The business may be AI-informed and primarily digital in focus, but the partners realise that some physical presence, either through retail or in-person consultations, will be critical “to build trust”, says Kendle. “We want to bring women into rooms where they will really understand our products. We have to help customers understand why we’re a great value proposition.”
Making an impact in a crowded market
Parfait enters a crowded field with thousands of players, ranging from local salons to celebrities to bigger fish such as Artnature, Hair Zone, Mayvenn, Rumei and Balmain. “The industry has really been in the African American community, the hair sold in small local stores and salons. Now, that has really grown into the mainstream and that’s because of social media,” says Safiya Ghori-Ahmad, regional director at consultancy McLarty Associates. “There’s been huge exponential growth.”
Parfait hopes to clean up some of the dirty supply chain issues such as forced labour, exploited providers and damaging wig glues that compromise women’s health. “It’s really about building an infrastructure for the whole industry,” says Igbinedion.
“What we’re seeing is young people want to make the industry more ethical,” says Ghori-Ahmad. For instance, in India, in a bid to help citizens monetise their hair, the government has cracked down on middlemen harvesting free hair from the temples where it’s left as offerings to the gods, explains Ghori-Ahmad.
Parfait, which manufactures in Dallas, Texas, receives product from India, Vietnam and other APAC countries, notably the Philippines, where it says it is working hard on sourcing afro kinky hair with a tight curl, traditionally a difficult ask for an industry that favours straight hair.
Rihanna’s rumoured move into haircare has created a buzz in the sector — a trademark registration for Fenty Hair was reported last year, although the company has made no announcement. Insider rumblings suggest a team may be in place working on it. Fenty declined to comment
“Rihanna’s entry into the sector would help push the whole industry forward,” notes Ghori-Ahmad. Fenty’s impact as a brand on diversity, ethical sourcing and inclusivity of all peoples could be game-changing. That is if Parfait doesn’t change the game first.
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