OUR STORY

 
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It all started IN 2010…

When a group of our recently-natural girlfriends who had been chatting on an email group decided to meet face to face at an apartment in Brooklyn, New York. Many of us had never met before, but the energy in the room that night was magical. We exchanged tips, swapped products, shared stories, and left knowing we had to do it again. And that more people needed to experience it.

Soon after, a few of us from the meetup started an event business called Curly Girl Collective, with a mission of making women with naturally textured hair feel beautiful, celebrated and appreciated.

For the next three years we hosted small events around the city. With each event, the demand grew stronger, and it quickly became evident that the growing natural hair community needed an advocate to overcome the increasing challenges we were facing in American society. From elementary schools and team sports, to the armed forces and corporate America, natural hairstyles had become a target of scrutiny like never before. We knew we were at a pivotal point, and that a bigger platform was needed to shift the conversation and show the world that beauty comes in a range of shades, shapes and textures.

CURLFEST® was born to be the change that was long overdue in the beauty industry. To flip the false narrative around unruly brown beauty, and create one that accurately showcases the glory of our crowns, the richness of our skin, and the joy of our culture.

Despite our growth in such a short time, we remain humbled by the support our movement has received over the years. Our hope is that the next generation of women and girls grow up knowing that whether fair-skinned or dark, straight-haired or kinky, beauty has many faces. Including theirs.

The Road to CURLFEST
with Curly Girl Collective

2011-2014

2011

Collective Expressions: A Celebration of Textured Beauty

 

Curl Crush: A Speed Hair Event

At Curly Girl Collective’s Curl Crush, ladies were invited to unplug from the internet and reconnect with the women that inspired them to go natural in the first place! In a playful series of quick “dates,” our guests made dozens of new curlfriends and met celebrity stylists, bloggers and experts to help them in their hair journeys.

2012

Mane Attraction: His Voice, Her Hair

2013

All Dolled Up Holiday Charity Event

"All Dolled Up" :: A Holiday Charity Event :: December 5, 2013 from Curly Girl Collective on Vimeo.

Video credit: Natasha Gaspard (Mane Moves TV)

On December 5th, 2013 Curly Girl Collective hosted All Dolled Up to collect brown curly dolls to be donated to the young girls at our charity partner, Girls Inc. The purpose of the event was to provide young black girls with toys that provide a positive and more realistic representation of their natural selves.

2014

CURLFEST