Naeemah LaFond, a celebrated editorial hairstylist, is not just styling hair but shaping the future of the beauty industry. Her journey from a court clerk to working alongside icons like Beyoncé and Amapiano singer Tyla is a testament to her passion and dedication. Learn how Naeemah’s partnership with Olaplex emphasizes the importance of science-backed products, particularly for textured hair, and her insights into the ongoing push for inclusivity in the industry. She shares compelling stories about overcoming challenges and underestimations, turning them into opportunities to mentor aspiring Black women hairstylists and create a supportive community in beauty and fashion campaigns.
Naeemah tells us more about her definition of success or fulfillment—having the freedom to make choices that resonate with her purpose. Join us for a conversation that promises not just inspiration but a vision for an inclusive and innovative future in hair care.
[00:02:53] Product availability for textured hair.
[00:04:15] Inclusion in product development.
[00:08:40] Embracing natural textured hair.
[00:14:11] Texture education in the industry.
[00:15:51] Inclusivity and diversity in hair.
[00:20:45] Mentorship for Black Women Hairstylists.
[00:25:50] Deeper meaning in creative work.
[00:28:50] Social impact in beauty industry.
[00:31:49] Defining personal success.
[00:38:09] Cooking Haitian food.
LINKS AND MENTIONS
Olaplex
Naeemah on Insta: @naeemahlafond
Amapiano Star @tyla
Beyoncé's hair brand @cecred
For more info on Naeemah's work, visit her website https://naeemahlafond.com
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Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Hello and welcome to Shades and Layers
00:00:05
.
00:00:05
I'm your Kutloano Skosana Ricci .
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Today I'm in conversation with New York-based editorial
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hairstylist to celebrities, global educator and textured
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hair advocate, naima Lafond, with signature magazine cover
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looks that celebrate big textured hair and working with
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celebrities like Amapiano star, tyler and Beyonce on the launch
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of her hair brand Sacred.
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It goes without saying that when she speaks, the industry
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listens.
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Naima's signature looks, which draw inspiration from the
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African continent and incorporate her Haitian roots,
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have recently landed her an ambassador role at the global
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hair brand Polar Pets.
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We talk about why this partnership matters, especially
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at this moment in the evolution of the natural hair conversation
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.
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We cover a wide range of topics , including her role as educator
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in the industry, her aptly named masterclass Texture on Set
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and her recently launched mentorship program.
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So, without further ado, let's get into the conversation with
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Naima Lafond.
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Naeemah LaFond: My name is Naima Lafond.
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I am a hairstylist, an educator , I'm a platform artist.
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I'm also a global ambassador for Olaplex.
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Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Great.
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So the reason why we are speaking is because of Olaplex,
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and I just wanted to get things started off there.
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So what I've noticed about your career journey is that it's
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very intentional, including your partnerships.
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How did this partnership come about with Olaplex and why is it
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important to your evolution as an artist?
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Naeemah LaFond: Well, olaplex approached me last year and I
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was honored, honestly, because I have admired Olaplex from afar
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for years, just watching the innovation and how focused.
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But now, with the launch of Bond Builder and watching
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Olaplex really come out with more styling focused and curl
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focused products, I do see the synergy there and it all makes
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sense because I'm a very ingredient focused person, I
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love science backed products and I think that's something that's
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been missing in the beauty space for black hair, for
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textured hair.
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So once I heard about this partnership, I really thought it
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was a great fit for me for sure .
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Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah.
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So speaking of you know product , I mean this you've been in
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this hair business for many years now and there have been a
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few changes in the industry.
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So, in terms of you know product availability, how have
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you, how has that shift been from your standpoint?
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What have you observed?
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That's very significant, particularly for people with
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textured hair.
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Naeemah LaFond: I've definitely noticed that the industry is
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embracing textured hair products more, embracing the innovation
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behind that and doing more product development research for
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textured hair, which is important, and I see that
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continuing to grow.
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I love that trajectory because, like I said, it's something
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that I see that we've been missing and I think the whole
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you know everything that happened in 2020 really set the
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groundwork for that and we're just seeing the work come to
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play.
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Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah, so this is perhaps one of the more
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meaningful changes that have happened in terms of inclusion
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in the hair industry.
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I think it's very expensive the way you've explained it, but if
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you can, just yeah, just say what does it mean to be
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inclusive as a brand in this hair space?
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Naeemah LaFond: To me, inclusion as a brand really means having
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Black people, people of color, in the room where decisions are
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being made.
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It's not just about what we're seeing in the campaigns, what
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we're calling the products, what we're saying the intention is.
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The true intention shows its face in the boardroom.
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I think that's what's important , and the meetings that are
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being had about certain products , like.
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I think that's where the inclusivity needs to happen,
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that's where it's most important , because that trickles down.
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So for me, really, inclusion is all about how brands are
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pulling in creators, pulling in scientists, pulling in product
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developers, pulling in people that have, you know, the beauty
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background, but also are people of color that can speak to how
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these products work with our hair, which it's so important
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because it's not the same.
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Kutloano Skosana Ricci: No, absolutely.
