PHOTOGRAPHED BY KAT IRLIN | STYLED BY KATE DAVIDSON HUDSON | WRITTEN BY ROXANNE ROBINSON
Fresh out of high school, Ciara, nee Ciara Princess Harris, became an international triple-platinum selling artist with her “Goodies” album and single and, soon after, Grammy Award winner for the “Lose Control” video featuring Missy Elliot. Neither her career nor drive has slowed in the nearly 20 years since. The multihyphenate is now turning her passions toward businesses that express her values, including a clinical skincare line, a sustainable clothing store with her pro-footballer husband Russell Wilson, and an elevated rum brand. LVR Magazine caught up with the busy female boss to hear how she manages to keep building her dreams into reality.
I’ve always had the vision to build an empire. No dream is too big. As a little girl, I saw myself wearing an entrepreneurial hat. I had this passion for doing that—it was just a matter of time.
“I’ve always had the vision to build an empire. No dream is too big. As a little girl, I saw myself wearing an entrepreneurial hat. I had this passion for doing that—it was just a matter of time,”
Ciara tells LVR in a Zoom interview conducted from the back of an SUV while seeing to business in Los Angeles. It’s the kind of nimbleness she needs to fulfill her latest mission, OAM by Ciara, a clinical skincare line. Like many projects she is currently helming, it was born during the pandemic.
“I was pregnant with my third child, Win, and I created a few businesses to entertain myself,” she explains, adding, “I was a good muse, since being pregnant is a sensitive space—the way it impacts the body.” So, while the rest of us binged Netflix and made bread, she became a woman of ambition “on a mission,” hence OAM.
She admits, however, that she wasn’t always so devoted to caring for her skin. “I was the girl who used body wash and lotion all over my face,” she reveals. This was much to the chagrin of her longtime make-up artist, Yolonda Frederick-Thompson, whom she’s been with for more than two decades and calls a “box of wisdom.”
“I didn’t always take it to heart or follow through. Then I got to a point and noticed how she looks: she takes care of herself, and it shows. Putting that effort into self-care for your skin is important, so I became laser-focused,” she explains.
The mission, according to Ciara, is to make clinical skincare simple and accessible for all. (No matter that the latter wasn’t the most popular with all involved in the project.) Coming up with the right formulations meant recruiting beauty industry execs. Along with Frederick-Thompson, she tapped Jamira, aka JC Johnson, whose experience includes being a chemical engineer at MIT, and board-certified dermatologist Dr. Tiffany Libby. Topiderm Pharmaceuticals has been retained to formulate the OAM Skincare collection.
“Choosing the team was intentional. JC brings tremendous value with her business knowledge and passion for the product. Dr. Libby fact-checks and shares knowledge as we grow, and having a chemist for formulations and Yolonda, who knows my skin better than anyone, is important—she loves skin, studies it, evolves with it and gets it. She has an amazing experience with people in general, and she shares her knowledge—but also empowering women was important to me, to us girls on a mission to do great work.”
This work meant testing 32 prototypes to get the facial serum right.
She and her team firmly believe in a simple, consistent skin routine being game-changing. “Our users send in photos. The brand, which has already won a 2023 Good Housekeeping Award for Best Radiance Serum, shares user data results and before and after photos of actual users as proof that the formulations are effective.
The singer/businesswoman may just be getting warmed up with OAM Skincare, but another pandemic-era launch, The House of LR&C, is also gaining traction. The sustainability-focused platform houses three in-house brands: Good Man, Lita by Ciara and Human Nation, sold on its website and through various retail pop-ups.
“We believe in the power of words,” she notes. “Words carry weight, and a name is important. Russ and I were on the plane and wrote down words that meant something to us. Love, Respect and Care were the words that stood out to encapsulate what the brand would be.”
We believe in the power of words. Words carry weight, and a name is important. Russ and I were on the plane and wrote down words that meant something to us. Love, Respect and Care were the words that stood out to encapsulate what the brand would be.
The couple recruited retail star Christine Day, who left her mark on Lululemon and Starbucks throughout her career, to lead the B-Corp-certified brand into a clothing label that aims to improve how apparel is produced and consumed to be more eco-responsible. It’s already earned them an Ace Award for sustainability, which was presented in New York on May 3rd.
“I feel every brand is going to have a role in the environment economy eventually. We all need each other,” she continues, adding that the pandemic helped spur their a-ha moment. “Besides, you can never have too much Love, Respect and Care in the world.”
I feel every brand is going to have a role in the environment economy eventually. We all need each other.
