Scarlet Empyre's mission is crystal clear: to make women, and especially racialized women, visibly successful. Emphasis on visibly. As a daughter of immigrants, I know what it means to go places you weren't expected, to build something in a system that wasn't designed with you in mind and constantly be reminded that you don't belong. So I built Scarlet Empyre from the outside in, for every woman who's tired of asking for permission — or worse, forgiveness — to just be herself.

A lot of the advice I’ve gotten since I started has been about being careful not to sound too angry, too bitter, too vindictive. As if saying “hello, we too exist and have a voice and want to be heard and be seen” is already too much of a transgression. Not to mention inelegant. After all, if you have to try so hard to get any attention, do you really deserve it?

So I am angry. I am bitter. I am vindictive. And I am fighting back.

My mom always says “if we want to change things we have to take up space. We have to be everywhere." Like water seeping through concrete, we must find every crack, every flaw, every tiny air hole that will help us break open these walls, and bring others with us.

I’m going the fashion route because of its prescriptive nature: through ads, magazine spreads, ecommerce images and billboards, fashion brands tell us who matters, who deserves representation, who's aspirational and who's second class. The spotlight it shines on the chosen few renders everyone else invisible, maybe even worthless.

With Scarlet Empyre, I rewrite the rules. I put the spotlight on those of us who never get seen so you can go on fighting your battles knowing that you are not alone.