Issuu

CONTENT 002.

029.

059.

Contributors

CC Playlist

Coco Asks Chis

004.

031.

065.

Letter from Chis + Coco

Omoehi Ighodalo

Chis Asks Coco

005.

045.

Reni (Abina) Kekere-Ekun

015.

A Delve Into The Hair Industry

049.

Quarantine Beauty

Olayemi Lawal

021.

057.

Emelie Monye

Posts We Love

BUTORS

CONTRI

COCO + CHIS

Reni (Abina) Kekere-Ekun Emelie Monye Omoehi Ighodalo Olayemi Lawal Dee’anna Alyse Harmon Amelia Kezaabu Adebade Agunsoye Shammah Kodjo-Soroh Morountodun Sowemino

+ YOU SUTRA FAM

THE BEAUTY OF COLLABORATION

Hey Sutra Fam, In a world where most people love doing things all by themselves, collaboration is often undervalued. There is nothing more beautiful than seeing people, whether in the same industry or across various industries, coming together and working to produce magic. It is exciting, it is invigorating and it’s very important. As humans, we are usually set in our ways and often feel that we can do everything by ourselves, but what we don’t realize or find hard to accept is that having another person’s perspective could be a game changer. It could be the answer to that project you’ve been stuck on or that business idea you just can’t seem to nail. Now, more than ever, collaboration has never been more important. So many businesses have suffered and so many people are stuck, demotivated and constantly thinking of ways to improve and stay relevant. Collaborating with the Women in our industries to work on projects, or even just to have a conversation, has exposed us to different perspectives and experiences. This gives us a better, more realistic picture of the industry and better guides us as to how to improve it. Collaboration is something we value at the core of the Sutra brand. Be it with photographers, models, graphic designers, hairstylists and vendors. In this 8th Issue, we focus on having conversations with other women in the hair industry. We're all in different parts of the world but as you read through our conversations, you would see we all have different goals and experiences as well as some that are the same. We want you our readers to see the true beauty in uplifting the women in your own industries and building relationships with them.

Love always, Coco & Chis xx

RENI (ABINA) KEKERE-EKUN What does having a platform mean to you? I see having a platform as an opportunity to effect positive change, to lend a voice to the voiceless and champion causes that can make the world a better place to live in. What Rendoll outfit and HairByReni unit makes you feel the most powerful? It has to be the Kiki shirt and Trousers from Rendoll and my Rolake 26” straight wig.

We love that you dyed your hair and added highlights to it! So so chic. Was this your most dramatic hair transformation? It’s definitely my most dramatic transformation because I’m usually pretty conservative with my hair. Unfortunately, it didn’t last very long, I’ve had to dye my hair back to black and cut major inches off because my hair just wasn’t having it, but it was fun while it lasted.

Is there any hair color you wouldn’t wear? I don’t think so you know. These days I’m trying to be more exploratory. I think there are some hair colours I wouldn’t wear for certain events or occasions. Nevertheless, there’s always an occasion for every look so you can make any hair colour work if it’s the right place.

Other than wigs, what other protective hairstyles do you enjoy wearing? It’s just wigs for me. I’ve never been into braids and the few times I get braids done; they never last on my head long enough to be deemed as “protective”.

You also have a fashion line, Rendoll. What is your process and experience when creating a collection? This is perhaps the most exciting part of the whole process. I usually create mood boards of colours, prints and styles as my starting point and then I tweak and tweak until I get to where I need to be. This is strongly dependent on what feelings I’m trying to evoke out of the wearers. For example, with the recent Rendoll Love riviera collection, I wanted wearers to feel seen. The prints are very bold and hard to miss, and I think we achieved just that based on feedback.

What made you expand into the fashion industry? I’ve always had an interest in fashion. A couple of years ago, I actually wanted to start a clothing line with a friend of mine, but it never materialized into anything. I’m glad it didn’t work out because I came to realize that I wasn’t ready back then. When I thought of the idea for Rendoll in 2019, I had become a bit more exposed and business savvy. With Rendoll, I wanted to be able to provide fashionable clothing for my peers here in Nigeria, with quality that could compete on a global scale. Thankfully, Rendoll has grown further than what I had initially imagined.

Out of all the Rendoll Collections you’ve launched, which one has been your favourite to create and why? The truth is with every collection, I always genuinely feel like it’s my best work. I’m usually very excited about each new one and I haven’t been able to decide if it's just plain excitement as a result of my passion, or if each new one is actually better than the previous. If I had to pick, I would say ‘Love Riviera’. I really wanted to create something that was exclusive to Rendoll, hence the exclusive prints and I was worried because this was my first time releasing a collection with only prints. In fact, it’s the same print but in different colours. I was worried because I wasn’t sure if this meant I was completely shunning customers who weren’t a fan of prints, but I followed my gut feeling and let’s just say, I don’t regret it. That's great! Which would you say has been the most successful? I would say the most recent Valentine’s Love Riviera collection, it sold out in 2 days.