The care component comes into play as the clothing platform and the skincare line both donate a portion of proceeds to the Why Not You Foundation, which she and Wilson started in 2014.
In the last 12 months, The House of LR&C has donated more than $250,000 to the foundation dedicated to children’s education and health, fighting poverty and empowering youth. According to Ciara, giving back is a key component of most of her ventures.
Ciara’s plate would have mere mortals’ heads spinning, but there is at least one other enterprise she is passionate about these days: her Ten to One Rum brand that she started with another Starbucks alum, Mark Farrell.
“The first time I drank a spirit, it was rum. With this product, we are reimagining the idea of it beyond a daiquiri or a piña colada,” she says of the award-winning liquor. “We stand out in the category, and it’s an experience I hope everyone tastes. You can play with rum, and when you say ‘free drinks,’ everyone shows up.”
The rum reflects Ciara’s playful side, evidenced when she and Russell have a weekly date night or when calling a girlfriend to laugh and let off steam. It’s also seen in her chameleon-like style, which never ceases to surprise. She pulls it off with a longtime team of trusted stylists, Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn, and other confidants. Still, her choices don’t always garner praise.
The singer was singled out on social media for her sheer dress worn to the Vanity Fair Oscar party in March. Her response pointed out this slight, calling it “selective outrage.” A month later, the singer stands behind her choice, describing the process akin to choosing a fine artwork.
“I was fitted for the dress in Paris as I attended the Dundas show. Peter has been a close friend since we attended the Met Gala in 2021. He knows me well, and he gets and knows the woman’s body. I love the concept with the black crystal versus white crystals; I loved the black sheer and combination of it all and seeing it on the runway. It’s a process of getting ready for the red carpet. I pay attention to every detail. I have an appreciation for the art of fashion and the vision of the artist who created the garment,” she declares unapologetically.
That detail includes coordinating with her hubby. “He can elevate a classic tux with new materials or prints. He always looks so handsome—I love those nights.”
Ditto for the Friday date night ritual the couple sticks to when the Denver Broncos quarterback isn’t off throwing game-winning touchdowns.
Wilson is undoubtedly equally enthralled and proud to call his wife a Sports Illustrated cover model. Ciara graced the 2022 swimsuit issue, another manifestation of her dreams. “Being a little girl and dreaming big, I saw Tyra Banks on the cover. I said, ‘I want to do that one day,’” she recalls. “It was surreal, but went back to the thought process of why you don’t give up when you have a dream.”
Being a little girl and dreaming big, I saw Tyra Banks on the cover. I said, ‘I want to do that one day.’ It was surreal, but went back to the thought process of why you don’t give up when you have a dream.
The same could be said of her Harvard Business School degree that she earned in 2019, something that undoubtedly supported the business ventures that began in 2020. Having started her career directly following high school, college was not in the picture. The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports program at HBS was the next best thing.
“It was so exciting when Professor Anita Elberse asked me to join the BEMS program. Being on the Harvard campus was amazing, with people from all over the world who own businesses, play a sport, and come from different walks of life but with similar visions. The room couldn’t have been better curated, and there was so much room to grow and meet potential partners,” she gushes.
This hectic pace does give way to the realities of everyday life back in Denver for the couple and their three kids. She consistently takes the kids to and from school when she is home. “It’s two significant markers in my day. Even if I am flying in the night before I do the drop-off or pick-up, it’s important that they fill my cup,” she reflects.
Naturally, three youngsters keep her busy, but she wouldn’t change a thing. “It’s beautiful when our blended family all comes together. It’s so cute to see their bonds even when they play the ‘mine’ game. When they are having a chaotic day, I say, ‘I’m gonna call my friend candy.’ It just takes that to get them in line,” she laughs. She chuckles when asked if she would have another child. “I think people are aligning with my husband on this,” she says.
Despite her make-any-dream-come-true philosophy, the singer isn’t just working for the sake of working. “I want to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labors, too,” she admits. For the moment, though, it’s a challenge.
“There is never a slow day. I find myself saying, ‘you must give yourself a day off.’ Then I find myself doing something. I try, and it’s getting better, but I love what I am doing, so I can’t complain.”
Production editor: Luisa Soto. Market editor: Paula Lee. Hair stylist: Cesar Ramirez @ PRJCT-MGMT using Maui Moisture. Makeup artist: Yolanda Frederick-Thompson @ CrowdMGMT. Manicurist: Miho Okawara. Photo Assistant: Darin Burch. Stylist assistant: Megan Abboud.
