HBCU Dance-Off Presented By Always Radiant x Tampax X Brea Stinson! 

Stylist to the stars, Brea Stinson is using her expertise to tackle a new cause! She has teamed up with super brands Tampax and Always Radiant to empower women across the world to feel confident every single day of the month. I recently got an opportunity to chat with Brea about the campaign, dream clients who motivated her growing up, and which iconic figure tends to light her fashion fire!

What should have been a 25-minute conversation with Brea, turned into a 50-minute chat with someone I felt like I’ve known forever. In my mind, Brea was with me through my Aaliyah, TLC, Missy Elliot and Janet Jackson phase in the 90’s. With celebrity clients such as Beyoncé, Rita Ora, TLC and Missy Elliot, she has now checked some of those nostalgic names off her own bucket list. And It’s clear that creating custom performance pieces is one thing that Brea Stinson does well.

Brea shares that the first time she worked with TLC, she cried on the side of the stage because they were so important to her, and motivated her growing up. Being tapped by Always and Tampax to participate in this campaign will allow the pro stylist an opportunity to pay it forward in her own way, by encouraging women to be radiant and confident no matter the circumstances.

The campaign will promote The Radiant Collection by Tampax and Always, a line of period protection products that incorporates special technology to prevent leakage. A huge part of the goal is to encourage women not to sacrifice personal style due to that time of the month. The collection was created as an answer to troubling evidence found in studies revealing that women generally feel the need to be a lot more inhibited during menstruation than normal. According to these studies, 4 in 5 African-American women avoid certain wardrobe choices during menstruation, and nearly half bring a sweater or jacket to tie around their waist. They also reviewed studies that showed that ¼ of African-American women avoid dancing during their cycle. That is precisely why Brea, Tampax, and Always Radiant chose the HBCU platform to host the campaign. The promo will include a dance-off between majorettes belonging to the HBCU Dance Corporation, Inc to illustrate the objective that women can wear and do whatever they’d like despite menstruation.

The competition will give majorettes the chance to win a $25,000 prize and to have custom costumes created by Brea. The winner will be chosen by the public, who will be given an opportunity to vote for their favorite team.

Brea, an alumna of Clark Atlanta University, shared that the Tampax and Always Radiant campaign embodies an image of being comfortable in your own skin regardless of the circumstances. That’s why she was elated when chosen to design the winner’s uniforms.

I am still blown away that I was chosen to do it; and I’m still checking my emails, shaking my head when I see Always and Tampax, said Brea.

Stinson was asked to create 3 looks for the project, but like a truly creative, she fashioned 8 looks instead and affirms that she’s got 2 more ideas in mind.

I chatted with Brea, who is a proud Detroit native, about who stimulates her creativity. She shared that she was always infatuated with a legend straight out of her own hometown, Diana Ross. Brea admits that she wanted to be Diana, and who didn’t? As she reminisced about her dreams of being the style icon, we also shared laughs as she recounted her obsession with The Boss and the film Fame. As an only child for seven years, Brea explains that she had to become creative.

Because of my upbringing, I learned how to make something out of nothing, said Brea.

When asked how the collaboration with Tampax and Always came about, Brea describes an organic meeting of the minds. The opportunity emerged through a recommendation made by her college friend and mentor, Stacy. With Brea’s own designs naturally complementing the style and criteria of the majorette’s usual ensembles, she was a perfect choice.

To enter the competition, majorette teams were required to submit a video online at www.radiantdanceoff.com. where they will be judged by fans whose votes will determine the finalists. Brea hopes that the public can also vote for which ensemble should be given to the winning team. Submissions ended October 30, 2017, but fans can continue to vote now, until today. The winner will be selected from the top 5 teams who receive the highest number of votes.

We can’t wait until the winners are announced and we’re eager to see their custom-made uniforms.

Brea Stinson promises to have a clothing collection available to the public very soon, but until then, she will continue to create unique performing ensembles for our favorite artists and the winning majorette team!