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I had a conversation recently with Shalita Grant I don't know
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if you know her, she's an actress in CIS and the one thing
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that she mentioned was, you know, being on set, on a
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television set, is particularly challenging for actresses of
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color.
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She mentioned product availability and that was a big
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thing that you know, stylists actually very often do not have
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the right products, especially in those environments.
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Would you say that there are more options available now?
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Or you know, slow going, what's happening?
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Naeemah LaFond: there.
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It's the stylist having the knowledge to put those products
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in their kit, put them on their stands, on their makeup stands,
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their hair stands, to show the client, the person sitting in
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the chair, like it's a safe space.
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I have products for you, because texture products that
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are catered to texture are not a new thing.
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Right, we're developing them, but it's not new.
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So there is really no excuse where, you know, a black actress
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comes on set and there's nothing that caters to her hair.
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It's really about the hairdresser having the education
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to know okay, I need to have this, this and this for her, I
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need to make sure I have oils, I need to make sure I have heat
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protectant spray, I need to make sure I have edge control, I
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need to make sure I have some like braiding products, all of
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those things that cater to textured hair.
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Understanding that is key.
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When I teach about textured hair, that's the first thing I
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address.
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We have to understand what we're using and why.
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Before you even put your hands in the hair, you have to
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understand that the products that you pick up are important,
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the products that a client just sees, because that's the first
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impression as soon as she sits in the chair.
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She's looking at what you have and before you've even said a
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word, she knows whether it's a safe space or it's not.
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And you've said a whole essay without even opening up your
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mouth.
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So it's so important to like lay out those products that she
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feels like oh, wow, like okay, they have curl products.
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They have products for, like, if my hair is pressed, they have
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products for heat protection.
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All the things are there that make the client feel safe, and
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that's what's important Just having that knowledge first, to
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know what products to use.
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Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Speaking of knowledge and education,
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that was the other area that you know most of my conversations
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has been about that.
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You know, cosmetologists are not trained in caring for
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textured hair in the first place .
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But there's also another development, hopefully starting
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to address that the passing of the Crown Act.
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Yes, do you think that there is movement towards actually
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realizing the crown act?
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Yes, it is legislation, but do people actually start respecting
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it now, or what's uh, what's your take?
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Naeemah LaFond: well, I feel like we we've had this
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conversation like just as like black people, people with
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textured hair for like many years.
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Right, it's a conversation we're having it within our
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circles about going to work and not being able to, like, wear
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your hair in its natural state.
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I think I did this Cosmo interview.
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I think it was 2017, 2018.
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And the title of the article was I'm wearing my Afro to work.
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Deal with it Like yes.
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Yeah, and it's like that's a that was a big deal at the
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moment, like yeah, yeah.
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Just wear your hair out as is like.
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And, honestly, even at the time , I was like shocked at the
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title, like wow, that's like.
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Of all the things that I said, that was the main takeaway, but
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it was.
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It's just something that we've been dealing with for a long
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time.
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I am I don't know if you know the change is welcomed or not,
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but black women, women with textured hair, are embracing it
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and they're going to work with it.
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I think, whether the powers that be like it or not, it's a
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change that's happening.
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We are really moving forward and saying like this is this is
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how I wear my hair.
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I wear the braids, I wear the fro, I wear the twists, I wear
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the dreads.
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I'm going to continue to wear my hair.
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I wear the braids, I wear the fro, I wear the twists, I wear
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the dreads.
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I'm going to continue to wear my hair like.
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This Legislation is important because, in all fact, people are
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losing jobs over things like this.
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People are getting kicked out of school.
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Kutloano Skosana Ricci: So, yes, change is happening, but it
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also, I think, requires us to take a stand and also just show
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up.
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Yeah, absolutely, and you know, this is the key thing, like
00:09:11
hairstyle preferences and I will say, preferences in air quotes,
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because you cannot do what you don't see and you don't know
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that it's an option if you don't see it in reality.
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Do you think that there's been a change, or what has been the
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most remarkable change in terms of customer preferences, you
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know, in terms of hairstyles products, attitudes the like.
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Naeemah LaFond: Definitely.
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I do see that customers clients are more open to wearing their
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natural hair and I think it's because of the product
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innovation, what they're seeing just like for the new Bond
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Builder products, for example, that Olaplex has recently come
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out with that allows clients to wear their texture and really
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highlight their texture.
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That's something where you're explaining that to a client and
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they're like oh, okay, Like this is something that's not trying
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to smooth it out or straighten it or revert it in a different
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direction.
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It's really trying to highlight my curl pattern.
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We're seeing more things like that being celebrated, so I
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think it's making the client feel comfortable to say, yeah, I
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want my hair like that.
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So the more we have that innovation, that product
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innovation that celebrates textured hair, the more
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comfortable and more confident clients will be in wearing their
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textured hair.
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Because product is important, right?
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Like if I say I want to wear my hair straight and smooth but
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there's not a heat protectant or a smoothing product that is
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going to keep it that way, then I'm not really going to feel
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confident to go to the salon and ask for that look.
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Or vice versa, If I say I want to wear my hair curly and big
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and defined and you know, I want , like my curls, to be bouncy
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and not stiff and dry.
