EXCLUSIVE: CURLFEST Founders Are A Woman Squad Full Of Bosses
Stepping onto Randall’s Island this Saturday (July 27) was an ethereal, fascinating expertise. The strains and troves of Black woman magic and Black boy pleasure coming collectively for a groundbreaking summertime competition radiated a chilled sense of acquainted vitality regardless of the blaring music and the sweltering warmth. The founders of Curly Woman Collective created this expertise, and I do know I’m not the one one who’s eternally grateful!
Within the sixth yr of CURLFEST, the venue was greater and the competition was even higher! The 5 girls of Curly Woman Collective began off in an condo and now service a whole neighborhood with their extremely favored occasion! With NYC passing laws in opposition to the discriminating of our pure hair, this yr was not solely a celebration of the distinctiveness that’s our pure hair. It was a celebration of Curly Woman Collective and the way they’re actually altering the world’s notion of our pure tresses and curls.
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BET Digital caught up with co-founders Charisse Higgins, Tracey Coleman, Gia Lowe, Simone Mair and Melody Henderson on the BETHer pink carpet and gained perception into their expertise of constructing a model with a lady gang stuffed with bosses! Additionally they supplied some gems to cross onto to the subsequent era of Black girls entrepreneurs.
The ladies of the Curly Woman Collective created an expertise that not solely uplifts our neighborhood but in addition uplifts manufacturers that cater to our neighborhood. Gia defined why they’re proud that their collective has welcomed these pure magnificence manufacturers that will not have be seen into their Curly Woman household with open arms.
“The collective we’ve cultivated and the competition is a spring board and a platform for [natural hair beauty] manufacturers. These manufacturers which will haven’t been seen or haven’t been on the shelf but. They’ve slightly following. However, we query, ‘Hey what are you utilizing that’s making your texture appear like this or your pores and skin pop.’ No matter it’s. And infrequently instances, it’s onerous to seek out these issues. So, there’s a spot to find right here at CURLFEST. We’re a platform the place just a few manufacturers have really launched into some superior areas. We couple with these manufacturers to amplify them.”
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As entrepreneurs who’re cultivating a cultural expertise, these girls actually perceive that nothing comes simple when constructing a model and, to Simone, new challenges arose when transferring from Prospect Park in Brooklyn to Randall’s Island to be able to accommodate their vastly common summertime occasion.
“We’re in a brand new house with new challenges. It’s an island, it’s completely different than Brooklyn. So, there have been some challenges, I believe, we needed to be taught alongside the best way. I at all times say, ‘A mistake or a misstep is a lesson and a blessing,’ So, something that we have now realized from the previous, we realized for this yr. Something that we realized from this yr, we’ll be even higher subsequent yr.”
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With women and men coming from all around the nation and the world, CURLFEST is able to develop and they’re utilizing their NYC competition as a subset on learn how to sprinkle their magic in different areas.
“The factor that’s fascinating about New York is if you happen to go someplace else, folks assume that we’re all good right here. And we really don’t want a gathering. However I believe it’s evident that we do. However, it’s welcoming for everybody. Individuals come from all around the world. I believe after we take into consideration growth, it’s as a result of we wish to have the ability to give the magic to everybody, proper? There’s a component that we wish to be sure we keep. And I believe our viewers helps us try this,” Melody defined.
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To the Curly Woman Collective, the perfect factor about making a enterprise with different girls is simply that: you’ve different girls with kindred spirits supporting one another wholeheartedly. They’re the epitome of #SquadGoals. Charisse advised me that she believes that this group of Black girls face the identical microaggressions and comparable life trials and tribulations, so that they have one another to lean on when instances get robust.
“[There’s] instances when it’s onerous as a result of we wish it to be excellent. However, after we come collectively, we notice that that is perfection. And we should be much less onerous on ourselves as a result of we’re bringing so many individuals collectively that may relate to what we’re attempting to do. We’re altering the world in a technique or one other. That’s onerous when you concentrate on the challenges we face in media, in style, in any business, at work with discrimination,” Charisse defined. “We take care of challenges on a regular basis. And generally it’s a problem for us to remain robust however then we have now one another to lean on to say, ‘You recognize what? Because of this we’re doing this.’ And it’s greater than us. And since it’s greater than us, we will fail rapidly and preserve going.”
