Marsha Douglas-Sydnor's sunglasses brand is transforming the eyewear industry with shades that match almost every skintone
- Marsha Douglas-Sydnor founded Shades of Shades in 2019 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.
- While in hospital recovering from a medical procedure, she began drafting her business plan. The eyewear line was inspired by Rihanna's Fenty Beauty and its diverse foundation shade range.
- Shades of Shades currently sells 14 different shades that are meant to match a customer's skintone and undertone.
- "I decided when we introduced the brand we were changing the way people looked at nude, the way people looked at nude eyewear," she told Insider. "It's about representation, accepting yourself and all your flaws, and loving yourself regardless."
- Douglas-Sydnor is on Insider's list of Luminaries: 25 women pushing boundaries and accomplishing extraordinary feats. Check out the full list here.
In May 2018, Marsha Douglas-Sydnor hit her head while working out at the gym. After two straight weeks with a headache, she decided to go to the doctor.
They did a CT scan and told her she had a concussion. But they also told her to rush to the ER: doctors had spotted an undiagnosed brain tumor.
To take her mind off her upcoming procedure, Douglas-Sydnor's husband planned a quick getaway for the two of them. In preparation, she went shopping for a pair of nude sunglasses — eyewear that compliments a person's skin tone.
"I've always been on the hunt, but let it go in the past when I wasn't able to find any. This particular time, I don't know if I was more emotional or I was just triggered somehow with everything going on, I got really upset that I couldn't find my shade of nude," she told Insider.
While on vacation, Douglas-Sydnor began pointing out to her husband how many people were walking around with sunglasses that didn't match their skin tones. Clearly, she wasn't alone in her fruitless search: there was a need for inclusive eyewear.
The moment the two returned home to Charlotte, Douglas-Sydnor decided she was going to start her own line of nude eyewear. She decided to name it Shades of Shades.
Watching her parents work traditional 9-to-5 jobs made Douglas-Sydnor realize she wanted to create her own path in life
Her father worked as a liaison for an advocate group that supported Jamaica's labor force, while her mom worked in office administration. Her parents' busy schedules and the fact that her extended family was back in Jamaica meant she was often left to her own devices — which meant her creativity and independence flourished.
"The funny thing about being an only child is that you don't realize that it's all you have. I didn't think anything about it, really. I wasn't the type of child that wanted younger siblings," she said.
insideraudio · The Luminaries: Marsha Douglas-SydnorAfter spending most of her life in Maryland, she packed everything up and moved to California at 22. She didn't know anyone, but she wanted to pursue a career in acting and professional dancing. She spent years trying to make it in the film industry, but hated feeling like auditioning meant someone else was in control of her destiny.
"It really forced me to love myself even more and reevaluate what I was trying to do. I have a love-hate relationship with the industry because when it's good, it's really good and when it's not, it's not," she said. "As a young girl still developing and still learning about myself and the world, it was definitely an experience."
Five years ago, she, her husband, and their three children decided to move to Charlotte to start over in a brand new city.
After going on vacation with her husband, Douglas-Sydnor knew making Shades of Shades happen was a calling for her
Before heading into surgery, Douglas-Sydnor told her husband that if she didn't make it out, she wanted him to bring the brand into the world.
She did, of course, make it out. And while she was still in hospital recovering, she began drafting the business plan.
"This major milestone in my life made me decide it was the time to act. I may not have tomorrow, I'm here for a reason, and we are all purposeful beings so I felt like this was being given to me to bring to the world," she said. "It literally poured out of my soul. That's the only way I can describe it."
After narrowing down the shades she wanted to launch with, Shades of Shades was born in August 2019.
"I feel like finding your shade of nude needs to be right along the same lines as finding a custom, staple piece of jewelry that you can wear with literally anything," she said.
When the sunglasses were in development and Douglas-Sydnor tried on her first pair — in her shade of nude — she described feeling almost regal.
"I had never had that feeling before by wearing sunglasses. It was a feeling of self pride, self worth, self acceptance, and self celebration," she said. "It's almost like you're celebrating your existence."
Now that the brand is a little over a year old, Douglas-Sydnor wants people from around the world to see themselves in her sunglasses.
"I decided when we introduced the brand we were changing the way people looked at nude, the way people looked at nude eyewear," she said. "It's about representation, accepting yourself and all your flaws, and loving yourself regardless."
Douglas-Sydnor credits Rihanna and her Fenty Beauty brand with being her inspiration and muse
From the moment Douglas-Sydnor came up with the idea for Shades of Shades, she knew that Rihanna was going to be her muse and inspiration, thanks to the multi-hyphenate's groundbreaking shade range for Fenty Beauty.
"I remember seeing her campaign when she first introduced it and I remember thinking the same way she touched all those people was the same I want to do with our brand as well," Douglas-Sydnor said.
When a customer puts on a pair of her shades, Douglas-Sydnor wants them to feel proud of who they are.
"I want them to feel connected. I want them to feel proud of who they are because they are everything. I want them to feel like they are wearing a couture item made just for them," she said.
The founder also added that she wants to make it clear that creating nude eyewear in an inclusive shade range isn't a trend; it's a staple. "It's a legacy brand. The thing is it has never existed before and the fact that it is here now, I feel like it is here to stay," she said.
The brand currently consists of 14 different shades and four different collections made with luxury materials sourced from Italy. Douglas-Sydnor told Insider the brand is planning to expand its shade range soon.
To make finding a customer's shade easier, Douglas-Syndor had a makeup-compatibility app incorporated into the brand's website. Customers can use their foundation shade from Fenty Beauty, Nars, Armani, and Huda Beauty to find the correct color in her sunglasses.
While she once thought she was going to college to get a degree in computer technology, she ended up diving into the fashion industry and hasn't looked back since. Which explains her best piece of advice for someone trying to get their own business off the ground: just start.
"Don't focus on all the reasons why you can't start or why you don't have the capital," she said. "Just start somewhere and keep going."
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