I AM A DREAMER

My Birthday is today....... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

I am a dreamer, I dream a lot and most of my dreams come true because along with dreaming I take action, so for the next 364 days I will be working hard toward one of my biggest and most consistent dreams which is to design and develop a successful clothing brand. I know that in writing my dreams down, sending it out to the universe, working hard and being consistent... my dreams will manifest. I tell people constantly that you have to get up, get out and do something, anything, big or small that will lead you to your ultimate dream because every step leads you somewhere the key is to start stepping! Now my dream is not just about designing and developing my clothing brand. I also want a brick and mortar and online store, along with having the brand selling successfully in other stores,  Ive been a hairstylist for 23 years and its a labor of love BUT its labor.... I want all my love and passion to translate into a profitable business that will work for me while I am asleep, so heres to taking the first STEP (writing it down and sharing it with you) I will update my progress along the way and if you have any questions, comments or advice as always send me an email folliclesandfashion@gmail.com or send me a message on instagram @folliclesandfashion

Until next time Xx 

folliclesandFASHION spotlight

For many years I have listened and then watched Wendy Williams first on radio then everyday on her nationally syndicated talk show bearing her name, and over the years I have watched her experiment with different hairstyles and I have to say that Wendy has really evolved in the Wig department. Wendy’s late “Wig-ologist” or ‘Wig” as she lovingly called Antoine Jackson was amazing at giving Wendy hair that fit her style and personality (Antoine passed away in 2016). The question became who could step up and continue with the evolution of the “Wig”? Enter Robyn Michele or “Wiggy” as Wendy affectionately refers to her. 

folliclesandFASHION had the chance  to talk with Robyn and get the inside scoop on who she is, where she came from and where she is going.. in this Wig Wig world :-)

fF. Hi Robyn, Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, lets start with Where are you from?

RM. 
I am from Central Jersey, I’ve moved away, but have since returned to raise my son here and be with my mother she is literally the help of a whole village and one of my best friends.

fF.  When did you know you wanted to be a hairstylist? and are you licensed or just formally trained in wig making?

RM. 
Initially I didn’t I was in Fashion, I started doing hair in or around 2000 after receiving multiple bad weave jobs I would sit and draw out various braid patterns that would help achieve a flat install and I would then go to an African Hair Braiding salon to have them braid according to my design and then I would go home and sew it in. I taught myself how to install extensions and not long after my friends and friends of their friends would come and have me do theirs. I would meet them at the hair braiding salons to have their hair braided before bringing them back to my house to sew their hair in. I learned how to braid years later.

My career in fashion stopped when the economy fell in 2008. I was pregnant at the time with my son Aidan so I did what I knew how to do and started letting people know I was available to do weaves. Later that year I moved to Georgia and placed an ad on Craigslist to do sew-ins and eventually sourced hair from India and started to retail it. Overtime I saw that I was far more invested in hair than I ever expected, I would go to Barnes and Noble to read through International fashion and hair magazines to see what styles, tools and products they were using. I was completely inspired! I moved back to NJ in 2010 and decided to take the leap and enroll at Paul Mitchell and haven’t looked back since. So although initially self trained, I am Licensed and have taken various extension classes as well as classes specializing in wig making by hand and sewing machine.

fF. What would you say has been your "Mama Ive made it moment"

RM. 
My biggest hair moment to date would be the first day Wendy wore one of my custom Luxe Units tm that I created for her.

(Wendy Williams first show wearing a LUXE unit)

I remember being at home depressed, having anxiety attacks about posting my work on Instagram, crying and just praying for God to help me push myself enough to continue to mange the few orders I would get per month. Fast forward to “Here’s Wendy!!!!!!” The doors open and Wendy walks through wearing a custom colored wig that I made, Something I meticulously created on my sewing machine, considering every detail, Something that I was struggling to share on social media for lack of popularity and likes… yet here I am with my work being seen in over 50 countries on a nationally syndicated show and worn by a woman known for her love and daily usage of wigs.

Wendy in a sleek bob  and Textured LUXE unit

My God! I”m still teary eyed thinking of it. I didn’t even pray for this… my prayers weren’t big enough. Grateful that God saw me worthy!

fF. 5 things in your hair/wig kit you cant live without?

RM.

5 things I can’t live without in my hair kit:

Want to know the truth? There’s nothing that I swear by as of yet .

I use babyliss tools and h2pro at the moment. I also like some of IGk products, but I use a mixture of a lot of things. It’s not like I will freak  out if I leave my fave hairspray and have to run and grab another. I make pretty much whatever work.

NAMASTE Wendy in a loose wave LUXE unit

fF. Working for such a big personality like Wendy Williams in a busy city like New York, do you have a morning ritual to help you start your day? or a calming one for the end of the night? 

RM.

My morning ritual is to be silent, or listen to some praise music or a sermon. I like to think and process my day.

I pray with my son before he goes to school and having my coffee is a MUST.

We always end our day with prayer as well. He is really gonna be a prayer warrior when he grows up. I’m pretty proud of that.
fF. Best advice you've ever gotten? and best advice to pass along?

RM.

The best advice I’ve ever gotten is to be about what you say you are about. It was from a fashion stylist years ago when, He said one of the worse things you can do is to hype your skill set up to get a job, but when you get the job you can’t live up to it.

Best advice I can give someone is to learn how to see you the way God sees you. Develop an intimate relationship with Him and let him lead you. Balance is so important to me, but having that relationship with God can give you peace and balance in the most disruptive and unsteady situations. Lastly, to not be celeb focused. Worry about being great and innovative and let your character and skill set position you. Celebrity clientele is one part of the equation. There’s so much more to being viewed as successful.