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Talking of failing, these girls are true lesson in being comfy failing or simply beginning one thing earlier than we expect we’re prepared! The concern of failure tends to hinder us and we develop much less and fewer assured in following our dream. However, as Tracey put it, once you’re obsessed with one thing, you gained’t know if it will likely be profitable with out placing your self on the market first.
“Begin earlier than you’re prepared. I believe loads of us, particularly girls, we expect we will’t do it. We’ve been advised we will’t do it. I believe that you must begin earlier than you suppose that you just’re there. Whether or not it’s monetary, whether or not it’s like, ‘I don’t have the assist system.’ There’s so many purpose folks say I can’t. However, I believe that proper earlier than you’re prepared, that’s once you begin. As a result of when you get into it, there’s momentum that’ll push you. You gained’t get that if you happen to don’t begin.”
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Whether or not you might be beginning a enterprise, going out for a brand new job in a distinct discipline, or attempting to make use of social media to spice up your newest venture, Tracey explains that you have to put your self on the market first, and determine the remainder out as you go alongside!
As we realized from the panel on social media with Yandy Smith and the BETHer Black girls in enterprise panel at CURLFEST, generally we simply don’t know the place to start out when attempting to construct a model meaning one thing to our neighborhood, just like the Curly Woman Collective. We see folks dwelling their finest lives throughout social media, and we wish to do it too! Nevertheless it’s not at all times that easy.
“How do you construct a model? How do you get sponsors? I believe that it’s constant integrity and constructing relationships deliberately. And persistence,” Gia stated. “Individuals actually glamourize what it seems like as a result of the visuals of this don’t present that we’re breaking down at instances. It doesn’t appear like that once you take a look at the photographs that folks select to put up. Get very clear about your why. Get very clear in regards to the reality that it doesn’t appear like your Instagram feed. And if it does, then one thing’s not proper! Maintain beginning, be constant, and have integrity.”
Being genuine is really what set CURLFEST aside as the most important pure hair competition so far. Not solely did these girls discover a spot available in the market for occasions like theirs, they have been the shoppers they have been focusing on, looking for a protected house to rejoice the pure hair motion.
“What I believe has made us most profitable is our authenticity to the precise model and the explanation why we’re doing it,” Simone advised BET. “I believe our clients can see that we’re doing it as a result of we really feel that there was an area for it. There was a requirement and a necessity that we, ourselves, the 5 of us couldn’t discover so we created that. There was no different pure magnificence competition so we created that and we wanted that. We’re the client so I believe authenticity, for certain, is what made us. Right here we’re.”
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Right here they’re certainly! In the event you see all the photographs and are wishing you might have made it out to NYC for this monumental occasion, there could also be a CURLFEST close to you coming quickly! In increasing into different markets, like Atlanta, this collective hopes new metropolis means a brand new, thrilling expertise for his or her competition!
“One factor I believe we’re all trying ahead to is seeing what sort of taste different cities convey. We’re not attempting to take CURLFEST New York and make CURLFEST Atlanta the identical factor or CURLFEST in different nations. It’s no matter you convey to that,” Tracey added. “What does your neighborhood take into consideration magnificence? What music do you take heed to? What’s your style? We would like all that to come back and create nearly like a brand new CURLFEST distinctive to that location. I’m actually excited to see what it’s like after we begin sprinkling that magic in every single place.”
Seeing folks of various ages, backgrounds and, most significantly, hair textures having the ability to expertise a competition made by a gaggle of Black girls to service them was a heartwarming sight to see! I can’t wait to see to what Charisse Higgins, Tracey Coleman, Gia Lowe, Simone Mair, and Melody Henderson proceed to do to be able to develop and unfold the Curly Woman Collective and CURLFEST to the remainder of the world.
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