Meet Gabriella Layne of The Strut Magazine in Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Layne.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Gabriella. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I moved to Los Angeles in 2014, I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career. All I had was a full ride scholarship to the University of Southern California’s Strategic P.R. program, a Brooklyn mentality, and a Caribbean identity. I came here and was immediately taken out of my comfort zone, surrounded by wealthy USC students who looked nothing like me amidst the height of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and national protests against police brutality.

I decided to use my thesis as an outlet to explore my identity as a black woman by writing an in-depth analysis of the recent shift of black female representation in media. Amidst the peek of popular shows like ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ and ‘Scandal,’ black women were being rebranded in mainstream media as intellectual, successful, and powerful — a huge shift from the limited perspectives that dominated how we were often portrayed, and a resurgence of the ‘golden days’ of black entertainment in the late 90’s – early 00’s. I wanted to explore how this shifted how black women connected with media, and how consumer brands could tap into similar principles to better appeal to the strongest group of consumers in the U.S. This led me to randomly create an Instagram page where I reposted moments of black women who were breaking barriers in media by gracing the covers of major magazines or being the first black woman in history to win an Emmy.

As time went on, I felt so fulfilled by creating a platform that uplifted black women that I decided to create a website to write original stories, and The Strut Magazine was born. Today, my platform continues to celebrate black womanhood through the lens of fashion and social activism by putting the spotlight on woman who are using fashion to ignite important conversations.

After graduating from USC, I worked in the marketing industry for a few years. While I was working at my last job at an agency in Long Beach, the CEO of my company encouraged me to take the leap and start my own marketing business. That conversation became the start of my P.R. and Marketing agency, Strut Communications. My mission with my company is to help budding female entrepreneurs of color gain access to affordable marketing solutions for their fashion and lifestyle brands.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s definitely been challenging. I am forging a lane for myself and for women like me in an industry that glorifies everything that is the opposite of who we are. But the women I work with everyday give me the strength to keep pushing so that people see and hear us.

As an entrepreneur, I am a one person band who constantly has to make difficult choices and figure out how to do things that I’m not necessarily good at. But everyday I make that choice because I know that I’m helping budding entrepreneurs who look like me gain leverage to become the girl bosses they’re destined to be.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Strut Magazine – what should we know?
The Strut Magazine creates community for black fashionistas who strut for a purpose. We cover black fashion culture, the women who create it, and the bosses who strive to carve a space for us to be seen. We’re the only publication focused on this highly specific niche. We partner with black designers and amplify their stories while giving them their own space to organically connect with their core market. Our sister company Strut Communications is a mini-boutique agency that specializes in helping emerging, independent black and women-owned brands authentically communicate to their targeted audiences through strategically curated content.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The #1 person who deserves credit is my wife, Gabrielle Avery, who has always seen more in me than I’ve seen in myself. When we first met in college, she asked me a question that no one else had ever asked me before, “What career would you have, if you didn’t have to worry about money or how realistic that career could be?” I told her that if I could be anything, I would be the editor of Vogue Magazine. She responded by she asking me, “why would you be the Editor of Vogue when you can create something of your own?” I didn’t know it at the time, but that was the origin story of The Strut Magazine. That one question ignited something in me that I never knew existed, and it’s the force behind who I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thestrutmagazine.com
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Gabby Jai (all photos)

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