INER YB

HAIR

Local production is such a huge business trend at the moment, was that a conscious decision or something you had to do? I chose local production for numerous reasons. Firstly, I started really small with Rendoll and foreign manufacturers usually have large minimum quantities which I couldn’t meet. Apart from that, I knew we had skilled labour in Nigeria and I just had to find the right people; this has taken me over a year to find. I like that I am very involved in the production process because it happens right under my nose. I also really like the idea of providing employment and good pay for skilled artisans and I hope to eventually build a manufacturing factory in Nigeria. Both of us are for the push of more Nigerian brands making their clothes in Nigeria. We understand, however, that there are struggles within that idea, what are some you’ve experienced? It’s really difficult finding skilled artisans in Nigeria that also have good work ethic. I’ve gone through A LOT of tailors because they’re either unskilled or they just have a really poor attitude towards work. Nigeria is still a third world country and good education isn’t very widespread yet, so that explains some of the lackadaisical behavior we find among artisans. Nevertheless, we have to invest in Nigeria to grow Nigeria. We have to ride the tides till we’re able to form good teams and also need to be willing to train workers to meet our standards.

Dee'anna Alyse Harmon Shammah Kodjo-Soroh Adebade Agunsoye Amelia Kezaabu

QUARANTINE BEAUTY

Hair & Skin Edition

How experiences and routines around hair and skin have changed from before, during and 'after' quarantine.

Hair type I have a lot of different curl patterns on my head, but certain parts of my hair are naturally bone straight. Prior to Quarantine, did you ever do your hair yourself? All the time! Being an empath and just a very socially paranoid person, I don’t always do well around different energies. It can get very overwhelming. I’m also really impatient. So learning how to do my hair at the age of 17 was imperative. Prior to Quarantine, did you visit spas/estheticians as a part of your skincare routine? I was JUST starting to get a beauty routine down. I was on the hunt for an esthetician. When the pandemic hit and we were forced into lockdown, how did this change? Or did it not? It just felt like super homeschool without the school work. The lockdown definetly gave me more time to work on myself and figure out what I really want to do.

DEE'ANNA ALYSE HARMON Now that salons, spas, hairstylists and estheticians are open for business, do you find that you go to them more or less than you did prior to quarantine? I don’t really like going out if I don’t have to, if I can be honest. I’ve had COVID twice now. If I go to my hair salon, it’s only when I can have a private appointment. It’s very different at my nail salon. It’s almost always crowded there, but we all keep our masks on. Quinnie’s the best (my nail tech), so it only makes sense that she stays booked up. But being in crowded places sets my anxiety off. If I can do it myself at home, I genuinely will. Do you consider doing your haircare and skincare routines as a part of you spending quality time with yourself & practicing self care? Oh absolutely. There’s nothing like catering to yourself in your chosen way. It’s a form of self love. Self worship. Honoring the temple you’ve been blessed with.

AMELIA KEZAABU Hair type 4b Prior to Quarantine, did you ever do your hair yourself? I did the wash routines, moisturizing, stretching myself but still went to salons for braiding. Prior to Quarantine, did you visit spas/estheticians as a part of your skincare routine? No, I did not. When the pandemic hit and we were forced into lockdown, how did this change? Or did it not? I actually considered getting into wigs because I needed ways to protect my hair but before I got my first one, I decided to try and learn how to braid my own hair. I doubted that I could do it but I actually did a pretty great job and have braided myself thrice since then, and braided someone else! Now that salons, spas, hairstylists and estheticians are open for business, do you find that you go to them more or less than you did prior to the global pandemic hitting? I actually haven’t been to them at all but the cold winter here in Guelph has played a part in that, it was way too cold for me to start looking for a service that I could now do for myself. Do you consider doing your haircare and skincare routines is a part of you spending quality time with yourself & practicing self care? Definitely, I always feel much happier when I put effort into my skin and hair health! With school, sometimes I can slack on my routines so taking the time to put extra effort into those things is a way for me to spend some quality time with myself

COCONUTS ADEBADE AGUNSOYE Hair type Natural; type 4a/4b Prior to Quarantine, did you ever do your hair yourself? Yes, I did! I almost always did because I couldn’t find hairstylists around me who knew how to handle my hair with care. Prior to Quarantine, did you visit spas/estheticians as a part of your skincare routine? No, I didn’t! It was never really a part of my routine. When the pandemic hit and we were forced into lockdown, how did this change? Or did it not? It didn’t change so much because I took good care of my hair prior to the pandemic. However, the reality of not being able to go to salons hit deeply because prior to the pandemic, I had lazy days where I’d just easily walk into a natural hair salon to get the work done with me resting.

