00:15Hello and welcome to Made in Kent live on KMTV. I'm Foray Adelie and this is the show where we
00:21explore the world of businesses and creators throughout the county. This week we are exploring
00:26the beauty industry from stores to schools in Kent. First this week our reporter Maria Klesas
00:32visited Textures and Curls, Canterbury's first black hair product store to discuss the importance
00:37of their business within the community. Let's take a look. After a long period of waiting and
00:43increasing demand, Canterbury is now home to its first black hair product store. I'm here at
00:49Textures and Curls, Canterbury's first black hair product store. I'm speaking with the owner and
00:54customers to explore the significance of this long-awaited local business. My background
00:59is hairdressing, so I've been a hairdresser for more than 30 years and this was just a
01:06natural transition from standing behind the chair to selling hair products. You have to
01:22be able to store it in country. It started off more as a want and then it turned out into
01:33a need and that
01:35was because I transitioned in 2018 and started wearing my hair curly and I didn't know how much
01:41product I'd need. Every shampoo day was a challenge. It had to be planned because you go into town, there's
01:47no
01:47products. You have to order products. So I'd meet other women and we'd be standing in the aisles looking
01:53at how little there was in terms of products for curly textured hair. What inspires me to come here
01:59every morning is meeting different people. I didn't know how diverse Canterbury was until I opened the shop
02:07but what I've come to realize is everybody needs a product. You know, it's not just the afro wearing
02:15lady. It's also the mixed race people with curly hair, you know, the white ladies with wavy hair.
02:22So it's become a lot of my customers, my repeat customers, it's become a need. They don't have to
02:29stress about it so they can just walk in and get what they need. And yeah, so it's starting to
02:35fit into the
02:36community. This business is not only defined by its convenience but the excellent services it provides
02:41that differentiates it from other hair product stores. I give advice, I talk to my clients, I ask
02:47what they need, what they're currently using, if how it's working and then we try out different things.
02:54Recently we started doing hair process so that's a very recent addition. Hair services are not the only
03:02thing that they provide. They also have an in-store seamstress who offers tailoring and alteration services
03:07as well as hair bonnet making.
03:09I design and I make my own clothes. I do the simplest things from mending a hole to altering trousers,
03:18skirts,
03:19anything. Yeah. And I also design clothes. Yeah. I spoke to Nwai and she said, why don't you just come
03:26and use that?
03:27Yeah. So this is my little studio. Even with their ability to remain consistent with new stock,
03:33they still face challenges as a new and growing small business.
03:37The hair pieces change with the trends and I have some young customers who will come and tell me
03:43what is trending and I'll get that in if I can get it in. And then I have the staple
03:51products that
03:54always need to be in the shop that people always come and get. I try and stock the best products
04:00and have a different price range to meet everybody's pocket. Actually getting people to know that we're
04:08here. That's been, I think, and let the community know that we're catering for the black community.
04:18Maria Cletus for KMTV. Next, earlier today, I spoke with hairdressing trainee Phoebe Snook
04:26about her training and studies, as well as her future in the industry. Here's what she had to say.
04:33Thank you, Phoebe, for joining me today. My first question is, what things do you focus on within your studies?
04:42So, at the moment, I'm just doing my NVQ Level 2 and it involves cutting hair, run-up cuts, shortcuts,
04:52bobs, fringes. I'm also doing colour. So, I do highlighting, permanent colour, quasis and I'm slowly
05:02getting into like funkier hair colours now. What career opportunities are there after studies?
05:09Working in a salon or at home, I can like build my own mobile hairdressing career and just working
05:19in bridal hair as well. And you mentioned mobile hairdressing earlier. So, how common is that in the
05:27business industry? It's slowly becoming a lot more common now, as people kind of like to work around
05:36home life and do their own hours. But, I would say that there's still a lot that people can do.
05:50And what advice would you give to someone considering this profession?
05:56I think it's a really good profession to get into. There's lots of different like career paths along the
06:01way. And where I'm kind of a little bit older now as well, and I have children, it's like a
06:08really good
06:08step for anyone that's willing to get out of their comfort zone.
06:12And lastly, what impact has social media had on your profession?
06:18Putting things on my social media has gained me a lot of clients. They've seen it online and family and
06:26friends have shared it.
06:27And then they've shared that. And then that kind of has built up my clientele for me.
06:32And it's made me realize progress that I've made as well.
06:35Thank you so much for joining us today, Phoebe.
