What we're about
Hair Collect was born from a conversation with friends in Uganda in mid 2018, a lot of laughter, dreams of making a difference and a moment where we all thought “You know, that could actually work!”
As we began to look at what the difference could look like, we thought about sustainability, quality and commitment to collaborating with the hair industry. The idea of creating a social enterprise was born. We saw that there was an opportunity for industry partnership between hair stylists and salons in New Zealand and a place where the people getting their hair cut could give their hair to be made into wigs and weaves. Part of the profits would go into transforming communities in Africa.
In June, we went over to Uganda, working on a missions project to help a struggling organisation find its feet. We connected with Ivan and Brenda, who have vast experience in sales, distribution and strategic system roll-out. They shared their ideas about wanting to make an impact in their communities and it became clear to us that this really could happen.
We had been used to charities as a way to make the world better, but ethical business began to make sense. If you want to make a change to people in poverty, give them skills that are in demand and jobs that help them provide for their communities.
We are two cultures coming together to make something that neither of us could do on our own. It’s also about inviting others into our story and giving them the opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life.
That thing is as simple as getting a haircut.