Now that salons, spas, hairstylists and estheticians are open for business, do you find that you go to them more or less than you did prior to quarantine? In terms of salons & hairstylists, I can count how many times I’ve visited them post lockdown and this is because I got so used to doing everything myself and there’s honestly no one who will ever care for your hair like you do!

-Do you consider doing your haircare and skincare routines is a part of you spending quality time with yourself & practicing self care? Certainly. I believe haircare and skincare are investments and I don’t take them for granted! The beauty in them is that I get to spend time knowing and nurturing them; like plants and seeing them grow in stages like a baby. Understanding that my skin type and hair type are unique to me is the most amazing thing ever and God did that!

SHAMMAH KODJO-SOROH Hair type 4b/4c low porosity Prior to Quarantine, did you ever do your hair yourself? Yes I did my hair 70-80% of the time. Prior to Quarantine, did you visit spas/estheticians as a part of your skincare routine? Yes, prior to the pandemic, visiting the spa was a monthly part of my skincare routine.

SENIP &

When the pandemic hit and we were forced into lockdown, how did this change? Or did it not? It changed drastically for me. I was my own acne specialist, nail technician and full time hairdresser lol. All these, amidst still being a student. Now that salons, spas, hairstylists and estheticians are open for business, do you find that you go to them more or less than you did prior to quarantine? Now that you ask, I realize that I visit them a lot less, since I had to learn, and now know more about the services they offer. Do you consider doing your haircare and skincare routines is a part of you spending quality time with yourself & practicing self care? Of course. It’s more than self care to me now . It’s self love and a lot of affirmations in between. And I don’t have to leave my house to establish that

EYNOM EILEME

Anaya specializes in braided wigs which is every girls dream. Sitting down to get a hairstyle done can be very tasking. How did you first come up with the idea for a braided wig line? When my sister and I were born my mum decided to never relax our hair so we’ve both always had natural hair. Fortunately we were blessed with long, thick hair meaning that the process of handling the hair was a journey! I was always the child at the hair salon crying because of the discomfort of regularly braiding my hair and the sensitivity of my scalp. When I turned three, I cut my hair for the first and only time after my mum was fed up of these horror salon visits and my begging for it to all stop. Furthermore, I recognised that this was the story for many women, constant discomfort whilst getting their hair done. Even more than that, women in diaspora not having the access to regularly get their hair done or having to pay excessive amounts travelling to get it done. Anaya was created for black women in diaspora to have access to various types of braided wig styles. It was created to create convenience for the black woman living in the western world that finds it difficult to access hair care.

How did you find the whole process of creating and launching your brand? I really enjoyed the Can you tell us about what brought you to this specific career path? Did you always think you’ll become an I never imagined I’d be entrepreneur? an entrepreneur! The

conception of Anaya was actually very sudden and we launched exactly two weeks after the idea popped into my head summer of 2020. After deciding that I’d love to create the brand, I created the logo and designed the website myself and also organised and designed the packaging! The next week was the shoot and a week later we officially launched on July 7th, 2020. The spontaneity of it all perfectly describes my personality.

whole process and journey to the launch. Although it was incredibly stressful, it all felt worth it, seeing all visions and hard work come together right before my eyes.

What has your personal journey with beauty been like?

I have always been a lover of all things beauty and skincare. I was always the girl that turned up to my lectures at university fully made up in a nice outfit, I enjoyed the whole process of getting ready and leaving the house feeling your best.

AYANA

Tell us a fond hair related memory from your childhood. From the story I told earlier, all my memories of hair from childhood have been related to discomfort. The word that really jumps out that almost EVERY hairdresser would say is ‘endure’. Creating a solution to this problem through Anaya is important to me and creating a more pleasant experience for the black woman is so necessary.

Where are your braided wigs made? Our braided wigs are made in Abuja, Nigeria by a wonderful group of widowed women.

