Meet Princess India of PIY Collections

Today we’d like to introduce you to Princess India.

Hi Princess, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I was 16 years old when I was no longer embarrassed by my name. It was the day I had finished building my website for my not for long-small business, PIY Collections. April 02, 2019 I had formed a pact with myself that I would live up to my name in order to help other women and men express themselves, through the same beauty products I used to express myself. Before getting into my passion for expression, let me tell you more regarding PIY. PIY Stands for “Prince/ss In You”, along with my name, Princess India Young. I hated my name because I found it to be so simple. Out of all the names in the world, why would my mom pick something so…basic. However, today I ask myself a different question–how was my mom able to pick something so simple, yet so creative and unique in its presentation? This question is the same one that continues to guide me in my branding for my business, because I’m constantly dreaming large by differentiating my brand by its creativity and boldness.

Some people have doubted me and my creation, including myself. I would say to myself, people are already selling lashes, what makes you any better than them? Why would people support your vision when there’s already people doing it? However, I came to the epiphany that my pessimistic thoughts had been holding my back from what I’m building today. The key to dreaming big is recognizing that if you have a vision, you must execute it. Mary Kay, Mac, Sephora, Fenty Beauty and many other cosmetic brands have come before me, but they all offer something different that their audience loves them for, just as PIY is now representing. The market has been huge, but I hadn’t entered it and when I did, I realized how much potential I could add to the industry. I added lashes ranging from 18mm-25mm to my website both mink and synthetic, which has always been in the cosmetics industry. However, I did research and decided to do something shocking that I had never seen before, and that was my Colors By PIY ™ Colored Lash Line. A Lash line consisting of 14 colored lashes ranging from pink, blue, yellow, red and green. I recently released this line in January to act as the start of the many other trends I’m capable of starting in the beauty industry. One of my newest releases, Diamond Edition, currently features 3 lashes that are handmade with hand-placed Swarovski crystals. I designed this lash to feature the crystals on the outer dimension of the lash, so they could be visible and show expression, something in which I have barely seen in my industry. Creating this collection pushed me beyond my comfort zone because there was no rule book t designing a lash that I had created.

Starting my business has been the most life changing thing I’ve done, however I made it for more than just the vending of lashes. I created my brand to inspire other young women of color to go beyond the accomplishments in which I’m striving for. In October of 2020, I had been looking for several non-profit organizations to donate to and I had settled on the Black Women’s Agenda–an organization that works to boost the social, political, civil and financial equality for black women in America. I donated 10% of my October sales to their agency and have continued donating since, because giving back to the same communities that support me is essential to me and the meaning behind my brand. Since then, I have donated to the NAACP, National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network, and the African American Youth Leaders foundation.