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I want to be confident in knowing I can go to the salon
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and ask for that and they not only they can do it, but they
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have the products to support it.
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So it's really products to support the things that we want
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is so important.
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It goes hand in hand.
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Like we can say, we want to wear our hair natural and, you
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know, just go to work as is and be and live in our full texture.
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Kutloano Skosana Ricci: But the beauty industry has to be there
00:11:11
to support that as well.
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Hey, it's Chasen Layers.
00:11:13
I'm speaking to Naima Lafont, editorial hairstylist, global
00:11:16
educator and textured hair advocate.
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It's always interesting to find out what sparks people's career
00:11:23
choices and up next we get into that as well as Naima's
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personal hair journey and how she landed the first gig that
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got her into the hair industry.
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You are doing your bit in terms of supporting this industry.
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I know you've been running a masterclass, you've got a
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mentorship program, so talk to me about the evolution of your
00:11:45
career into the educational space.
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Naeemah LaFond: Well, I've.
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I'm a career educator.
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I've been an educator for many years.
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I started off actually doing work on set.
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I did that for a few years and then I started working with
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brands as creative director, as artistic director, and that
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allowed me to travel the world to teach and also help launch
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brands and launch products and explain how products are used
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and how they can be used in all different types of hair.
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And I think you know it's a new thing to talk about that, but
00:12:20
it's it's been my life's work, honestly where I'm like we don't
00:12:24
need a product to say curl on it to be able to be used on
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curly hair.
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Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Right.
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Naeemah LaFond: We can go beyond the curl products.
00:12:36
Our hair is so versatile, it can do so many things.
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That's one thing that I've taught for so many years that
00:12:43
you can pick up the texture spray and put it on textured
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hair.
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It's what it's going to do to my hair.
00:12:49
It's just going to make it bigger.
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You know like it's going to give a reaction, the end result,
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I feel like oftentimes people are like oh, with curly hair,
00:12:58
everyone wants you know.
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Like everything in place, perfectly coiled, like that's
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not everyone's, you know our hair slick back, we wear it
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curly, we we do so many different things and there are
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so many different products that can do that.
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It's not just about a product that says curl on it right.
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So, as a career educated, it's something that I've been so
00:13:20
passionate about um, and then I started doing this masterclass
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last year where I wanted to focus on texture on set, and
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that's what it's called.
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It's called texture on set.
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Kutloano Skosana Ricci: And.
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Naeemah LaFond: I've gotten so much support from the industry
00:13:34
that it became more than a masterclass.
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It's become a hair show, so it's like this texture hair show
00:13:41
.
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We're going to do it again in 2025.
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Olaplex is our title sponsor.
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I'm so excited for the support behind this.
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We have so many great brands coming on board to support and
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it really shows the evolution of the industry and wrapping their
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arms around texture education and understanding the importance
00:14:01
behind that.
00:14:02
We know like we want to sell product to everyone and in order
00:14:07
to do that, we have to teach everyone how to use product on
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everyone.
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Kutloano Skosana Ricci: So that brings me to your hair journey,
00:14:14
your personal hair journey and how you would describe that.
00:14:19
You know.
00:14:19
Have you always been confident in your texture?
00:14:22
Is it something you've learned along the way?
00:14:23
How would you talk about that?
00:14:25
Naeemah LaFond: I've always been confident, like I'm a Brooklyn
00:14:28
girl.
00:14:28
I grew up in Brooklyn in the eighties and and we, you know,
00:14:32
there's the round the way salons .
00:14:35
Everyone's doing something different.
00:14:36
We're frying, dying, laying to the side, it's all kinds of
00:14:41
stuff.
00:14:41
So throughout my life I've worn my hair in so many different
00:14:45
ways and feel confident about it .
00:14:46
For me, it's an accessory, it's a piece I love to play.
00:14:52
I love to do different things.
00:14:54
Go blonde Nice yeah, I love to play with hair and I really want
00:14:58
women to have that freedom all women, I know we're embracing
00:15:03
curl, we're embracing texture and that's so important, but at
00:15:08
the same time, women are not a monolith.
00:15:10
Black women are not a monolith.
00:15:12
We should be allowed to play and do all different kinds of
00:15:16
things with our hair, and that's just how I've lived my life.
00:15:19
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah, that's great.
00:15:20
And how did you know that?
00:15:22
This is for sure what I want to do, like you know?
00:15:25
When did you get you know that tingling feeling, that, whoo,
00:15:28
this is exactly what I'm doing with my life?
00:15:30
Naeemah LaFond: Well, I think the tingling feeling well, I got
00:15:33
the tingling feeling like as soon as I stepped on set and
00:15:36
started doing hair.
00:15:37
I'm like, wow, this is, people do this for a living.
00:15:40
This is crazy, but for me, when it started to feel like purpose
00:15:44
and passion came together was when I started to be outspoken
00:15:51
about inclusivity and diversity in hair.
00:15:54
That's when I felt like what I'm feeling on the inside and
00:15:57
what I do for work are truly meshing, because it's
00:16:00
conversations that I'm having, things that I'm so passionate
00:16:03
about.
00:16:03
But then I get into spaces and I'm like I can't say that here.
