For decades, textured hair has felt like an afterthought on set, the runway, and in salon chairs. Award-winning hairstylist Naeemah LaFond saw firsthand how anxiety-inducing it could be for clients of color—whether they were talent on a photo shoot or a woman simply showing up to the salon to get her hair done—to not know if somebody was equipped to care for their curly or coily hair.
“I was consistently hearing and seeing from models about their bad experiences on set,” says LaFond. “Having worked in the industry for so long, I knew it wasn’t equitable.”
LaFond took all of those feelings and channeled them into creating the industry-disrupting hair show Texture On Set. Now in its third year, the one-day event had more than 300 attendees from editorial, celebrity, and industry leadership, with Olaplex as its presenting partner alongside sponsorships from Oribe, Pattern Beauty, Dyson, Sharkbeauty, SalonCentric, and The Deoux.
For LaFond and her partners, the day was about more than just education—they are building a community of professionals who are deeply invested in creating a more equitable fashion and beauty industry and supporting each other along the way. Professionals across generations and specialities came together to share knowledge and celebrate the pioneers who are creating space for more nuanced and equitable working conditions.
Jean Paul Dia
Curl specialist, educator, and Olaplex Global Ambassador Christin Brown led a tutorial on centering hair care in styling—emphasizing the humanity of the models and all that they as individuals and their hair go through to bring editorial visions to life. Later in the day, textured hair educator and Oribe Global Ambassador Stacey Ciceron demonstrated the nuances of styling the same sleek, slick-back ponytail on textured hair in different states—one model with blow-dried hair, the other with wet curls—offering expert insights on how to adapt your approach based on the talent’s hair upon arrival.
The show also foregrounded the history of Black hair with a presentation by makeup artist and historian Michela Wariebi on Black hair innovations from the 16th century to the present. “It’s very hard to be fully culturally competent without understanding the background of how we reached where we are,” Wariebi tells Vogue. “There is a lot of cultural context that offers insight into how Black people feel about hair, and why we feel that way, and why we act the way we do around our hair. Because it’s never been just about how the hair looks or aesthetics—it’s been a methodology for subjugation. It’s been a way for revolution and resistance.”