However, my brand is the only outlet that is available for me to fund my attendance at Spelman College, The #1 HBCU in the country, which I’ll be attending in the fall of 2021. Because education has always been important to me I plan to counteract the issue of gaps in access to education as well as the gaps in health resources for the black community. Coming from a low-income community then moving to a predominantly white high school, in a wealthy neighborhood showed me for the first time, the educational and economic wealth. Now that I’m older, I’m able to point out the difference in teachings and quality of coursework/technology provided for students. Once getting my degree I want to reform the educational system and be able to increase educational funding in low-income communities, providing many black students with access to better technology, access to tutors, and faculty and staff that are dedicated to helping their students, rather than receiving a paycheck. There’s very little diversity in the U.S Psychological workforce. Only 4% of American therapists are black, meaning minority groups are less represented which can prevent therapist-client relationships from flourishing, which ultimately declines the rate of success in mental health aid. Mental health has always seemed to be a controversial topic in the black household, until statistics proved and showed the prevalence of mental disorders among minority groups in America. It’s important to me that I be the change in the mental health department and help aid other black men and women in finding mental health and making the black community more educated on the effects of our environment and how those things can help to make or break us. I could make the decision to completely disregard furthering my education, and grow my business, however there is so much more I want to do for my community and each of those choices to change the circumstance take further education that can only be provided behind Spelman’s gates. I want to donate full-ride HBCU scholarships to young entrepreneurs and young workers who may not have enough financial aid to attend college because of the lack of good credit and community service. Because I’m in this very position, I have been shown first-hand how society turns a blind eye on those who didn’t have as much time to do community service every weekend, because 7 days of the week they were balancing their sanity, homework and work schedules, all to make ends meet. Therefore, I want to share my story to make sure every young woman and man of color know that someone went through the same exact thing and they made it through prayer, perseverance and education.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. Building your own brand is an investment and it’s full of risk. There have been months where my sales sky-rocketed and others which my sales were so low where I was trying to figure out how I would be able to take care of my own living necessities. I’ve also dealt with many long nights planning, researching and crying out trying to figure out why my business is stagnant. One of my biggest struggles has also been my independence. I’m currently learning That I can’t do everything by myself and for the first two years of my business, I’ve creatively directed photoshoots that initiate inclusivity, I’ve been the graphic designer, inventory/fulfillment center, researcher and photographer for my brand. Being all of these positions for my brand, along with attending high-school had been a battle of time management, and I had to learn How to overcome that challenge in order to prepare for this fall.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about PIY Collections?
I originally created PIY Collections as a way of expression for myself. As a high school student, I had suffered from low self-esteem and little self-confidence, and building my brand is what ignited the fire in me and raised both of those factors. When I first announced the start of my business, many of my classmates knew that I had a lash brand, but they didn’t take me serious, because I wasn’t taking myself serious. I hadn’t fully grasped the idea that I was building a business and did not have the same intentions in doing so then that I have today. When the world was shook by the Covid-19 virus, I was determined to take my business serious and begin researching marketing methods and all things relative to business. Since doing so, I’ve indulged in conference calls with CEOs of 6-figure brands, Marketing managers, and highly successful business owners, and have applied many of their own learnings to my journey as a young entrepreneur. While a product can sell, a message can bring a community together. This lesson has been one of the most important ones to not only my brand, but my own intellectual spirit. Although the industry was saturated with lash brands, there were not many that used lashes as an enhancement to confidence. There were not many lash brands releasing colored lashes in order to boost expression to several young women & men. These were the gaps that I needed to fill and I did so, by spreading the message of “Crown the Prince/ss In You, One Lash At a Time”. By using lashes as an agent to build confidence, I was able to connect a community of several high school students (many who were also battling with low self-confidence) and provide this community with several styles to express their own personalities.

Ultimately, my supporters and customers motivate me to succeed. It’s normal for entrepreneurs of small organizations to frequently doubt their potential, but when I look at all the support and growth in which my business has accumulated in the past 2 years, I know that I’m destined to succeed. My supporters aid in this process, because they value my product just as much as I do, which prevents me from giving up. My customers do not shop with me because I have the best lashes out of Denver, CO. They shop with me because they are investing in a product that makes them feel more confident whenever they walk out the front door. A product that allows them to be unique, regardless of society’s expectations. The idea of helping other young women gain self-esteem & providing inclusion allows me to expand my brand to cater more to those supporting me.

Over the years, I’ve learned to use social medias such as instagram, TikTok and Pinterest as my most impactive ways to grow. My social media presence has allowed me to boost the confidence of young women and men all throughout the world and has impacted them to feel confident in any way that they are.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I had always been fascinated by business. I had watched my mother and father run a business named after me, and after their divorce, I continued to watch my mother excel in her own health and wellness business. Being so young while surrounded by entrepreneurs inspired me to desire more for myself. I was very social throughout middle school and high school and was not afraid to speak up and advocate for others, whenever I wasn’t making my teachers laugh. I always found interest in communication and the psychological aspect of people. So much to the point where my friends would come to me as a therapist and the funny part is that I genuinely believed I was giving psychological advice because it always seemed to work. This skill of mine had sparked a passion for argument within me and ignited one of my dreams of becoming a lawyer and having my own law firm. Until my junior year in high school, I had wanted to be a lawyer until I realized I wanted to change more than just individual lives. I want to advocate for the African American youth who are unable to attend college due to the economic gap in their community and I want to advocate and be a nurturer for those who have bigger dreams and are still dedicated to chasing them by any means possible. I’ve always been a dreamer, hence why I plan on attending the illustrious school of choice, and these dreams have made me consistently strive for the best. Although I Was social, I worked two jobs throughout my sophomore and senior year, and still managed to take 5 ap courses during That Time and remain with a 3.8 GPA by graduation.

Pricing:

• $17.77 Diamond Lashes
• $9-$12.00 Natural Lashes
• $12.00-$14.00 Dramatic Lashes
• $13.00-$14.00 Colored Lashes

Contact Info:

• Email: collectionspiy@gmail.com
• Website: www.piycollections.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piycollections AND https://www.instagram.com/princessinndia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/piycollections/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CollectionsPiy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6FeXrC3fOAjXcyE_DjKmtQ
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@piycollections?lang=en

Image Credits
Jeremiah K Young LuckyJaded Discover Become Photography