The best advice I’ve ever gotten is to be about what you say you are about. It was from a fashion stylist years ago when, He said one of the worse things you can do is to hype your skill set up to get a job, but when you get the job you can’t live up to it.
 fF. What's on the list for you Robyn? Whats next?
RM.

What’s next for me is my wig line with The Wig Haus. I am proud to create a home for my Luxe Units, Also being an Educator, Brand ambassador, Employer, Mental health advocate, Makeup artist, Wardrobe stylist, Home decor and more lol. This year has been about taking the limits off. Whatever I can do and whatever GOD wants me to do.... That is what you will see me doing.

“I love hair in general, whether working with wigs or a clients own hair. However, I do have a deeper love for wigs and hairpieces because I love that I can give my clients exactly what they want, even if that’s not what they have”.

                                                                                                                                          Robyn Michele

You can find out more about Robyn here;  http://www.robynmichelebeauty.com/

and follow her journey on instagram https://www.instagram.com/robynmichelebeauty/?hl=en

Edward Enninful

follicles &

FASHION spotlight.....

                          EDWARD ENNINFUL

I have been obsessed with fashion for as long as my memory serves me, I read fashion magazines from cover to cover, (yes I love the feel of a paper in my hands) and even though fashion is a notoriously undiversified industry for one that is supposed to cater to a diverse clientele.. I love it! and like so many of us fashion loving brown girls who read and absorb the information and images off those pages we take the knowledge and apply it to "us" in the way that suits 'us'. So imagine the  complete joy in my heart, knowing that someone whose career I have followed for years has been appointed to Editor in Chief of one of the most influential woman's fashion magazine British Vogue

Edward Enninful was introduced to fashion at the age of 16 by stylist Simon Foxton who worked for cult magazines i-D and Arena and scounted non-agency models. Edward became a model and later Simons assistant while modeling, two years later the founder of i-D magazine Terry Jones appointed him the youngest EVER fashion editor of an international magazine.. 

Edward was 18 and since then he has held prestigious positions at both Italian Vogue (contributing editor) and American Vogue as a (freelance stylist) Edward has also been the creative and style director at W magazine since 2011. soooooooo....... Why is this a huge deal! Edward Enninful is the first Non-White and Male to hold this position since the magazine was founded in 1916 he is also the first Black editor of any of the editions 22 globally!!!!! and almost all the design heads of major brands are white as are their chief executives, so the fact that a BLACK man will be in such a visible position is a major step.

I couldn't be more proud.. and not just because Edward is breaking boundaries but because he DESERVES it! such a beautiful spirit (from the stories I hear) and such an amazing talent and image maker, and It warms my heart to know that he is close friends with Naomi Campbell

Edward we will be praying for your continued success please keep up with Edward on IG and snapchat: edward_enninful 

www.edwardenninful.com

Chaos

Street Style

Street Style

Camo

Obsessed

Im completely inLuv.... 

Green Addiction

Im so obsessed with green hair

Marley Dias - Fashion Spotlight

                                                                  

If we want to see a change in the world we have to step up and do our part, like Marley Dias the 11yr old girl from New Jersey who wanted to see a change in the books she was given to read by her school, books that predominately featured young white males as the main characters, so last fall Marley had the bright idea to collect #1000BlackGirlBooks, "It was the desire to see black girls and our experiences in the books that I was given to read at school that forced me to speak my truth"

#1000BlackGirlBooks is a book drive to collect books where girls/women of color are the main characters. It took a little while to take off but Marley has started a movement! collecting over 4,000 books and counting, appearances on major network talk shows and interviews by some of our favorite magazines including ELLE magazine, which is one of my personal favorites. This movement has lead Elle magazine to team up with Marley and give her another platform, a Zine geared toward black girls called Marley Mag  

           

          " I always knew I want to be the kind of grownup who makes people's lives better"

 We all have thoughts on how we would like things to be, but very few of us take the action to see our thoughts through and while its easy to complain and wait for "Change" it takes real courage to be the CHANGE. folliclesandFASHION salutes Marley Dias for stepping up and stepping out with this movement, it is much needed in our community and will help so many black girls read stories they can relate to, be inspired and motivated by. I have been an avid book reader since 2nd grade and a network like this, could have had a major impact on me, as a girl growing up in Harlem in one of the roughest neighborhoods. Most of the books I read when I was younger served as an escape from my reality and opened my eyes to new people, places and things both good and bad but I cannot remember reading many books that featured black people in general, let alone black girls in a positive upbeat and inspiring way, so I encourage you to share this information because there are so many #Blackgirls doing amazing things and we need to applaud and support them. 

                                                                Knowledge is Power

                                                                      Inspiration

Fiction - Age Level - Grades 3-5

Historical Fiction Classic - Age Level - Grades 5-8 

Autobiography - Age Level - Grades 6-8

Marley saw something that she wanted to change and figured out a way to do it, now you can help and support this movement by clicking the link and sharing it.  

 http://grassrootscommunityfoundation.org/1000-black-girl-books-resource-guide/  

http://www.elle.com/marleymag/

Accessory Addict

iLuv a good hair accessory! especially headbands and barrettes when they have  some edge to them, Ive never been the flowered headband type of girl, that is  unless it has black jewel encrusted flowers on it. I'm obsessed with these barrettes from http://www.luvaj.com/

iLuv the studded detail

 Sleek studded sophistication

 Usually I say do one studded item at a time so you don't look like you belong in a 1980's rock band but this combo works! Simple stud bobby pins give the hair some edge, but doesn't compete with this Ahmazing  studded leather jacket that I'm drooling over.....iLUV