THE WILSON BARBERS
SOLIDARITY HAIRDRESSING ASSOCIATION
Watch the video: we explain everything! (FRENCH)
THE PROJECT
After several years of itinerant hairdressing, we want to go further and offer the solidarity hairdressing service in a real hair salon.
We do not wish to be 100% dependent on aid or subsidies, so we have chosen a hybrid business model :
- a commercial part for 4 days
- a solidarity part for 2 days
(and a closing day because we also need to rest !)
In 2022, we were winners of the Cognacq-Jay Foundation Prize for this project and have won support in incubation with La Ruche, the creation of our brand identity by Make Sense and €5,000.
In 2023, THE HUMAN SAFETY NET, support program for refugee entrepreneurs, funded in France by the Generali Foundation among others, who agreed to accompany us.
Thanks to them, our project is moving forward and will be able to open its doors in 2024!
The concept
The "commercial' hairsalon
SEVENS SEAS, as it will be the name of the salon, will be open from Wednesday to Saturday to the general public.
As we want to fight discrimination usually encountered in hairsalons, we will offer
- gender-neutral pricing
- care for all hair types (Caucasian, curly, frizzy, afro...)
In addition, we will offer treatments with highly natural and/or organic products, ideally made in France.
We will work closely withCAPILLUM, for hair recycling.
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The "solidarity" hairsalon
2 days a week, Sundays and Mondays, the salon will be open to Wilson Barbers so that solidarity action can take place between walls, while other sessions will continue on the streets, like today.
The clients will be people in a precarious situation, oriented by partner associations.
On Mondays, the day will be dedicated to training and experienced barbers or volunteer trainers will come to train the volunteers.
SEVEN SEAS? Funny name
Seven Seas, these are the seven seas crossed by the hairdressers, by our customers. Real seas but also internal seas; we all have our histories, are all more or less banged up.
Seven Seas is also the reference to the song "Sweet Dreams" of Eurythmics.
"Sweet Dreams" is a positive message. In the biography of Annie Lennox published in 2001 and entitled "Annie Lennox: The Biography", Annie Lennox explains the meaning of "Sweet Dreams". According to her, the lyrics focus on humanity's quest to find fulfillment in life. And to do this, humanity must remain driven by its "sweet dreams".
Seven Seas is our own "sweet dream", and we hope it will soon come true!
“Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
I travel the world
And the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something”
WE ARE SUPPORTED BY
