It Is Not Just Hair, it’s a CURLVOLUTION!
The natural hair movement has sparked a legion of hair shows in the summer time. So what can one show do to set itself apart from the rest?.
It seems as though every girl and her sister has a hair show in the summer, now. Un-bunch your knickers, Sistah, we are NOT complaining. It’s great when women of colour get together in the name of hair (and sometimes the business of hair). This is part of the empowering and inspiring nature of the natural hair community.
But after you’ve been to one natural hair event, surely you’ve seen them all. Well you’d be sadly mistaken. Curlvolution, the Uk’s Hottest Natural Hair, Beauty and Lifestyle Show, is spicing things up by offering a much ‘meatier’ experience.
From the ladies, checking guests in at the doors, to the amazing vendors, and visitors, everyone was hurling compliments around, taking pictures, giving hugs, handshakes. The energy at Curlvolution was positive, welcoming and intimate.
Yes, intimate. Although its not a small event, you don’t experience the commercial assault on the senses that you get from really big shows. You are able to calmly talk to vendors, who are usually founders and creators of their brands. One such brand was Antonia Burrell Skincare.
Antonia Burrell is a well know skincare expert, especially amongst the fabulous Chelsea set. Her facials usually cost £170/hour, at her studio. Cost to Curlvolution visitors: £ FREE.99!!! Not only did she give away free facials, she also gave free consultations and priceless advice and education on skincare.
Another notable thing about Curlvolution is the comfortable mix of well-established and independent brands that exhibit at the show, giving aspiring entrepreneurs and corporate names the same opportunities to meet potential customers.
If you wanted to get even more intimate, there were workshops teaching everything from beauty to entrepreneurship. One visitor at the entrepreneurship workshop complained of a mental block when it came to doing business. She was asked to go out into the crowd to raise money for the young visitors who may not have been able to afford products from the show. Not only did she come back with more than she was asked, in less time but she was also able to return to the show floor to negotiate with vendors for products to give away. She didn’t have a mental block she was blocked by fear. This is not the stuff of hair shows!
In addition, youth empowerment expert, Action Jackson, served all kinds of ‘feel-good’ as the MC of the day. His mantra was “I am Fearless, I am Unstoppable!”. He had a great no-nonsense yet relatable approach that both kids and adults took to.
But don’t be fooled, it was not all hugs, smiles and khumbaya! The panel discussions were fiery, passionate, and honest. Of course, the topics were deeply complex and somewhat controversial. The panelists became immediately 3-dimensional to the audience and any hint of polite, vanilla was shot out the door.
The main difference you’ll find at Curlvolution is that the show is built on hair as a foundation from which everything else has grown. It is about sisters learning from each other (and the few brothers who pop in). The gateway drug is the hair, but we come for more than that. We come to connect, discuss, teach and learn. We come to show off and show out.
It will be interesting to see where event organisers take Curlvolution in the next few years. It is evident that they understand their core audience, and are building their brand around that audience.
Have you been to Curlvolution? What did you think?
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