The Seattle-based beauty brand, MOTSI, has already made waves in the spaces of fashion and lifestyle—relying on the expertise and passion of its founder, Courtney LeMarco, to push the boundaries of beauty standards, all while producing clean skincare, quality cosmetics, sustainable swimwear and a number of other thoughtful products.
Now, the company is continuing on in its pursuit to make beauty more inclusive through the MOTSI By You campaign—a yearlong initiative which will work to challenge the often-narrow standards of beauty and celebrate the spirit of uniqueness.
“One of the things that we’re really championing is stepping away from the beauty standards that you see are prevalent throughout the industry today. There’s been a lot of more acceptance in the beauty and fashion spaces lately, but it’s still a very thin line when you see who’s really getting a lot of the major covers and press,” says LeMarco, CEO and founder of MOTSI, as well the executive producer of the Emmy-nominated TV show, “Hoarders.”
“You can see who the clothes are geared towards or what styles are being promoted more out there. But at MOTSI, we want to do something a little bit different and broader—and really be more thoughtful with the type of talent that we work with.”
That mission was translated into the campaign’s first installment of the “MOTSI By You” series, which saw Hayden Montross—a social media star with alopecia—share her story through the brand’s unique and empowering lens.
Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder which can cause long-term baldness. While navigating life and adolescence with the condition presented its share of struggles (and insecurities), Montross has since embraced the beauty of what makes her different—and garnered a loyal legion of TikTok fans in the process.
“The conversation around diversity is definitely becoming more and more prevalent all throughout media, entertainment, fashion and everything else. We have to realize that not everyone looks like what you’ve seen in typical advertising or fashion campaigns. This country is a melting pot of all kinds of people—with all kinds of shapes, colors, sizes and various conditions. And it just makes sense to make things reflective of the environment,” says LeMarco.
To celebrate Montross and her endearing story, MOTSI pledged 10 percent of its February proceeds to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
And with the “MOTSI By You” campaign set continue throughout the year, the beauty and fashion brand will highlight a new star and their unique journey to self-love, every month—as well as donate to a charity of their choice.
“It’s so important for people to be able to see someone what they can relate to, because we all have people who have had to go through one situation or the other, if we’re not going through it ourselves. If a person can see someone in a campaign that looks like them or has a condition that they are familiar with, it’s gonna make them feel a little bit more accepted,” says LeMarco.
The second installment of the “MOTSI By You” campaign will be revealed mid-March.
To nominate yourself or someone you know for an upcoming campaign, email info@motsicouture.com for a chance to tell your story.
For more information on the “MOTSI By You” campaign or MOTSI Couture, visit www.motsicouture.com.