00:16:07
But once.
00:16:08
I set myself free and vocalized what I felt.
00:16:13
That's when work and my heart really meshed and I felt like,
00:16:19
ooh, the tingles like this is exactly what I need to be doing.
00:16:22
This is my life's purpose, really.
00:16:25
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Great.
00:16:25
And how did you land that first gig on set?
00:16:29
Naeemah LaFond: So my best friend at the time I was, I
00:16:31
think, maybe 22 or 23.
00:16:33
The best age.
00:16:34
She was an aspiring model and she's like I'm going to do this
00:16:39
thing called a test shoot and I didn't know what that was.
00:16:41
She's like me, a photographer, a makeup artist.
00:16:44
We're all getting together and just doing a photo shoot so that
00:16:48
we can all get pictures for our portfolios.
00:16:51
And at the time I had a full-time job.
00:16:54
I was a court clerk at the Brooklyn district attorney's
00:16:56
office.
00:16:57
After college, I was doing, I was, I had my serious job.
00:17:02
Yeah, yeah, yeah, what I was doing, I was, I had my serious
00:17:08
job and I was like, sure, I'll do this for fun.
00:17:09
She asked me because I was the one in college.
00:17:10
I was like doing everyone's hair before parties or before
00:17:13
like school events.
00:17:14
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: So I was the girl doing hair in the dorm
00:17:17
.
00:17:17
Naeemah LaFond: So she came to me and asked me to do that and I
00:17:19
went with her and I was just blown away that people do this
00:17:22
for work.
00:17:22
And I went with her and I was just blown away that people do
00:17:24
this for work.
00:17:24
I was just like I just do this, for I was just doing this for
00:17:27
fun for years.
00:17:28
I can't believe this is like a career.
00:17:31
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: I can't earn a living yet.
00:17:32
Great, and do you have any?
00:17:38
You know?
00:17:38
Memorable or bizarre, whatever incidents on set that you know
00:17:43
come back to you and you think, oh my goodness, I can't believe
00:17:46
that happened without getting sued.
00:17:49
Naeemah LaFond: Yeah, I mean there's a lot of times where
00:17:51
I've been on set and people either don't include me or don't
00:17:56
, or assume that I'm in the wrong place or I'm not who I am.
00:18:00
I do remember once I was I think it was my first my first
00:18:05
big photo shoot.
00:18:06
I showed up early because I'm like so excited laid my kid out,
00:18:11
had everything laid out, and then I was like just sitting
00:18:14
there, you know, nice and quiet, waiting for everyone to get
00:18:17
going.
00:18:17
I saw the photographer setting up people setting up the crafts
00:18:21
and food and everyone's getting set up, and I'm just waiting for
00:18:23
things to get going and someone comes up to me and she and,
00:18:27
mind you, we're like hours in, like now, like two, three hours
00:18:31
in.
00:18:32
And I'm like this has taken a while to start.
00:18:34
And then the producer comes to me and she's like when is the
00:18:38
key hairstylist getting here?
00:18:39
And I'm like I'm the key hairstylist.
00:18:42
And they're like, oh, it's you.
00:18:45
And I'm like, yeah, it's me.
00:18:47
And they're like, oh, we saw you sitting there but we assumed
00:18:51
you weren't the key.
00:18:52
And I'm like, why?
00:18:53
And they're like, don't worry about it, well, let's just get
00:18:55
started.
00:18:56
And that to me, was like kind of like it just like ruined such
00:18:59
like an amazing moment that I was just like, oh, it kind of
00:19:09
was like a wake up call, like, hey, like I know we're all
00:19:10
excited about this career and being on set and doing all the
00:19:12
things, but you need to be aware of how you're being viewed as
00:19:14
well, so that you know how to navigate this space.
00:19:16
So I think it was an unfortunate moment, but it's
00:19:19
something that I needed to like open my eyes and be like okay,
00:19:23
girl, this is what's happening here and you need to understand
00:19:26
the space.
00:19:26
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah, I'm sure that still does happen.
00:19:29
Yeah, and, and I do know about your mentorship program, can you
00:19:34
tell me when you started that?
00:19:36
You know, because these are the kinds of things you would maybe
00:19:39
share with young people getting into the industry um, when it
00:19:43
started and how it's going.
00:19:45
Naeemah LaFond: So it started last year.
00:19:46
I, like I said I wanted to do the masterclass texture on set
00:19:52
and I started planning texture on set.
00:19:54
But then I was just like I feel and I know that there's a lot
00:19:58
of black women hairstylists who want to work on set and they
00:20:03
don't even know where to start.
00:20:05
They don't have the who's who in their pocket, they don't have
00:20:09
the connections and I felt like that was something that needed
00:20:13
to be addressed first before I teach you how to do texture on
00:20:17
set.
00:20:18
You can't even get on set really, so let's address that
00:20:22
first.
00:20:22
So I created this mentorship program specifically for black
00:20:26
women and currently mentor 22 amazing black women who are
00:20:31
doing so good.
00:20:32
I'm just so proud of them and their evolution since last year.
00:20:35
It's kind of taken on a life of its own.
00:20:38
It's become a sisterhood, it's become a safe space for many.
