The Design Essentials president on family legacy, HBCU partnerships, and a $30,000 giveaway
When Cornell McBride Jr. talks about Design Essentials, he is not just talking about hair care. He is talking about a responsibility that was handed to him, one he takes seriously enough to carry forward and expand. As president of the Atlanta-born, Black-owned professional hair care brand, McBride is operating a company his father built from the ground up, and he has no intention of letting that story stop with him.
A family business with deep roots
The McBride family’s footprint in the hair care industry stretches back to 1973. The first company Cornell McBride Sr. founded was MEM Products Company, the maker of Stay Soft Pro and Soft and Free. After selling that business in 1988, he launched McBride Research Laboratories and with it, Design Essentials, in 1990.
“He kind of led the way, and I think for any of us, our families, our parents, they kind of lead the way for all of us as African Americans,” McBride said. “It feels good to stand on his shoulders, and I have the burden of creating the same path for my family members as well as my employees.”
The brand was built on the idea of economic empowerment and developing a professional salon presence within the Black community. More than three decades later, that mission has not changed.
More than products
Design Essentials has grown into a nationally distributed brand, available at Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Sally Beauty, and independent salons across the country. But McBride is clear that the product line is only part of what the company stands for.
The brand supports scholarship programs at Howard University and Spelman College, offers internships to HBCU students, and funds Kids Doc on Wheels, a program that brings healthcare services directly into schools for underprivileged children. “The only opportunity for true healthcare services is when they go to school,” McBride said.
Internationally, Design Essentials backs Africa’s Next Supermodel, a program working with women in refugee camps. “It’s one of the most beautiful stories in the world to see the transformation and to see their success,” McBride said.
Design Essentials at the Atlanta Jazz Festival
For the third consecutive year, Design Essentials served as the presenting sponsor of the 49th Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival, held Memorial Day Weekend at Piedmont Park. For McBride, the partnership was a natural fit. “The goal for us as a company is to be a community impact brand and make sure we support things that are culturally significant to the community,” he said. “Jazz’s history goes back to New Orleans, and the origin is the origin of African American culture.”
The brand’s activation included HBCU-focused programming and a live on-stage announcement tied to a $30,000 social media giveaway launching in June. The giveaway, a revival of a program the brand ran around its 35th anniversary, is designed to put money directly in the hands of people who need it. “What is that small token that we can do and reach out?” McBride said. “That’s what it’s about.”
What’s next for Design Essentials
McBride says the brand’s next chapter involves expanding further into beauty while deepening its community investments. He points to past giveaway recipients, including a woman experiencing homelessness with her children who received $10,000, as examples of the kind of impact the brand wants to keep creating.
“We would not be here without the community,” McBride said. “This is our small token of saying thank you.”