• Tells City People Via INSTAGRAM Live Chat
Jade Suzzy is a London based Hair Specialist. She is the CEO of Hair By Jade (UK) Salon. Her real name is Kofoworola Odofin.
A few days back, she was our guest on City People TV Instagram Live Chat where she spoke about her hair business.
She told CityPeople how she went into hair business. “As a graduate of Lagos State University in 2004, where I studied History and International Study, I believed I have something which am passionate about and that is hair making. This has been part of me since I was a child. But my father late Honourable Olatokunbo Moshood Amele wanted me to be educated in life. In fact, my late dad wanted me to be a teacher which I did for a while after my NCE at the then Tai Solarin College of Education Ijebu Ode in the year 1997. I later discovered I still love to make people look good. As you know hair is the beauty of a woman. I started in the year 2016, and I became my own boss in the year 2010 by renting a seat to renting a shop. To God be the glory. Making Hair is my passion. You can also follow my business page on Instagram @HAIRBYJADEUK. My numbers are 07947206545, 07438502505
So, how has it been with the hair business?
It’s been very well, we thank God. We can’t complain.
You’ve been doing this for how long now?
Yeah, I’ve been into the hair business since 2009 and I thank God I’m still in it. Glory be to God, it’s going well.
Tell us what you do basically?
Basically, I make hair. I make weave. I like to make women like myself look beautiful, that’s something I have a passion for and that’s why I went for it. It’s something I’ve always loved doing. So, when I have a customer who comes in to do her hair, even when they come in with the intention to do a particular hair, I still have to give them the sort of hairstyle that will suit their facial features.
How would you advise both your clients and our viewers watching right us right now on how to buy the right kind of hair that will suit them?
For me, I sell hair, so when a lot of my customers want quality hair they contact me. And I also do sell at pretty good prices. If they feel it’s a bit expensive for them, I give them the site where I buy my products from and explain to them why my hair products are a bit expensive. I tell them, you know there are hairs and there are hairs, so I tell them where to buy from and if they buy, I fix it for them. You know I’m not just into selling of hair alone, I also make hair. I make hair in weaves if that’s what they want. I can make hair into any style of their choice.
Tell us the type of hair that’s reigning right now?
Okay, like the kind of hair I’m wearing right now, this is trending. This is en vogue. This is called Water waves. We have different types of hair. We’ve got the straight type which comes in Brazilian, in Malaysian and Peruvian types. The one I’m wearing right now is called Water waves, there is another one called Deep Curly, there is another one Kinky hair, all of these types of hair, I have them. So, when I wear them and my customers like them, they pay into my account and I order it for them, or I simply tell them where I got it from.
One of the striking things about you is that you love to rock different hairstyles with different colours, loud, beautiful such as red, yellow, pink, all kinds. How do you get these different colours together and are they also loved by many ladies?
(Laughs) I do colour them myself. Any hair you see me wear is mine. It’s part of what I sell and I apply the different colours myself because I like to match my hair with my clothes. That’s why, if I want to wear a red outfit, I colour my hair red. If it’s a blue outfit, I colour my hair blue. There’s no colour of hair I cannot rock so long as it advertises my business. I don’t wear these different colours just so that people can notice me, it’s basically to promote my business. And that’s the reason why I wear coloured hair and I enjoy wearing them.
Okay, so, that anybody who loves colourful hairs would now call you and buy from you?
Yeah, if they like them, they do call me. Most people love my hair colours. Like the blue hair I wore in the pictures you used, that hair is gone. That is one thing about my hair. It’s gone. They saw it on me, they loved it, and they paid into my account and that’s it. So, I would do another one, somebody will like it, and they buy it. That is how I sell my hair. I wear them, they see it on me, they pay into my account and that’s it.
The people in the fashion industry are angry that right now the fashion business is doing so well while people are not buying clothes because of the lockdown and the pandemic, so how have you been coping?
As a matter of fact, the pandemic has really affected businesses everywhere and it’s not just those that are selling clothes. It has affected the hair business, it has affected everything. I won’t agree with the impression that the hair business alone is booming at this time. As a matter of fact, as far as I’m concerned, the lockdown really affected the hair business more because, during the lockdown, a lot of people went online, Youtube specifically, they bought their own hair from wherever they got them from and they learnt how to make hair. They make their own wigs now. Instead of them coming over to us to make their wigs for them, they now learn how to make the hair themselves. And this has really affected the business so badly. Now, it only takes the grace of God for those of us in the hair business to make money.
