got to go to the hairdresser every month and come back with what she thought was the most gorgeous looking straight hair. A far cry from the loose coils growing from her own scalp. No matter how much Janae begged and pleaded with her mother, she adamantly refused to let her perm her hair like her sisters. She would tell her that her twin’s hair was different and that her twin’s hair needed different tools and products than the ones she used at home for her own hair. The idea of different didn’t sit right with her until one day she got the bright idea to bypass her mother’s authority and tell the beautician her mother said to perm her hair like her sister’s.

When her mom saw her and her bone straight hair, she nearly had a panic attack and it wasn’t until many years later that Janae understood why. Janae didn’t get it at the time, but both her and her twin were subject to a beauty standard that they had no idea how to navigate. On tv, in movies, in books, on billboards, all the images of beauty they saw were of women who didn’t look like them or anyone in their family. They were made to conform to ideals that they had no connection to. Since then Janae has learned a few things, one is that our hair is like a fingerprint, it makes us unique and every twist and curl is a testament to our individuality. The other thing that she learned was that her mom wasn’t trying to deprive her of anything, rather she saw Janae’s own uniqueness and simply wanted to preserve it, knowing that a perm could permanently damage her one of a kind curls. Janae joined Lucan in forming EMBRACE to showcase and highlight those differences and let the world know it’s okay to EMBRACE the skin that you’re in as well as the hair on top.

EMBRACE YOUR CULTURE