This month, virgin extensions company Indique Hair partnered with Miss Jessie’s to launch the It’s Natural beauty campaign. Why exactly would a natural hair brand partner with a weave company?
Protective styling.
From the Indique Hair press release:
Just in time for Summer, the It’s Natural beauty campaign empowers women to embrace protective styling methods that promote healthy hair without foregoing the desired textured curls, coils and kinks look. For the entire month of May, visit any Indique Hair boutique to try Miss Jessie’s hair products, receive a personal consultation with an Indique Hair expert or view our Summer ready hair tips below.
Beyond covering your tresses for the summer, the It’s Natural beauty campaign seeks to educate ladies on how to protect hair under weaves and care for textured additions. The campaign is aimed at transitioners, naturals, and anyone looking to give hair a break from heat styling, manipulation, and environmental elements.
I reached out to Indique’s Marketing Coordinator, Trevon Williams for more information on how the campaign came about. According to Williams, “Indique’s founder Ericka Dotson is good friends with Miss Jessie’s founders Miko and Titi. They have been talking about the possibility of a collaboration for a while now and finally decided to launch this year.” He further elaborates that “[Indique] did not explore [partnership with] any other brands; this was a very organic partnership for us. Miss Jessie’s and Indique Hair are both pioneers within the hair industry.”
Clients at any of the 13 Indique boutiques nationwide can expect to receive a “Quick 5 Consult” with a Client Care Liaison, who will explain natural hair maintenance and which Indique textures are best suited to to their particular preferences and lifestyle. Within this consult, clients will also be introduced to Miss Jessie’s products primed for their own personal hair care, as well as the maintenance of the extensions.
Protective styling with wigs and weaves is one of many polarizing preferences within the natural hair community. Some ladies love the convenience and versatility these extensions offer, in addition to protecting their strands. Others view them as a means of avoiding the reality of embracing one’s true texture and length while simultaneously reinforcing the idea that our hair as it grows from our heads is not good enough or too difficult to deal with. Although I am indifferent to the matter, I tip my hat to companies like Indique, Big Chop Hair, and Heat Free Hair who at least offer extensions that cover the breadth of kinky, coily, and curly hair textures representative of our natural manes.
Equally as polarizing is the Miss Jessie’s brand. Touted as one of the pioneering brands in natural hair care, sisters Titi and Miko Branch launched the product line named for their paternal grandmother Miss Jessie Mae Branch in 2004. Although Miss Jessie’s has retained a loyal fan base through their products and salon services, they have experienced a fair share of criticism from detractors within the natural hair community — citing everything from co-founder Titi Branch’s silkened (texturized) tresses, to calling in to question product prices relative to the ingredient quality.
We at Black Girl with Long Hair would love to know what you all think of this partnership. Although it is only for the summer season, have Indique and Miss Jessie’s set the standard for future collaboration between two seemingly opposite ends of the Black hair spectrum? Or is this a major marketing move to expose weave-wearing ladies to Miss Jessie’s products to drum up business, and introduce more natural hair clients to the option of kinky and curly weaves?
Share your thoughts! But as with all controversial topics, please keep the dialogue respectful.
