Kahlana Barfield's Rise From Intern To Editor-At-Large At Instyle Magazine Is Career Goals
The truth about breaking into the fashion and entertainment media industry is that it takes work–hard work.
It means being willing to go above and beyond without the promise of better pay. It means late nights in the office clutching a Starbucks coffee cup and working on projects that may not have even been a part of your job description. Or simply making sure that the work you're doing is so impeccable that others have no choice but to take notice.
It's the reason why Kahlana Barfield Brown, the fashion and beauty editor-at-large at InStyle magazine, has been able to successfully climb the ladder in an industry that's known for its high turnovers.
She is the quintessential example of what happens when you exercise hard work, diligence, faith, and patience.
Kahlana is living the dream life that every fashion mag lover would kill for. Flip through the glossy pages of InStyle and you'll catch the beauty queen jetting off to Paris to cover fashion week, having a slumber party with Jessica Alba, or dishing style advice on TV, but Kahlana affirms that behind the flash and flare, there is also hustle and smarts. For the stylish go-getter, the yellow brick road to realizing her dreams wasn't always perfectly paved, it took sacrifice and a relentless work ethic to get in and stay in.
“A lot of times young girls are impatient and they want it to happen so quickly," she says. “They try it and if it's not happening fast enough they move on to something else. But that something else that they move on to isn't necessarily their passion. They couldn't be patient anymore and obviously, we all need money and you want something stable, but I always say ride it out because when you're doing something that you actually love, you're going to enjoy going to work every day."
Photo Credit: Kahlana Barfield Brown & Nana, Instagram
Growing up in Seattle, Wash., Kahlana always had a passion for fashion. On our call she lights up when she tells me that her mom and grandmother have always stepped out in style, and in fact, it was her grandmother in particular, who made sure they had weekly dates to either Nordstrom or Bon Marche (now Macy's) where she'd get to pick out one nice thing.
“She was that person that always said, 'Your sense of style is a reflection of you. That's what people see first. It's your image. And you never know who you could meet. You always want to look the part.'"
It's obvious from browsing Kahlana's Instagram, that she took that advice to heart. Her sense of fashion is bold, chic, and mixed with lots of fun shapes and textures. However, no matter how polished she was, education and self-determination has always been first.
“In my household, when I came home from school, I had to do my homework and then I had to read The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I was probably in middle school when I read Malcolm X for the first time," Kahlana tells me about her upbringing. “[My parents] very much taught me who I am as a Black woman, and what our ancestors did for us to pave the way for us. I credit my dad for this because education is the most important thing for him. He's like, 'Yes, style and all that is good, but you have nothing if you don't have your brain. Everything else is surface.'"
Kahlana eventually made her way to the East Coast where she graduated from Howard University with a bachelor's degree in journalism. Shortly after commencement, she moved to New York City because as far as she was concerned, The Big Apple is where fashion lives.
“What Howard taught me was if you're going to do something, you do it at the highest level. You want to work at fashion magazine, you move to New York! That's the capital of fashion," she shares about her fearless decision. “You don't move back home to Seattle. You go where you're going to be able to be the biggest person in that field."
Kahlana's hit-the-pavement attitude made her parents nervous, especially when she settled for an internship making $15 a day at the start-up magazine Suede over an actual job, but this is where it's important to check the fear that comes with the unknown.
“I knew that I wanted to work in magazines and I knew how competitive this industry was and I knew that I was going to have to start from the bottom and prove myself," she tells me. “I had no ego, I was living on an air mattress at my prophyte's house (Delta Sigma Theta Sorority) in Harlem, and I was working a second job after my internship at Club Monaco. I just did what it took to be able to survive in New York."
She also did what she had to in order to survive in the publishing industry, and eventually applied for an internship at Instyle where she worked as a general intern floating between whichever department or editor needed her support. It wasn't the glamorous fashion job that she had imagined, but it enabled her to touch all aspects of the magazine and get the exposure that she needed amongst the head honchos.