So, how have you been coping with the challenges of the pandemic and the changes it has brought on the business?
Well, all I can say is that we give glory to God, but there is really nothing that we can do about it. The pandemic, like I said earlier, has really damaged the business. The business is no longer what it used to be and I find it so difficult to go into another kind of business right now because I’m so used to this hair business and I’m passionate about it. It’s not that easy for me to quit.
Tell us, when it was booming, what was it like back then?
Ah, uncle, when it was booming, I can do ten customers in a day. Then, we used to rent seats. There were about ten of us ladies that were doing hair and we all had our customers and every one of us was busy. We were always on our feet working. But this time around, and this is the world of wigs, it has really affected the business so much. This is because we used to make those wigs exclusively, but now so many people make wigs themselves. Like before, we used to do weaves, which is the one we sewed on the scalp, but now most people prefer wigs than weaves. So, these days, we only have about 30% of ladies wearing weaves and the rest wearing wigs. It used to be a very good business, it still is, don’t get me wrong, all I’m saying is that it’s not what it used to be.
So, how have you been able to keep your customers coming back to you over and over again?
I don’t really do many adverts, all I do is make their hair, put them on my Instagram, put them on my Facebook and WhatsApp, publicise the hair and keep in touch with them by sending them messages when I’m giving out discounts or I’m moving shop. That’s basically how I keep my customers apart from the fact that I make quality hair for them.
Why is it that ladies are now wearing more wigs instead of weaves like they used to?
I think it just because some women feel like they are more comfortable on wigs. For instance, in the UK right now, it’s so sunny. I’m wearing a wig now, so if I want to, I can easily take it out to get some fresh air, but it’s not easy and you’re sweating everywhere. So, for a lot of ladies, it’s so easier for them to go on wigs than weave,
Can you tell us how you got into the hair business, why didn’t you go into fashion or something else?
Oh, I love fashion but I’m so passionate about hair making. I’ve always loved making hair since I was a little girl, though I never knew it was something I would end up earning a living from. I never knew it was going to be my source of livelihood, but it’s something I just love doing. Nobody taught me how to do hair, but whenever I watched people do hair back then, I grabbed it straight away. It’s something I have always loved doing dong from childhood.
I can also see that you love jewelry a lot, tell us about that.
I just love jewelry. I don’t believe in buying gold and keeping it in the house only to be worn whenever you have a party, no. I love to wear my own every day, whether there is an occasion to attend or not. That is just me, I just love it like that.
What special thing do you do that keeps your customers coming to you over and over again?
There is no secret, sir, I just love and respect every one of my customers. I am somebody who is not particular about age, I give respect to my customers and they love me for who I am. Naturally, I am not a very friendly person, but when it comes to my business, I am friendly.
How can you advise women reading from all over the world right now in terms of making their hair beautiful?
I will advise them to always change their hair. They should come to me to change their hair. Always wear good hair. Like they say, the hair is the crown of the woman. So, they should cultivate the habit of looking good with different kinds of hair.
What are the challenges you encounter in the business?
Oh, yeah, there are challenges just like they are in every other business. But the one incident that really affected me was when my shop was burgled and all my hair products were stolen. That really got me heartbroken. You know, you close in the evening, thinking your shop was locked and secured and then you get a call in the morning and they tell you your shop has been broken into. It’s so devastating. Then, on getting to the shop I found that my TV was gone, my hair products were gone, all the new bundles of hair that I bought were all gone. I was so sad. I didn’t know where to start. Whenever I got to the shop in the morning, I just sat down confused and shattered. It took me about one month before I realized what step to take. What I did was that I just left the shop and went back to renting a seat and thank God, I’m back on my feet today in my own shop.
When was this?
That was the 11th of January, 20019. I just didn’t want to publicise it, I deliberately kept it away from people. But those who were really close to me knew about it. Even customers whose hairs were stolen during the burglary said, don’t worry, Jade, you don’t have to pay back. And I thank God I have some really understanding customers. They stood by me.
What sort of person is Jade Suzzy?
Ah, me? I am me o. I just like to be me. I don’t like imitating people. I like to create things by myself and just be me.
