7 minute read
FASHION Nahya Shero Ssali
NAHYA SHERO SSALI
Building a Beauty Brand
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Anerve-wracking photoshoot day begins at Kingsgate Mall in Kabalagala, a Kampala suburb, as I wait for my meeting with Nahya Shero Ssali of Nahya Glam. Nahya’s name precedes her; she has a legion of fans that are in tens of thousands on Instagram alone, and a beauty business she has single-handedly built with only her art.
When she walks in shortly, her face lights up as she approaches me and introduces herself. We spend the next half hour going through pretty clothes at Posh by KC, a styling studio, before crossing to her makeup studio across the hall.
It is a sprawling space with lots of pink and purple velveteen couches to rest, and two fully lit makeup stations. In between the makeup stations is a white accent wall with butterflies creeping up from the bottom to the left. A huge ring light sits to the side of the accent wall, waiting to be summoned.
Shero sits behind a domineering table at the end of the room, with two elegant chairs on the opposite end. She’s in a meeting with a client. I cannot help but notice the silver accolades on the
Nahya Shero Ssali, right. Photos by Gerald Ochieng
decorative wall behind her – two awards, one from the Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards, and the other from the East African Fashion Awards. They are bordered by inspirational quotes and a few choice portraits that show the extent of her work.
The studio is buzzing with activity, and as she finalises her meeting, a client walks in. Luckily for me, an assistant offers to attend to the client as Nahya finally gives me her attention. The beauty of her studio is telling of the strides she has made. I ask how she started.
“Honestly speaking, it’s a talent I discovered at university. Before that, I had always ensured I looked good. And I drew pleasure from seeing people that looked well put-together, but it never occurred to me that I would end up in the beauty business until high school when I chose Art as a subject and realised I was good at it,” she says.
“I went from drawing on paper to drawing people’s eyebrows, and when I joined university, I did my friends’ makeup for outings, and they would recommend me to other students. I also watched lots of YouTube beauty tutorials, and after graduation, I chose to do it professionally instead of looking for other employment,” she adds.
After an hour of chatting, she reminds me that she will need to leave by 4pm to attend to her newborn child. And as we chat more, I learn that her first paid gig came from Eddy Kenzo, the famed Ugandan winner of the 2015 BET Awards.
“I was a novice. Kenzo and I were acquaintances, and one day I told him about Nahya Glam and asked him to give me makeup gigs for his video vixens. The first time he called, I didn’t even have enough products and rushed downtown,” she recalls, laughing.
After word of her Kenzo gig went out, the floodgates of opportunity opened for Nahya. She met Nina Roz, Lydia Jazmine, Iryn Namubiru, Pallaso, Chameleon and so many of her celebrity clients. A celebrity that especially catches my interest is Victoria Kimani, the Lagosbased Kenyan singer.
“Victoria Kimani flew in with her team for a collabo with Ray Signature, and I did their makeup. I was still a small name, but she freely shared her knowledge with me and I was humbled by her humility.”
Nahya Glam is a giant beauty brand in the making. A line of eyelashes is already on the market, and they retail makeup and other beauty products, in addition to the amazing soap brand that she co-produces with her husband called Doctor Skin Charcoal Turmeric Soap. Nahya also offers internships at her studio.
“This sounds like a handful. How do you manage to make all this work and still do your job well?” I ask.
“Firstly, you need to stay true to yourself. Concentrate on your niche because every makeup artist has their own. I’m not going to do the same thing as another makeup artist. There is a uniqueness that clients always look for. How you handle your clients matters more than anything else. You need to make your clients your friends, but refrain from coming on too strong; there’s that line that shouldn’t be crossed,” she shares.
When I compliment her studio, she is happy to share her thoughts.
“I renovated it recently. This is the third time I’ve done that since we opened. I keep adding something new; I want my clients to get a complete luxury experience when they walk into my workspace. So, like the photo booth, I want to give it that Atlanta feel.”
Speaking about clients, every proprietor has favourites. I ask her about hers. She fiddles with her hair as she gives it a bit of thought. Suddenly, she exclaims, “I love weddings! I love to see people in love, I love to see people getting married, I enjoy working with brides. I love it when they say they will remember their wedding because of me!”
“I love clients that respect my craft. You know, you cannot work comfortably with someone that doesn’t respect your art. Some people do not respect makeup artists – I don’t know why,” she adds wistfully.
“I love my celebrity clients, of course. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today. I have so much respect for them.”
She also credits her team for their support managing the business.
“I have a small but strong team. I have a PA, a studio manager and an assistant makeup artist. My PA handles my gigs. The manager, the one you met at the studio, receives money, banks it, pays rent and all. The assistant makeup artist (points at the young lady next to her) is always with me as I run around backstage during weddings and other gigs. It’s just the four of us.”
However, beneath the makeup, there is that one thing people often struggle with, or just ignore – the skin. Hers was glowing even before she put any foundation on back at the studio. She shares her skincare tips.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I don’t have a skincare routine. This is probably why I have hyper-pigmentation on my neck. Since I had the baby, my neck has been darker than my face. But, I don’t press pimples. I desist from touching my face unnecessarily. I love to eat healthily, not too much oil. My soap brand has also helped a lot.”
When she was pregnant, her friends said she was going to get breakouts on her face due to hormonal imbalance. She started using her charcoal-turmeric soap, which she hadn’t put on the market at the time. And she glowed. And people asked what she was using.
Her baby girl has compelled her to look at life differently. “It was inevitable. A lot of things change when you become a mother,” she says, her eyes lighting up.
“Your life is never the same. During pregnancy, I had a lot of clients calling to get their makeup done, but I was exhausted, so I was not fully available. After having my baby, it’s still the same thing. Sometimes she’s unwell, or restless. Before I got pregnant, I would leave work at around 10pm, but nowadays, I need to rush home early to attend to her.”
She is happy though, that this change has been a big plus for her and the team. When she is unavailable, they know what to do, how to sell products. That, in a way, has allowed them to be self-reliant.
And what’s next for her?
“I want to introduce a cream, maybe with shea butter, or olive oil, something like that. I love to see people with healthy skin. I also plan to add lip gloss to our portfolio, but we shall go one step at a time.”