Kahlana was the girl who was down for whatever, even if it meant making lunch runs and playing office maid, and she did so without hesitation. Her reputation for hard work and humility began to get around, and when one of the beauty director's assistant went on vacation for a week, she got the chance to really show the staff what she was made of.
“Even though was only for a week, I wanted to show them what I could do. I would get there at the crack of dawn before she was there. I would leave at night after everyone else. I would just make sure everything she asked me to do was done immaculately."
The internship ended and she passed out thank-you cards to all of the editors, but the dream job at InStyle didn't come right away. Since there were no positions available, Kahlana accepted a job offer at Nordstrom back in Seattle and didn't imagine that she'd ever be strutting InStyle's hallways again. However, a promise that the beauty director she assisted made to call her if anything ever came up turned out to be genuine, and Kahlana's phone was ringing just two weeks later. To her surprise, she was notified that there was an Assistant Editor position that they wanted her to interview for, and not one to pass up an opportunity, Barfield packed her bags and headed back to New York City.
To date, she has been promoted six times within the company, including the positions of Associate Beauty Editor, Beauty Editor, Senior Beauty Editor, Beauty Director, and now Beauty Editor-At-Large.
“A lot of people say in this industry you have to move around in order to grow somewhere, which is true, for most people in order to move up the ranks, but I've been so blessed and fortunate that I work for a company who believes in me, who values me, who loves my ideas, who let's me be me and contribute my vision and my taste level," Kahlana gushes. “I have completely grown up the ladder as I've been here. I feel like I have the perfect dream job to do both fashion and beauty together."
It has certainly been an amazing journey thus far for this boss chick. Kahlana, who is a newlywed and a new mother, has everything to brag about yet she remains humble--the perfect example of what a woman in charge should be. Chatting with her felt familiar, like kicking it with one of my homegirls, and I loved her answer to when I asked her what was next for her career.
“I love the path that I'm on now and as long as I continue to elevate and I continue to challenge myself, then I'm happy."
And we'll be there watching as she soars higher.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Rihanna Talks Shedding Expectations And Finding Balance As A Mother
Since becoming a mother in 2022, Rihanna has defined parenthood by her terms and hopes to pass that sense of autonomy on to her children.
For Vogue China’s April cover story, Rihanna shared her perspective on raising her two sons with A$AP Rocky, and how she hopes to preserve her children’s uniqueness, devoid of societal expectations.
"The most beautiful thing...is that [children] come into the world with their own individuality and sincerity, without any logic or conformity,” she told the publication. “Which usually makes you feel that you must fit into a certain group."
The “Work” artist, known for her trendsetting style and captivating persona, expressed her desire to support children in fully embracing their individuality and encouraging them to be whoever they want to be. "It's really beautiful to see and I want to continue to help them navigate that and make sure that they know they can be whoever they want to be,” she says.
She continues, “They should embrace it completely, because it's beautiful, and it's unique. I love them just that way."
From shattering music charts to shaking up the beauty industry, Rihanna has forged a path that has since created the “dream” life we see today. One that she says has made her parents proud of.
“I’m living my dream,” she continued. “My parents were very proud of that because they just wanted me to be happy and successful. So, I think the key thing is to find some kind of balance. Yes, balance is important. Do this and you get the best of both worlds. You can write your own life the way you want, and it will be beautiful. Sometimes, you just need to let go of everyone’s expectations and start living your own story.”
Rihanna, who shares sons, RZA, 23 months, and Riot, 8 months, with rapper A$AP Rocky, recently shared her vision for expanding her family in the future in Interview Magazine.
When stylist Mel Ottenberg asked about the number of additional children she hoped to have, Rihanna replied, "As many as God wants me to have.”
"I don't know what God wants, but I would go for more than two. I would try for my girl,” she adds. “But of course, if it's another boy, it's another boy."
Featured image by Neil MockfordWireImage