The popular beauty chain Sephora will close its U.S. stores, distribution centres, and corporate offices this coming Wednesday.
The sudden pause of operations comes after R&B vocalist SZA spoke out about an experience she had in a Sephora store in Calabasas, California, in which she believes she was racially profiled by the staff.
On the 1st of May, SZA took to Twitter to address the situation saying:
Lmao Sandy Sephora location 614 Calabasas called security to make sure I wasn’t stealing . We had a long talk. U have a blessed day Sandy
— SZA (@sza) 1 May 2019
Sephora swiftly responded to SZA’s tweet replying:
“You are a part of the Sephora family, and we are committed to ensuring every member of our community feels welcome and included at our stores.”
Following that, the company took to Instagram that they will be closing down all stores across the US to focus on their “commitment to a more inclusive beauty community”. The comments on the posts are filled with customers sharing their experiences in Sephora stores and praising the company for taking a stand on racial profiling and discrimination.
View this post on Instagram
The company is owned by LVMH, who only recently announced Rihanna as part of their family with her label FENTY joining the venture; making her the first woman of colour to do so.
So, the future for Sephora remains unknown, but we applaud them for taking a stand against racism and striving to focus on inclusivity.
ICYMI, check out Rihanna’s inaugural collection with LVMH for FENTY.
Featured image via Facebook @sza.