00:20:43
They've taught me so many things and I'm really excited
00:20:46
about opening up some slots next year to bring on some more
00:20:49
women and just to continue to grow that community.
00:20:52
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah, and typically when you say set,
00:20:56
is it like for magazines.
00:20:58
You know which areas are we talking about.
00:21:01
Naeemah LaFond: When we talk about beauty, really fashion and
00:21:03
beauty, like beauty campaigns, fashion campaigns working for
00:21:08
like brands, like big brands that do campaigns for new
00:21:12
launches and just fashion in general.
00:21:15
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah, it's just such a variety, you
00:21:17
know.
00:21:17
And I think a lot of people don't realize that you know
00:21:21
beyond preparing guests for a wedding, which is, you know,
00:21:25
nothing wrong with that, but there's like a whole ecosystem.
00:21:29
Naeemah LaFond: Yeah yeah, it's a whole world and I a lot of
00:21:33
people don't know about that, like the opportunities that are
00:21:37
out there and I really wanted to make sure that I didn't
00:21:40
participate in the gatekeeping by holding that information.
00:21:43
I wanted to share it and let people know, like, yes, it's so
00:21:47
great to work behind the chair in the salon.
00:21:50
That's very fulfilling for many .
00:21:52
But also some people want to be more in the fashion space.
00:21:55
Some people want to work on beauty campaigns, some people
00:21:59
want to work at New York Fashion Week, but they just don't know
00:22:01
where to start.
00:22:02
You don't learn that in school.
00:22:03
No one sits you down to tell you.
00:22:05
It's just that you have to know who you know in order to get
00:22:09
into it.
00:22:09
And I just really want to break that up.
00:22:12
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah, yeah, it's Shades and Layers.
00:22:16
Time now to learn more about the inspiration behind Naima's
00:22:20
famous looks, her approach to working with clients, as well as
00:22:24
the shades and layers rapid fire.
00:22:25
And before we wrap it all up, Naima tells us what her
00:22:30
alternative career path would have been had she not chosen the
00:22:34
hair industry.
00:22:34
And you know, I've heard you say that being an editorial
00:22:39
hairstylist is like being a writer or a painter, and you
00:22:43
know you consider what you do art.
00:22:45
So how would you describe your signature?
00:22:48
You know, how would I know that Naima worked on this?
00:22:51
Naeemah LaFond: It's glamorous but it's a little off.
00:22:53
I think that's just me.
00:22:57
It's like it's like there's the perfection, like it looks
00:23:01
glamorous, but there's something that's just a little off to the
00:23:04
side.
00:23:05
And I just love that.
00:23:07
I love having a little something out of place, a little
00:23:11
just that.
00:23:13
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Right right.
00:23:14
Naeemah LaFond: That just does something to me.
00:23:15
I just think it just feels real , it feels like a lived
00:23:19
experience rather than just a photo.
00:23:21
It feels like she's in action, she's in motion, she's, you know
00:23:25
, living rather than just perfectly placed there.
00:23:29
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: So that I think that's my signature.
00:23:31
Oh, that's wonderful, great Thank you, and this celebratory
00:23:38
feeling that you you bring.
00:23:40
You know where do you get your inspiration, like you know where
00:23:43
.
00:23:43
Where do you see these images that you put together?
00:23:49
Naeemah LaFond: It's a lot of research.
00:23:50
Growing up, my stepfather was all about the encyclopedia.
00:23:56
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Oh, yeah , been there, yep.
00:23:59
Naeemah LaFond: He had the full encyclopedia there in the living
00:24:02
room and if I asked a question he'd be like look it up.
00:24:05
And in looking it up, you know there's sometimes you have the
00:24:08
pictures and I'm seeing like all these like tribal references or
00:24:13
1800s in the United States and just all kinds of references
00:24:18
that really stuck with me.
00:24:20
And when I do hair and when I'm given an idea and they're like
00:24:25
you know, we want you to elevate it, take it somewhere else.
00:24:28
That's kind of where my mind goes, like back in time, like
00:24:32
back in history, to reference those that did it first.
00:24:37
That's where I go.
00:24:40
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah, and you know how do you give
00:24:43
credit to those inspirations?
00:24:46
Because I find that it's not necessarily well-known in
00:24:49
popular culture, that you know some of these things are ancient
00:24:53
practices.
00:24:54
Naeemah LaFond: Yeah, so I, for me it's.
00:24:56
I do that often through my reels, like I did Whitney peak
00:25:00
for the Met Gala, yeah, yeah, and it was like antiquity and I
00:25:06
had her picture with her hair.
00:25:08
And then when you do, when you slide over, you see like the
00:25:12
references of, like the tribal women, yeah, brushed out.
00:25:16
I want you to know it's coming from somewhere, like I want you
00:25:19
to know that some, not only is it coming from somewhere, but
00:25:22
there's some thought went into it, and that we are honoring
00:25:26
people as well, we are honoring our ancestors.
00:25:29
That's so important to me to let you know where this is coming
00:25:33
from.
00:25:33
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah, and I wanted to touch on the
00:25:40
deeper meaning you attach to your work, because we're talking
00:25:41
more than just hair.
