Hodder signs Vogue beauty editor's bible for women of colour

Hodder & Stoughton has signed a "beauty bible" aimed at women of colour by Vogue contributing beauty editor Funmi Fetto.

Editorial director Melissa Cox acquired world rights to Fetto's Palette: The Beauty Bible for Women of Colour from Emma Paterson at Rogers, Coleridge & White in a 24-hour pre-empt.

The idea of writing Palette came to Fetto after years of being asked by friends, family and strangers on the street for advice on products suitable for women of colour. Despite statistically spending twice as much as their Caucasian counterparts on skincare, and women with Afro hair spending up to six times more on haircare every year, the women Fetto spoke with were not finding recommendations for products that worked for them in mainstream media beauty coverage.

Aiming to fill this long-unaddressed gap in the beauty information market, Palette will offer "honest and knowledgeable" advice on the best hair, makeup, body and skincare products available to women of colour today.

Cox said she "could not be more excited" to be publishing Fetto, who she describes as a writer who "understands that women have diverse beauty needs and that women of colour have historically been under-catered for by the cosmetics and hair industries."

Cox added: "Times are changing and brands are stepping up their game but there hasn’t been a definitive guide that explains why so-called generic beauty advice isn’t going to work for everyone and offers alternatives that work for darker skin. This book is going to do that – and it will look beautiful too.”

Fetto said: “The issue of inclusivity in the beauty industry is something I am incredibly passionate about and so I am utterly delighted to be working with Melissa, a brilliant editor who has a grasp of and a genuine interest in the subject matter of Palette.

"The beauty industry is slowly waking up to the fact that the woman of colour can no longer be ignored and Palette is an exciting opportunity for me to engage honestly with women of colour on the beauty products that work for them. My hope is that this will go some way in galvanizing the global beauty industry to become consistently and authentically inclusive in their approach to beauty.”

Fetto is a former beauty director of British Vogue and currently contributing beauty editor and columnist there, with 15 years’ experience as a fashion and beauty journalist. She has worked and written for numerous publications including The Sunday Times, Harpers Bazaar, Guardian, Elle, Tatler and Vogue.

Palette will be published by Hodder & Stoughton in Autumn 2019.