Today we’d like to introduce you to Piper-Brynn Spellman & Kaitlin Mills .
Hi Piper-Brynn & Kaitlin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’d been thinking about starting a hair company since 2018 but the stars weren’t ever truly aligned in the way I’d needed. I was moving from Atlanta to DC to LA and to be honest, my lack of self-confidence and work ethic would have been detrimental to a business. It took a lot of introspection and self-care to become the person I needed to be to represent Platinum XV. Kaitlin and I have been close friends since college and have always understood how the other works. We would talk for hours about this company and every time we got off the phone, my mind was overflowing with ideas and visions of how intensely this project could unfold. It took me about 24 hours after our final riffing session to realize that she was the other half of this brand. She was passionate about it, willing to give profound thought to the foundation of it – She was all in before I formally asked her to be my partner. We have been working tirelessly ever since. Now, our team is full of strong and intelligent women and we are so grateful to have their support. Creating this brand with the hopes of uplifting women in the black community and empowering people of color is a result of our experience at Spelman College. Our mission is who we are. Platinum XV is what we do. For us, as long as those things align, we’re doing it right.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth is not the word. Kaitlin likes to joke about how much pivoting we’ve had to do since we started but it’s only funny because we’re on the other end of those struggles. There isn’t anything unique about our issues jumping into business. We both have full-time jobs so inevitably time management has been difficult. We also expanded our team and had to learn how to be successful managers. Anything you would think would be a struggle was one. We would definitely do it all over again.
As you know, we’re big fans of Platinum XV Hair. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Platinum XV Hair is a black-owned, woman-owned, e-commerce hair business that offers wigs, bundles, apparel and lashes to those who want to wear it for cosmetic purposes. Our mission is to connect the black community, network with and uplift our customers by encouraging empowerment and affirmation. In the last six months, our brand has grown from an e-commerce retailer to a dynamic women’s empowerment and black female advocacy movement. Our team is composed of diverse women with a passion for creating support and equal representation in the hair industry. For the foreseeable future, we are focused on giving back to, and serving the communities that raised us, taught us, supported us. On all of our social platforms, we make sure to create genuine connections and move efficiently towards success as a team, a sisterhood, and a community.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
We wrote and recorded two songs. They’re terrible.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.platinumxvhair.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/platinumxvhair
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/platinumxvhair
Image Credits:
Val Kepler, Dave Bailey, Jasper
