During the 25th anniversary of Essence Festival, SheaMoisture presented House of Hair Pop-Up Social Club in partnership with activist and writer Michaela angela Davis, who carved out the space to center and affirm Black women and Black girl culture using hair as the organizing principal to talk about identity, diversity, social justice, and global politics.
The bespoke activation brought together executives from Sundial Brands (SheaMoisture’s parent company) and influential leaders including Valerie Jarrett, Elaine Welteroth, Dapper Dan and Ledisi, for intimate and meaningful community conversations moderated by Davis.
The pop-up social club, which was as immersive as it was interactive, was a celebration of how far we’ve come in our identity. SheaMoisture, known for its deep commitment to family traditions, used this opportunity to highlight our unique hair heritage and culture.
“SheaMoisture’s House of Hair with Michaela served as a rallying point for our community to come together in an immersive space that encouraged discussion and storytelling ‘around the kitchen table,’ including a conversation series with influential leaders in business, community, and entertainment,” said Kimberly Paige, chief operating and brand officer at Sundial Brands.
To continue to empower women and highlight the extraordinary history and evolution of our hair, Paige says the brand recognizes the importance of looking back to look forward.
Using a creole themed kitchen as the backdrop for the event, Davis hoped to invoke a safe environment for sharing cultural conversations. “The notion is that there are two places where black women can gather, and tell the truth, and organize, and share, and that’s the kitchen and the beauty salon,” shares Davis.
“The House of Hair was built on several notions. The first one is the notion of house in a very literal way. Home is a place to gather, and the kitchen is the center of the house, the place where we did hair, where we told stories, where we made things more beautiful, and where we made things right. Lots of political organizing happens in the kitchen and lots of personal organizing. The notion is that we need spaces to just be, hang out, tell stories, share tips, and talk about our history.”
In the future, Davis hopes to create more spaces for Black Women and our excellence and our joy, including an actual house where the programming is curated for us. To stay up to date with the House Of Hair In Real Life follow @houseofhairirl on Instagram.
Attendees had an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations and enjoy sounds from DJ B-Hen and DJ Billzegypt. To see who popped up at the pop-up shop, check out the gallery below.
