Ivorian model and hairstylist, Helena Koudou, has inspired a short film with her creativity in braiding. The 23-year-old started at the age of 13 as the youngest braider in her family’s shop Alima’s Hair Braiding in Brooklyn. Her natural ingenuity makes it possible for her to create artful braided looks that she showcases to the world on social media.
Her amazing talent caught the attention of Josef Adamu, a brilliant story teller who runs a creative agency “Sunday School”, using innovative methods through visual story telling to improve brand awareness and visibility.
Combining efforts, Adamu and Helena created – “The Hair Appointment”. As a co-producer on the project, Helena interpreted the art that is black hair and its cultural relevance. She came up with beautiful braided hairstyles adorned with cowries and hair accessories that showcases not just the flexibility of hair but also the richness of black hair and its capacity for different representations.
Explaining the project to Vogue, Helena shared; “The Hair Appointment” is focused on the beauty of African braiding and the community surrounding getting your hair braided in a salon versus doing your hair at home. The stylist-client bond is such a beautiful connection. We talk about everything in the chair.”
The film also seeks to celebrate the natural hair community at a time when women still face discrimination for their hairstyles. All over the world, Africans are gradually dominating; from politics to education, to entertainment, sports and technology, all possibly attributed to the brilliance in African creativity and the passion in presentation.
Checkout the “The Hair Appointment” below:
(Part 1)
(Part 2)