00:25:42
You know there's history that's coming in there's, you know,
00:25:43
social impact, et cetera.
00:25:45
So how would you go about talking about that Like what's,
00:25:48
what's the deeper meaning to what you do?
00:25:50
Naeemah LaFond: Well, for me, it's really about like leaving
00:25:52
everything I've I've done or I'm doing better than I started it,
00:25:58
like it's really important to me to just leave things a little
00:26:01
bit better than I found them.
00:26:03
It's something that my mom taught me.
00:26:05
She's a nurse, she worked in hospice care, she's retired now,
00:26:10
but she always taught me to do things with meaning, because
00:26:14
that's what's going to matter at the end that you live the life
00:26:18
of meaning, that you touch people, that, when you had the
00:26:23
opportunity, you change people's lives for the better.
00:26:25
That's what I want to make sure that I intertwine in everything
00:26:28
that I do career-wise, or else it just won't feel good to me.
00:26:33
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah, yeah.
00:26:34
And speaking of touching people , I read somewhere that you take
00:26:37
your daughter to work.
00:26:38
Is that still the case?
00:26:42
Naeemah LaFond: I take my mini often with me.
00:26:44
Sometimes she comes like on stage.
00:26:47
Sometimes I take her to a photo shoot.
00:26:49
I just want her to see that mommy loves what she does.
00:26:53
I want her to see that I'm happy and you know I'm a career
00:26:57
woman that is excited about going to work and that it's not
00:27:02
like oh sorry, mommy has to go away for the weekend.
00:27:05
You know, I'm just so sad.
00:27:06
I don't want her to be burdened with that at all.
00:27:10
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: I want her to know that I'm excited
00:27:11
Like I'm going to.
00:27:12
Naeemah LaFond: LA tomorrow to do so-and-so's hair.
00:27:15
I'm so excited.
00:27:16
Take a look at her.
00:27:17
What do you think I should do with her hair?
00:27:18
And she's like, oh, you should do a ponytail, you should do
00:27:20
this.
00:27:21
Like I want her to see that in me so that she can carry that
00:27:25
for herself as well when she gets older.
00:27:27
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Right, that's great.
00:27:28
That is so, so meaningful.
00:27:30
Naeemah LaFond: Yeah.
00:27:31
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah.
00:27:31
So the way I speak about sustainability on the podcast is
00:27:36
usually in a very broad sense.
00:27:38
It's not necessarily just about environment, although that is,
00:27:42
but you know it's a holistic approach.
00:27:44
So if I say sustainability to you, what comes to mind and how
00:27:49
does it manifest in your world?
00:27:51
Naeemah LaFond: For me, sustainability really is about,
00:27:54
like social impact and how we can have a beauty industry that
00:27:59
caters to everyone, that everyone can win in, that
00:28:03
everyone can be successful, in, that everyone can see themselves
00:28:07
in, or else it's not sustainable.
00:28:10
And I think when we got to a point where I felt that the
00:28:14
industry wasn't reflective of who I wanted to be as a person
00:28:18
in terms of inclusivity, that's when I felt like I had to leave.
00:28:23
So that means it's not sustainable, right.
00:28:24
So, it's Really making sure that I am in an industry and I and I
00:28:30
also pour into an industry that allows people of all shades,
00:28:35
colors, creeds to be a part of, be successful in.
00:28:40
That's something that's so important to me and that is what
00:28:44
true sustainability in terms of like social impact really means
00:28:48
for me of like social impact really means for me and speaking
00:28:56
of impact, there is possibly a team behind you.
00:28:57
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: I think there's a team behind you, so
00:28:58
who helps you put it all together.
00:29:00
You know, keep the back wheels turning there.
00:29:04
Naeemah LaFond: Well, number one girl is my agent Alexia.
00:29:08
She is amazing, my agent Alexia , she is amazing.
00:29:12
I'm at the wall group.
00:29:12
She's an agent with the wall group.
00:29:14
She understands who I want to be and how I want to show up in
00:29:19
the world, and I think that's what makes it a very cohesive
00:29:23
relationship and one that I feel supported, one that I don't
00:29:28
feel like I'm doing things that don't quite fit me as an artist.
00:29:33
So that's a relationship that I really honor.
00:29:42
I really trust her.
00:29:43
She holds my career and also my intentions with care, and I
00:29:44
think that's so important in an agent or in a team in general
00:29:48
People that care about your vision and where it is that you
00:29:52
want to go, so that they can help you get there and help you
00:29:56
get there with integrity and morals.
00:29:58
So that's important.
00:30:00
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah, Great.
00:30:01
So you have an agent.
00:30:02
And then, in terms of you know the practical day to day.
00:30:05
Let's say, you're going on set, do you hire freelancers?
00:30:08
You know how does that work for you.
00:30:09
Naeemah LaFond: So, day to day for, like working on building
00:30:10
texture, on set planning, you hire freelancers.
00:30:10
You know how does that work for you.
00:30:11
So, day to day for like, working on building texture, on
00:30:13
set planning, producing that, I have someone who does the
00:30:17
production for me for texture on set Jamie.
