Hottest Black Female Entrepreneurs at The STL Collective Photoshoot, Tower Grove Park

The hottest Black female entrepreneurs in St. Louis, with The STL Collective, gathered at Tower Grove Park for an epic photoshoot by Mena Darre. It was Tuesday morning around 9 AM with a temperature circling around 35 degrees. The overcast made it feel even cooler but that didn’t hinder these woman whatsoever.

Helping the woman pose was Chi The Model that happens to be the best modeling coach in St. Louis. Mena and Chi were the perfect mix and were simply magic together. The end results were phenomenal.

The women were all dressed to kill in jaw-dropping black gowns that created a master piece for any camera. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see this and everyone was in awe!!!

Horns were honking and numerous fans yelled from the streets displaying their appreciation by saying things like, “OMG, you are all so beautiful.” It was so funny because I was saying this to myself, as well. The words Beautiful, Great and OMG became a common thing to hear on that wonderful day in the park, words that gave us another sign of hope, words that echoed from the streets of South City to Tower Grove Park, words that we all need to hear.

To celebrate how Black women stepped into their passions during this pandemic, we chose to wear Black. Not only for the people we’ve lost, but to celebrate the beauty of our people. And for the undying, unwavering perseverance Black women possess in life and in business.

The STL Collective

These gorgeous ladies wore black to represents their resolve during the pandemic and to pay respects to the fallen and more. Dr. Maurya Dominica explained this perfectly on an Instagram post that read:

We wear black to pay respects to the lives lost due to COVID-19.
We wear black to honor the essential workers and healthcare heroes on the frontlines.
We wear black to signal the death of the old versions of ourselves.
We wear gowns because pandemic or not, 2021 is going to be a five star event.

Dr. Maurya Dominica

We have all experienced or witnessed great loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has taught us all the value of family, friends, and how we spend our time during months uncertainty. The silver lining, though, is like in most recessions or economic downturns people with little have found they have little to lose. And from that realization many small businesses were birthed.

Plot Twist: With brand new perspective, 2020 has actually been the best year of our lives. We may have faced challenges, been laid off, furloughed and lost hours, but we’ve adapted. #2020 has forced us to grow and take chances. Quit jobs and start businesses we’ve always dreamed of. During COVID-19 we elected our first Black, first female Vice President of the United States of America. In 2020 we stopped surviving and started actually living; we started fighting for ourselves.

Local creative, Christian, admits as an entrepreneur, 2020 has taught her to take risks and invest in herself and her business because we never know when our time is up. We cannot control when we go but only how we live and having regrets is the only way to fail at life. Christian’s business has grown because people trust her passion, and conveniently, everyone is at home writing books.

The STL Collective

Some attendees: Ashleigh Christian Bolar, Erica N. Williams, Dr. Maurya Dominica, Christian Cashelle, Mena Darré Photography Lauren Spearman, Cassondra Hunt, Bree Wash, Eboni Sampá