Do you think there’s any way the hair industry can become more green/sustainable? Incorporating sustainability into the hair industry is essential for longevity. I think a huge misconception about being more sustainable within the industry is the fact that it will be more expensive whereas in many cases it actually saves money. The hair industry can become more green through for example, reusing hair extensions or black hair brands creating a service where they encourage customers to send their hair back for a ‘revamp’ for longevity of their products. This will encourage an attitude of reusing products and brands investing in materials that are long lasting.

e so m e e ar u l ik t a W h g s yo l ike n t h i d o n ’t e of d h e n t t a t ta tr y? u s o ab rent indus ve i cur hair the dr t is e tha lov th e

ly ty ally uni easing m I re we ncr com for ming i ct that g a o bec . The f bratin s a le d use ow ce that w y n ir are ral ha o man u rs nat ed fo n now st as a m ju sha s, we c ng i m r o g yea rate c the ptin b d e e l c n c a ce are ce of a u o y an ort her. p t y ally im ano ly, I re arenc e n p l o s a son n tran g r e i P in e iev arket ke the f bel i m ns o disl en wh ucts. I ntatio d se r pro repre hai mple k e c s fal of bla or exa nd t ,f ta a lo esses roduc g in p n bus ring a methi t. Or n e o ord ving s iffere inal d ei ig rec letely of or r p e se com the u anoth n m . eve es fro ign a p g ima ds cam n bra

In regards to your real hair, what aspect of your hair care routine tends to be neglected? Phew! Honestly, my hair care routine is extremely basic which actually works very well for me. Leaving my hair to be in protective styling has really helped my hair grow and remain full and thick.

You offer an array of lengths and colors, what inspires your braided wig styles? At Anaya we want to create convenience for the black woman in diaspora. We carry out research and data analysis on the wigs performing the best and what our community would like to be offered next.

What is your favorite wig that you offer? My favorite wig from Anaya honestly regularly changes. It is currently Wig Biata which is my everyday go-to wig.

How do you take care of an Anaya braided wig? My favorite thing about Anaya braided wigs is how low maintenance they are. They don’t need to be brushed or glued down, I love the fact that I can simply just throw it on and head out of the door. They can be hand washed with warm water and air dried too.

What is your recipe for success? My recipe for success is God, consistency, research and working smart.

CC PLAYLIST Gyakie - Forever

Ytboutthataction - Sage Mode

Ewallet ft. Cassper Nyovest - KDDO

Focalistic & Davido ft. Virgo Deep - Ke Star (remix)

Drake ft. Rick Ross - Lemon Pepper Freestyle

Davido Ft. Sauti Sol - On My Way

Sugar - BROCKHAMPTON

Giveon - All To Me

Mr Eazi - The Don

Rema - Bounce

Ytboutthataction - Fantastic

JAE5 ft Skepta & Rema - Dimension

Skillibeng - Crocodile Teeth

Guapdad 4000 & !llmind - How Many

CC PLAYLIST

OMOEHI IGHODALO "Growing up I had a lot of insecurities especially when it came to my weight and the way I looked in general. However, my family always told me that I was beautiful and perfect in my own way. I feel like as I got older, I grew into my skin, I became more confident in who I was and started embracing my beauty. I’ve always loved makeup and getting my hair done and from a young age I used to play with my mum’s makeup on my aunty and create some hideous looks and hairstyles, but she always indulged me. When I got into university I used to spend my free time making wigs, or mixing makeup. I made brow gel, brow pomade, setting powder, glitter liner, lip gloss, so many things in my kitchen."

Not only are you in the hair industry, you offer nail services at your salon in Lagos, you have a makeup brand - Mohini Beauty, you’re the managing director of Icora Home and the co-owner of Shop Ayora. How do you manage it all, ensuring that you’re on top of everything for all brands? Honestly, I really struggled especially last year because it really is a lot and I like to do everything myself. But I have learnt that as my business expands, that method can no longer work. I made the decision to manage my time more wisely this year, and give as much energy to every one of my companies, and I’ve been learning how to delegate more. Even though we’re only a couple of months into this year, I can definitely say it has served me much better. I am more on top of things and just more focused. Trying to find a balance with everything is hard but putting in structure and getting help where it's needed has definitely made things much easier.

How has it been for you running all these businesses out of Lagos, Nigeria? Would you rather be elsewhere? It’s been good to be honest, minus the things that come with doing business in Lagos - the uncertainties, staff struggles and just the stress of Lagos in general. Sometimes I think that I want to move my beauty company to America, because I feel like I have more opportunities and more resources, but nah I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the long run. I’m going to make it work from here. You launched the Mohini Beauty page in February 2020, right before the pandemic hit hard. Did the pandemic make you anxious about the launch and potential success of the brand? Yes it made me anxious. I had initially planned to launch in March 2020 but the pandemic happened and I wasn’t sure what next. One of my fears was that because we were all at home, who would buy the makeup, and how can I convince people that they need makeup when they’re sitting in their houses. Because of this, I started building content on the instagram page and more or less tried to form a beauty community, by sharing makeup and skincare tips, skincare journey’s and beauty recommendations. I did this because, I also didn’t like how un-friendly and un-interactive some company pages are with just pictures of the products all through. I wanted a community, I wanted it to be as if we were all friends having continuous conversations. I kept pushing the launch for months and months and even when I decided to do it in May, the logistics and rollout were further delayed because of the pandemic. I finally launched on the 30th of August 2020 and the brand is doing so well, much better than I expected.