00:30:20
Jamie's amazing.
00:30:21
She's like show producer extraordinaire.
00:30:24
We've worked together with other brands and worked together
00:30:28
for years.
00:30:28
She knows how I like to be on stage, how I want to show up.
00:30:32
She knows the show that I want to give, so she's like a great
00:30:37
producer.
00:30:38
I have Shabavian who is my administrative assistant.
00:30:41
She handles like all the you know, outside of photo shoot
00:30:45
things that come my way that have to do with texture on set
00:30:49
or that have to do with my mentorship program.
00:30:51
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Right.
00:30:53
Naeemah LaFond: And she's a great asset to my team.
00:30:55
Like I can't answer all the emails and do all the things, so
00:30:59
Shebabian is that, in terms of like, working on set, I have all
00:31:04
of my, all of my mentees with black on set.
00:31:08
Are the are the people that I tap into when I need assistance
00:31:13
on set.
00:31:13
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Great.
00:31:14
Naeemah LaFond: So that's another perk of being in that
00:31:16
mentorship program that I want to use them and bring them into
00:31:20
spaces that they probably otherwise wouldn't have the
00:31:23
opportunity to come into and say , hey, come on set with me and
00:31:27
they get to watch me and work with me and learn without
00:31:32
judgment, or learn without the fear of not getting that job
00:31:35
again, because I know that they probably have not done something
00:31:39
like this before and they're so green and I give them the grace
00:31:44
to be green, while I teach them .
00:31:46
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: That's great, but what does success
00:31:47
mean to you?
00:31:48
How would you define success?
00:31:49
Naeemah LaFond: Success to me today means time to do the
00:31:56
things that I love to do Time with my daughter.
00:31:58
Success means having the option to say yes or no to things.
00:32:03
Success means looking in the mirror and being happy with the
00:32:07
career decisions that I've made and who I have impacted and how
00:32:14
I've impacted people.
00:32:15
That is true success.
00:32:16
That I can be at peace and lay my head down or look at myself
00:32:20
in the mirror and be happy with what I see.
00:32:23
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Great, so let's get into the rapid fire
00:32:26
.
00:32:26
First question is if you had to write a memoir, what would you
00:32:32
call it and why?
00:32:33
Naeemah LaFond: Feel the fear and do it anyway.
00:32:35
I think that is the theme of my life.
00:32:40
Honestly, all of the things that I have done that have been
00:32:45
big things have been preceded by fear, have been preceded by
00:33:01
fear.
00:33:02
Fear is where it all starts, but somehow I find the strength
00:33:03
to push through and do it anyway , and I think that's something
00:33:06
that was learned.
00:33:07
That's something that I had to practice.
00:33:09
I wasn't always like that.
00:33:10
I taught myself to be that way.
00:33:13
I motivated myself into doing that.
00:33:16
I, you know, prayed myself into doing that.
00:33:20
So, it's something that was taught.
00:33:21
Feel the fear and do it anyway.
00:33:23
Fear is just a feeling.
00:33:24
Get on there and just go like you got this.
00:33:28
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Great, great.
00:33:29
And who would you choose to play the lead actress in the
00:33:33
film version of that story?
00:33:36
Naeemah LaFond: You know I would go with Nia Long.
00:33:37
Oh yeah, I can see that.
00:33:40
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: I feel fun.
00:33:42
Naeemah LaFond: Nia Long.
00:33:43
It just for me.
00:33:45
She just feels like a girl's girl, like a regular round the
00:33:49
way girl, and that's who I think I am.
00:33:51
But I also see like the heart in her and the passion in her,
00:33:57
so I think that Nia Long would be best and who would you invite
00:34:02
to dinner?
00:34:04
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: One famous Black woman, living or
00:34:05
dead?
00:34:05
Who would you invite Famous Black woman?
00:34:08
Naeemah LaFond: I think Oprah, because she just knows a lot.
00:34:10
She knows a lot of people, she's had a lot of conversations
00:34:13
and I think you learn so much about life and conversations.
00:34:17
And who's had more conversations than Oprah, right?
00:34:21
Kutloano Skosana Ric: Meaningful ones, right yeah.
00:34:24
Naeemah LaFond: Impactful ones.
00:34:24
It's like gathering all the people that would be an option
00:34:29
into one person, and that would be Oprah, because she's probably
00:34:32
talked to all of them.
00:34:35
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: You are so right.
00:34:35
And at the moment, what's your favorite hairstyle?
00:34:41
Naeemah LaFond: My favorite hairstyle at the moment to do on
00:34:45
someone, On you someone, wherever that takes you.
00:34:48
I think my favorite hairstyle to do on someone is a sleek
00:34:53
ponytail with like a curly ponytail, like a puff, like.
00:34:57
I love a puff, like I love the juxtaposition between like super
00:35:01
slick and then these big bouncy curls.
00:35:03
It's like it's like straight and curly, it's like a straight
00:35:09
road and then windy road.
00:35:10
I just love that.
00:35:12
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: And there are many misconceptions
00:35:13
about natural or textured hair at the moment.
00:35:16
What's the one thing that you would advise people to banish
00:35:19
from their minds when they think or deal with textured hair?
