THE INNOVATOR
Clients Zoë Kravitz, Janelle Monáe, Kat Graham, Kelly Rowland, Solange Knowles Just like the musicians she styles, Nikki Nelms has got high range – you’ll see her create everything from bou ants to Afro pu s adorned with rolling googly eyes. And whether it’s seashell-adorned braids on Solange Knowles or a platinum blond pixie on Zoë Kravitz, Nikki’s looks are always eyecatchingly cool, and her influence trickles down to the masses. “Celebrities should lead the way and make people at home think they can, too,” she says.
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Using things that have nothing to do with hair makes any style much more interesting. I’m always pushing the boundaries. Sometimes I don’t even have things in my kit because it forces me to get more creative on site.
A HAIR STATEMENT ISN’T ALWAYS A POLITICAL STATEMENT
It’s not a movement when someone decides to be themselves. When you go on a red carpet as a celebrity and choose to be your natural self and people consider that a movement or a protest, I think that says more about the interpreter than the interpreted. What’s the big deal with me wearing what I was born with?
SHE’S ON A MISSION FOR THE NEXT GEN
I want to try and show black girls how amazing we are without having to be co-signed. We don’t need to be imitated to know our own worth. Takisha SturdivantDrew met her first celebrity client at the salon she was working. Kerry Washington is still a client more than a decade later. And while she’s not afraid to tease coils to the max (google Kerry’s 2018 Met Gala Afro) or play with butt-grazing platinum wigs, she also encourages her clients to maintain optimum hair health so they can embrace their natural texture when they want to. “I’m always telling people: put this in your hair, or don’t use a flatiron. I educate them,” she says.
IT TAKES ONE TO CHANGE THE NORM
When we walk in with natural hair, people are like, “This hair is so dicult. How do you do it? Can I touch it?” The first thing they want to do is blow it out. Kerry was one of the first to have natural hair on the red carpet.
ADD WOW FACTOR
I love using extensions and wigs in a creative way. Cynthia Erivo’s hair is super short – maybe 5cm7cm – but when I gave her two braids past her hip, it was the biggest hit because it captured her edgy personality.
STEER CLEAR OF TRENDS
I like to be di erent. If everyone is straight, I want to go curly. I look at Instagram to see what people are doing, then I change it up.