A little over a year later, what can you say running a new business in a pandemic has taught you?

For starters, online presence is very vital in the growth of a business. With my hair brand my focus was mainly on my physical store for both sales and publicity but the pandemic taught me a lot about neglecting your online presence, because that is where it is at. It helps you gain visibility, you reach a wider range of people and it really doesn’t cost you that much. One other thing it has taught me is patience. I waited months to get my stock because of shipping delays, and I literally couldn’t do anything about it. I’m now learning to trust the process and focus on the things I do have control over.

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?llif ot gniyrt uoy era tekram

p u e k a m e h t ni p a g t a h W

"If I could wear only one wig for the rest of my life, it’ll be my long black wig because it’s versatile and it works for any look. I can curl, colour and crimp it."

MOHINI MOHINI MOHINI MOHINI

Who are some of your favourite ‘Instagram hairstylists’? Anthonycuts - I love his transformation reels, I can sit down all day and just watch them. He does makeup so well too, which I love. Adefunkeee - probably one of the best hairstylists in Lagos when it comes to laying frontals.

INIHOM

What’s your favorite Mohini Beauty product? Smack lip liner, only because it has stopped me from using brow pencils and eyeliner to line my lips, but I really can’t pick just one so I’ll say my top 5; mimosa sunrise blush, make it sicka lipgloss, Sahel eyeshadow palette, smack lip liner & the brow gel. We love how you let followers into the behind the scenes experience of running a business on twitter. Why is it important to you to be transparent with your audience? To be honest I don’t even think about it as being transparent. I find twitter to be an escape for me, and I tweet about everything. I’ve found that half the time, someone is going through the same thing, or someone has a solution for a problem that I have. I’ve used it for everything - to find photographers, to find staff, to meet new people. I don’t want to be one of those people that says ‘people only share their wins or the good things that happen with social media,' I want to share all, because to be frank who really cares whether I share the good or the bad lool. I’m just always struggling with something 40% of the time and I don’t want to constantly bombard my friends with my issues, so I tweet and I guess that kind of makes me transparent? I also like to go back and look at my tweets after I’ve solved my problems and either delete them or laugh at myself because i’m sooo dramatic haha.

We believe that collaboration within industries is so beautiful and empowering. What is collaboration to you and how do you feel about it? Collaboration to me is working together to achieve a specific goal or fulfil a purpose. I love a good collab, because I believe that you can’t do everything on your own and when you pick a good team you see the benefits. You really do a lot already and are so good at what you do, is there another industry you’re looking to explore in the future? EHN! For now zerooooo! Unless it’s an industry that will just give me plenty money for sleeping, I’m okay lmao. But to be honest, I’ll never say never, who knows what plans God has for me and what the future holds.

MOHINI MOHINI MOHINI MOHINI

A DELVE INTO THE HAIR INDUSTRY

by coco salako

The Hair Industry is one of the most lucrative industries. More and more women are coming into the industry as hairstylists, hair vendors and hair artists. Hair symbolizes identity and holds so much value with Black people. The idea of getting a sew in or a wig install is a practice done by a lot of Black people across the world. So it is a given that the market is very saturated. As the demand goes up, the supply too has to go up. The beautiful part about this is that individuals can create their own brands and have a niche in the market. That’s the key to success, giving your customers a unique experience they’re going to want to come back for.

RE W OP G NI NI A G

If you were trying to buy a unit or bundles for most of last year, you would have noticed that certain sizes and/or lengths of closures, frontals and lace units were unavailable for a long time. North Korea supplies the lace to China and Vietnam, where they are put together in factories to form what we know as closures and frontals. When North Korea shut her boarders,none of those products could be made. So although the factories were still working within guidelines, they could not create these specific products. This therefore affected all hair companies and vendors. There was literally nothing we could do and for me, it was the most annoying thing. Especially because we were getting even more enquiries and orders during the quarantine period. I would eventually like for us Black Women and Men with hair companies and services to gain some of that power and control that these Asian countries have on the hair industry. We should have a lot more of our own factories and should be able to produce and supply good quality lace. This would give us more control over the quality of products as well.