06:38Well, now that we've heard from those who work and train within the hair sector of the beauty industry,
06:43what about the world of nail salons? This week, we sent our reporter Jay Blakeslee to Maidstone High Street to
06:50interview members of the public and hear their opinions about the businesses that offer nail treatment services.
06:55Let's hear what he found out.
06:58Did you know that the material that goes into making your hair, keratin, also goes into the production of your
07:03nail?
07:03I'm here to talk to the public on how they feel about nail salons.
07:07I cannot do my own nails. I'm terrible. So professional every time.
07:10Get them done by a professional.
07:12I prefer to do my own nails at home.
07:14I used to get them done by a professional, but then lately, I've been starting to try and grow them
07:20myself.
07:21I go and get my nails done about every three weeks.
07:23Probably like once a month because they would grow out, so you'd have to go and get them back.
07:28I used to get them done probably once a month, but it was just a little bit expensive.
07:32I think they are an important business because it does help with your own health and well-being,
07:37I think, because it's just a really nice feeling to go and get a little bit of pampering done every
07:42so often.
07:42When I get my nails done, I feel good about myself and I feel a bit more confident using my
07:47hands and stuff.
07:47I think they are, to be honest. They're on every high street.
07:50Even if you only do it once every so often and don't go regularly, it's still a nice thing to
07:55do.
07:56It is quite important. It brings jobs to the high street and various places,
08:02and people enjoy doing it, having their nails done at nail bars.
08:05I think people enjoy getting their nails done, just the same reason why anyone likes getting their hair done.
08:11It just makes them feel more confident and it's something that you're treating yourself to.
08:15It makes you feel really good and smart and it's relaxing and it's a pamper.
08:21I think it makes you feel good, you feel more confident when you've got your nails done.
08:26Well, that's how I feel anyway. You just feel nice, put together, confident.
08:29It's definitely a bit of me time and sometimes that can be very hard to come by in our society
08:35because we're so busy doing everything else.
08:38Now let's take a moment to delve into the statistics of the beauty industry and its success here in Kent,
08:43as well as some of the challenges both stores and clients are facing.
08:48Joining me this week to bring us the deep dive is Aaliyah Pritchard.
08:58How successful are hair and beauty businesses in Kent and the UK?
09:01So if we look at nationwide numbers quickly, the beauty industry makes up more than one percent
09:07of the UK's total gross domestic product in 2024 and in that year contributed more than each of the
09:13sectors of sports, amusement and recreation. And according to the National Hair and Beauty
09:18Federation report, there were more than 63,800 hair and beauty businesses operating in the UK in 2024.
09:26Now looking at Kent specifically, Chatham is leading the way in the country with an 83%
09:32increase in new hairdressing and beauty businesses since then.
09:36Gineham is also close behind with a 44% increase.
09:40And why do you think this is?
09:41Well, this could be a reflection of how people have started to really value
09:44in-person services and experiences that can't be done online, especially after COVID-19,
09:51when people were stuck indoors and had limited access to these kinds of businesses.
09:55And we heard earlier from Phoebe, there's a growing appeal for mobile hair and beauty
09:59service businesses. What about this business model could be driving the appeal for this?
10:04So as we heard Phoebe mentioned, for those running those businesses,
10:07it offers greatly flexible working hours in addition to being your own boss.
10:13But for the customer side of things, mobile services can offer a larger convenience for
10:18those with demanding schedules and a more personalized one-on-one experience.
10:23The advancement of technology has also improved the mobile business model,
10:27with booking online being easier. And for some businesses,
10:31augmented reality can even be used to give virtual try-ons and preview hairstyles.
10:36And earlier, we also looked at the need to further diversify the inclusivity of hair businesses.
10:41How have there been any formal steps taken to accomplish this?
10:46Well, back in June 2021, the national occupational standards for hairdressing were updated in an
10:53attempt to improve how diverse and inclusive the industry is. This update meant that all hairdressers
10:59in the UK were required to learn how to cut and style Afro-textured hair, which was a step forward
11:06to transforming the hair and beauty industry. However, we have been unable to find any additional
11:11implemented steps in the field since then.
11:21You've been watching Made in Kent live on KMTV. There's more news made just for Kent throughout
11:27the evening. Don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the local news across the county
11:32by logging on to KMTV.co.uk. You can keep up with your social media timelines by liking us on
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11:39and following us on Instagram. Thank you for joining us. Goodbye.
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