00:35:23
Naeemah LaFond: That it's hard to do.
00:35:25
It's not hard to do, you just have to know what you're doing.
00:35:28
Like many things in life.
00:35:30
If you don't know how to do it, it's going to be hard.
00:35:34
But once you know it's not hard to do, once you know what
00:35:37
you're doing, it's not hard to do.
00:35:38
And I hate to hear that, because when people say that,
00:35:42
that also creates barriers for a lot of women in beauty, in a
00:35:48
lot of things.
00:35:49
When you say it's hard, that tells, for example, a producer
00:35:54
oh, that model's hair is hard to do, it's going to be hard to
00:35:58
switch her from one look to the next.
00:36:00
All right, we'll just use the straight hair girl instead.
00:36:02
So now someone has just lost an opportunity because there was
00:36:06
an assumption made that her hair is hard to do.
00:36:08
So if I were to banish something, it's that it's not
00:36:12
hard.
00:36:12
Just you have to know what you're doing Great.
00:36:15
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: And what are you looking forward to in
00:36:17
the next while?
00:36:17
What am I looking?
00:36:19
Naeemah LaFond: forward to Just continuing to live authentically
00:36:23
.
00:36:23
I feel like I'm in my groove, like I feel like all the things
00:36:27
that I dreamed of are currently happening.
00:36:30
I'm living a dream right now.
00:36:31
I have the things that I dreamed of are currently
00:36:32
happening.
00:36:32
I'm living a dream right now.
00:36:32
I I have the career that I've always dreamed of.
00:36:35
I have the husband that I've always dreamed of, having the
00:36:39
daughter that I prayed for, the peace that I prayed for in life,
00:36:44
and also living out the intentions that I've always had.
00:36:49
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Right.
00:36:50
Naeemah LaFond: It's just so important to me.
00:36:52
So continuing that I just continue to pray for this
00:36:56
continued peace, that's what I want Peace.
00:37:00
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: You're all about peace, great.
00:37:01
Naeemah LaFond: Peace, yes.
00:37:04
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Is there anything else that you'd like
00:37:06
to share that maybe we didn't touch on?
00:37:10
Naeemah LaFond: If I weren't a hairstylist, I'd be a chef.
00:37:15
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Thank you, I was just going back to my
00:37:17
list.
00:37:19
Naeemah LaFond: If I weren't a hairstylist, I'd be a chef, for
00:37:22
sure.
00:37:22
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Oh yeah, you like cooking.
00:37:25
Naeemah LaFond: I love cooking.
00:37:26
I grew up at my mother's hip watching her cook and when I
00:37:31
went to college I roommateed with like so many different
00:37:34
kinds of people.
00:37:35
I had Asian roommates, panamanian roommate,
00:37:39
african-american roommates, dominican roommates, and I've I
00:37:42
learned from all of them.
00:37:43
So I feel like my cooking is a a mosh pit of all of those like
00:37:48
amazing cultures oh, that's nice .
00:37:50
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Do you cook every day for your family
00:37:53
or not?
00:37:53
Every day, maybe like three, four times a week yeah, guys,
00:37:57
and what's your favorite thing to cook, favorite thing?
00:37:59
Naeemah LaFond: to cook, I would say haitian food.
00:38:02
I'm haitian, um, because it's like a low and slow kind of
00:38:07
process right and I love that, especially for a Sunday where I
00:38:12
have nothing to do.
00:38:13
Light a few candles, pour some wine, start cooking.
00:38:18
It's going to take a few hours.
00:38:19
You can sit down, read an excerpt from a book, get back on
00:38:22
the stove.
00:38:23
I love Haitian cooking for its low and slow and kind of like
00:38:28
nurturing that you have to do to it.
00:38:30
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: Yeah, yeah, oh, that's amazing.
00:38:33
Great Sounds like your best way to spend a Sunday.
00:38:37
Naeemah LaFond: Yes, yeah, yeah yeah.
00:38:39
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: So if people want to work with you,
00:38:42
tap into your knowledge and get hold of you, where can they find
00:38:46
you?
00:38:47
Naeemah LaFond: Well, you can find me on my social it's, at
00:38:50
Naeem El-Fan on Instagram and also on LinkedIn, naeem Elifan.
00:38:55
If you want to learn from me, please come to Texture On Set.
00:39:01
So excited again about this event, with Olaplex at the helm
00:39:04
helping me make this happen.
00:39:06
So I really hope that there's continued support for that,
00:39:10
because with that support makes it happen again and again and
00:39:13
again.
00:39:13
So, yes, great, wonderful.
00:39:16
Kutloano Skosana Ricci: And that is all from me this time around
00:39:18
.
00:39:18
I hope you've enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed
00:39:22
putting it together.
00:39:22
Thanks to Naima for sharing her story so generously, and you
00:39:27
can learn more about some of her work in the show notes.
00:39:29
And while you are there, please share, like and rate the
00:39:33
podcast so that others can find it.
00:39:35
Five stars would be amazing.
00:39:38
Thank You.
00:39:38
I'm Kutloano Skosana Ricci, and until next time.
00:39:42
Please do take good care.