ECO-FRIENDLY I also think one thing we need to work on as a community is making the hair industry more economical/green in the way we package our products, how often we order from our suppliers and with how often we (from the customer perspective) purchase new hair. I think it’s important to also encourage our customers to use their wigs more often before giving up on it - this could be by offering revamp services. Also, bulk ordering cuts down on CO2 emissions via transportation. So if you have the resources to, order in larger quantites. We too have a role to play in saving the planet. The creative aspect of the hair industry is so beautiful to watch. We’re challenging ourselves to learn skills that encourage us to celebrate us as a people. The cuts, the styles, the art, the colors, EVERYTHING. I love to see women and men with different style preferences find their comfort zone with hair. It’s also inspiring to watch the growth of hairstylists over time. It’s a given that when we start out we might not know how to do certain things or work with certain conditions, but the energy we put into mastering the craft is something I value a lot. Watching us support each other shows me that regardless of everything else, we’re headed in the right direction.

OLAYEMI LAWAL

“YNK” refers to the consonants in my oriki (pet name) “Ayinke” which means “to cherish or pamper” I decided to go with the consonants because they were the main reason people could not pronounce my name properly. Also, I wanted a name that was short, straight to the point and a name that can easily be used on any hair or beauty products.

Y N K

What would you say your unique selling point as a brand is - with who you are and what you offer?

I believe our selling point is a combination of the following factors: a. our customer service – for us, client satisfaction means everything, and it is for this reason that we go the extra mile to ensure that our clients are satisfied with our services even when it may be inconvenient; b. our colouring service - our colouring service is something we recently tapped into, and the feedback has been nothing but amazing. We hope that in the near future we are able to deliver mind blowing hair colours using our unique techniques. c. giving back – YNK recently teamed up with LISA Academy to teach underprivileged children how to make a living from hair care. It has been amazing watching these children harness their God-given talents and learn new skills and techniques each class.

Other than running a hair brand, what do you love doing ? Outside of YNK, I am a practising lawyer who loves music, fashion and art. How often do you change your hair? Every single opportunity I get, so let’s say every week. If I am not wearing a ponytail (which is my go-to hairstyle) then I am either rocking one of my units or braids. What has been the most innovative hair product or tool that you’ve used? This is a tough one. Although I am yet to use it, I really think the “Wig Fix” is such a creative wig tool. Who are your favourite hair visionaries? This is quite hard, but one person I look up to is Mizwanneka hair. I have been following her for a while now and I love how she constantly promotes her brand and is able to sell quality human hair at a very affordable price. Doing business in Nigeria is not easy but seeing how she runs her business has shown me that it is very possible to make a killing from hair.

We love the half up half down ponytail you launched. We haven’t seen that anywhere. What made you decide to create that? There was a time when “half up half down ponytail” was the go-to hairstyle, but I also imagined the struggles that came with it such as going to the beach and having your whole hair ruined. During the lockdown, I decided to experiment to see if it was actually possible to create the style in a wig format. Also, I had not seen any brands doing anything similar, so after a lot of trials and errors it finally clicked so I decided to go with it.

Your wig names are very unique Nigerian names, we assume. Most hair brands use english names for their wigs. How important was it for you to keep this Nigerian identity within your brand? Are there any other things you do/ways in which you make sure this is portrayed throughout your brand? YNK is heavily influenced by my Yoruba culture which you can see in the name of the brand and also how the wigs are named. I wanted all the wigs to be named using Yoruba Orikis as they have deeper meanings. I did this to keep the Nigerian identity as well as create some form of mystery that invites people to look up the meanings of these names and experience part of the culture.

There are so many hairstyles out there to pick from - some which include having no hair at all. For you what does it mean to embrace everyone’s unique hair preferences? For me, this means providing services that enhance our client’s go-to style. For example, I prefer to wear my hair in a low-sleek ponytail, as such I have created different wig-styles that enhance this preference. Therefore, for someone that enjoys wearing really short hair, we have wig styles that enhance that preference. With the hair industry being saturated, do you think it’s so much harder to succeed in the industry in Nigeria? Why/why not? The honest truth is that there is enough room for everyone and there are over 1 million women in Nigeria and around the world to cater to. So even though the hair industry is saturated like most other industries, I believe that it is still very possible to succeed by having a target market, creating a niche for yourself and providing a unique service (which could be colouring, quality or price) that people know you for. So no, I do not believe that its harder to succeed in the industry in Nigeria.

WIG TIPS "For someone who is new to wearing wigs, I will advise the following: For longevity, make sure you store your wigs properly and take care of it as you would your natural hair; For a seamless look, make sure that your natural hair is properly braided underneath; Always apply heat resistant products before straightening or curling your wig; If it is a body wave wig, curl your hair a day before and seal it with a holding spray so that the curls can last all day.

