Creative hairdressing with the use of only natural materials

Nadeen Mateky is hair stylist for fashion show(*). She uses only natural materials like raffia, wire and cardboard. She is preparing the setting up of an international diploma and the opening of hairdressing schools in Africa.

Her main inspiration source is her continent, its myths, legends and royalties. She has the great luck to know her great-grand mother who transmitted her the stories that only oral tradition can pass. "Born in Congo-Brazzaville, I began hair style at eight years old. My grand-mother tought me her savoir-faire, her taste and the respect of hair: I preferred to stay with her learning everything about hair, rather than playing with the other children. In Africa, all types of hairdressing have a special significance, their form and height indicate the social rank of the person who wear it, how pigtails are made, the volume and the number of accessories, everything is highly codified."

Nadeen has made all hairstyles of the Black Queens project. "I wanted to figure a black Mami Wata, like a mermaid with a natural spectacular hairstyle. In Mali, women both wear turbans or headscarves on their head and dress very well for ceremonies, wearing a lot of jewels: I wanted to highlight the Malian woman through hairdressing."

"Everything began in 2012, when I created the hairdressing of a jewel fashion show: at the end of the day, I went to the event manager and told her that the next fashion show will be mine. I was then invited in Abidjan as a jury on a television broadcast, to vote for the best hairdresser in Africa. During my journey, I went to the market and saw a lot of young girls making hairdressing: I decided to open a school to teach hairdressing and the way to express one's creativity through hair style, the heritage and the history of hair, through an international diploma with a high level of teaching, because there are nuggets in Africa."