Tones OF Melanin Ring True in Department Stores, as Ashley Jones Makes History with HBCU Line

For Ashley Jones, owner and creative director of Tones of Melanin, her student experience at Virginia’s Norfolk State University saw a lack of HBCU representation. She wanted to fill that gap, so she began selling t-shirts out of her backpack. After graduating in 2015, her mission to bring HBCU culture to the masses began with the launch of her apparel company in 2017.