What are your current favourite styling products? My current favourite styling products are the Got-To-Be Holding Spray, Got-To- Be Glued Hair Gel, John Frieda Freeze Ease Serum and Avanti Silicon Mix Intensive Hair Treatment

Lastly, don’t be afraid to try new colours and styles".

What is the boldest hair colour you have tried? The boldest hair color I have tried is pink

N K

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EVOL EW STSOP

Blue Ivy Carter is narrating ‘Hair Love’ by Matthew A. Cheery. I personally love this idea so much and will be listening to it. What type of message do you think this sends, especially to young Black girls?

COCO ASKS CHIS

For those who don’t know, Hair Love is a story about an african american father who tries to do his daughter’s hair for the first time. When i heard this i was so so so excited. One, because it is blue ivy, my mum’s child lol. but more importantly because it sends a huge message. Based on Beyoncé’s lyrics in formation, “I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros.” as well as the numerous headlines about Blue Ivy’s hair when she was younger, it is evident that she was bullied and trolled a lot because of her hair. So seeing this is so inspiring. Having an oscar-winning short film centered around black hair shows young girls today most especially that our hair is beautiful and it is powerful. Yes it may be harder to maintain in some instances but it doesn’t make us inferior and we shouldn’t allow others make us feel that way. Our hair is part of our identity and our hair is beautiful and that is something that should not be taken away from us. A lot of us who are older now probably experienced micro-aggressions aimed at our hair when we were younger and it affected us because we didn’t have things like this to look up to. So im very excited and very proud.

In regards to the Black Hair conversation, what changes would you like to see in the near future? I think one thing I really need/want to see changed is the fact that in 2021, models are still dealing with hairstylists on set who don’t know how to deal with black hair. I find that so bizarre and the fact that there are so many talented black hairstylists in every country and this is still a problem? When do you feel the most beautiful? Ridiculous. I hope in Definitely when im all dressed up and ready to the near future this go out. Don’t get me wrong, i still feel beautiful isn’t still a thing when im without makeup and all of that but because...wow. when im all dressed up, it gives me that extra Sorry, this clearly level of confidence. still leaves me speechless. What wig style makes you feel the most powerful? If you asked me this question a couple of years ago i would’ve said a staple 26” long jet black straight middle-part wig. However, i don’t own any black wigs at the moment. I would say my straight 26” chocolate brown wig. Browns suit me more and when i wear that wig, especially when i take the time to straighten it properly, i get the most compliments. so i think that’s my boss b**** wig.

Do you see yourself ever becoming a hairstylist? Or does your interest for hair stop at selling it and experimenting with different looks on yourself? Funny enough i always wanted to become one eventually. I attended online masterclasses, bought colouring and frontal wig making courses online from popular hairstylists in the past but i quickly realised that I definitely prefer to outsource these things lol. The stress that comes with all of that is something i think is unnecessary for me at the moment so sticking to selling and experimenting is definitely the plan.

I honestly can’t believe it’s been 7 years since we embarked on this journey of being entrepreneurs. At what point did you know this was more than just a side hustle for extra coins? I think that point for me was definitely when we started having conversations about our instagram page aesthetic, building a website and just growing our page. that’s when sutra became a labour of love for me, personally. We started doing more things that I genuinely just loved or had a “passion” for.

Are there other people in the Hair industry you look to for inspiration? I follow a lot of hairstylists and hair companies on instagram and yes they do give me some inspiration in terms of new styles to try etc. Off the top of my head I can say Sheisthebeauty gives me all my colour inspo, my GOAT!

What qualities do you think it takes to work in the hair industry? PATIENCE. Lol, if you aren’t patient don’t even bother. Perseverance, because you’re going to most likely start off very slow. Passion, in order to always be creative with your work and keep up with trends etc.

We’re always challenging ourselves with each new issue of the Sutra Magazine. We’re now 8 issues in, how do you stay motivated and inspired? I can’t say it’s easy at all. There are times we are completely blank on ideas and it takes us a while to come up with things. However, we are inspired by a lot of different things. It could be anything; a song, another magazine cover, an instagram post, a phone conversation. Anywhere, really. In terms of motivation, I think the reception and feedback we get every time is what keeps me going - knowing that people actually read AND enjoy our content is great.

Be Honest, does the hair aspect of Sutra or the magazine excite you more? Hmmm, this is a very tough question actually because it varies day to day. But, i will say that more often than not, i enjoy the hair aspect more. Although stressful, i just love discussing new looks to try out with customers and finally seeing their reactions when they get their units. Such an unmatched feeling.

CHIS ASKS COCO Q: There has been a lot of conversation especially recently regarding the hair industry. One reoccurring theme is the saturation of the hair market. What is your view on this and what do you think Sutra does to stand out? A: I personally don’t think saturation is necessarily a bad thing. Yes there are a lot more Women and Men going into the hair industry but I think that also allows for more creativity in the industry. Because it’s so saturated it forces people to be more creative and to think of ways to stand out. It’s beautiful to watch. What I don’t like however, are the people entering the industry with no real drive/passion for it. The way Sutra communicates with it’s audience is unique and something I don’t see in the industry a lot. We make the conversation around hair and beauty fun through the content we create. I also think we make an effort to bring different perspectives of Black women from around the world together. We celebrate each perspective and experience.

Q: What wig can’t you do without + what wig do you think everyone needs in their wig wardrobe? A: This is hard because a I really can’t do without a couple of my wigs. It would either have to be a straight long black wig or a black bob. I would have also said blonde hair but blonde isn’t necessarily and everyday essential for me right now. I find that when I wear blonde, I can’t necessarily do whatever with my makeup. Whereas with black, I can be more creative with my makeup, jewelry and clothes. A wig everyone needs in their wardrobe however, is a CC collection blonde wig. You don't have to wear it everyday but it's an essential in my opinion.

Q: You first introduced the idea of creating the Sutra Magazine ; what made you think of this / why did you want to do this? A: We first had a blog on our website and because we were both in school, posting frequently, while taking orders and running our instagram account was a lot. So I thought, why not still create content but put it out less frequently and in bigger batches. I’m really glad we started it because it has really allowed me to explore my creative side. Plus I love connecting with Black Women doing cool shit. So in a sense it’s a form of networking and building relationships to me.

Q: What has been your favourite magazine and why? A: I think because I’m part of the team creating the magazine, every new one we start to work on becomes my new favourite. Because it reflects our mood and our current interests. But If I had to pick just one, it’ll have to be the CEO edition with both of us on the cover. I love to see myself on a cover. Next up is a billboard! Q: If we weren’t doing the magazine, what other aspect do you think would be a good addition to the Sutra brand? A: Chisara don’t scream at me but clothing/fashion. I know I’ve brought this up to you and you’re not having it (yet) but yeah. I think the beautiful thing about Sutra is that it’s a blend of both of our personalities. We both love fashion and clothing so why not make that a branch of the Sutra empire we’re building y'know? Q: Do you think collaboration is important in the industry? A: Absolutely. You can’t be successful without help from others or being open to learning from others who have gone through similar things. Who’s better to learn from than other people in your industry? There’s beauty in helping each other especially in areas you’re knowledgable in. I don’t believe knowledge necessarily always has to be sold at a price. I enjoy having conversations with other women in the industry and sharing perspectives. It also helps the overall industry improve because then we can pin point issues and work to eradicate them together.

Q: What would your dream collaboration for Sutra be? Hairstylist/colourist/celebrity etc A: Hairstylist wise would be sheisthebeauty. Her dye jobs are immaculate and I can spot them from a mile away. She creates unique units that make a statement and I love that. In terms of a celebrity, I honestly would love to see Cardi B in Sutra hair. She experiments a lot with hairstyles and I love when people are willing to try something different and bold. Q: For a hairstylist to be considered one of the best, what skills and qualities do you think they need? A: They have to be open to learning and have a focus on inclusivity. I feel like nowadays these new hairstylist just plop themselves into the industry with barely any skill and then don’t invest in growing their craft. Don’t get me wrong there’s nothing wrong with entering an industry with no knowledge, you have to start somewhere. But having requirements like ‘your hair has to be a certain texture’ is discriminatory to me and ruins the whole experience of getting your hair done. It pushes some women to feel like their hair isn’t worthy of being styled and I don’t like that at all. Q: At this point, Sutra is much more than the hair aspect. What does Sutra mean to you and what are your aspirations for the brand? A: Sutra honestly doesn’t mean just one thing to me. I think my favourite part tho is how authentic our brand is. We’re pretty transparent and you can see our personalities through the brand. It shows in the content we create and the customer service we give. I would love for Sutra to become a global brand that unites the different experiences and perspectives of Black Women around the world. From Nigeria to New Zealand to America.

Q: Be honest, am I not the best partner you could have done this with? A: The bestest ever! I just love how things flow with the way we run things. We know who’s responsible for what and we both come together to create amazing ideas. I’ve honestly enjoyed growing with you as a friend through this brand. It’s only up from here baby!

The End.