“I believe we are the creators of our own success and if you want something bad enough you can make it happen.” Lamiese Prior, Owner of Rumour Hair Extensions
What made you want to move to Dubai and how long have you lived here?
I visited Dubai about 15 years ago and stayed with friends and since then I always wanted to live here as I hated the cold UK weather. I moved here about 5 years ago and it’s been amazing to watch the hair extension industry grow and being a part of that growth.
What’s your business/job role now?
After years of trying to source the best hair suitable for Dubai we have finally found an amazing brand, which we are excited to share with clients in Dubai.
The launch of this brand couldn’t be timed better as its affordable, delivered within the same day and the quality of the hair is amazing. Rumour is a luxury human hair extension supplier that can be purchased by both salons and clients directly and both myself and husband are the proud owners and distributors of the brand.
Tell us about your ‘hair’ background?
I have been obsessed with hair extensions since I was around 11 years old. My childhood friend had afro hair and would regularly take me to her local supplier, which was a hair extension shop based in Peckham and catered towards clients with afro hair. She showed me all the different types of weaves and explained the grades and how to colour match the extensions to normal hair. I would buy wefts for my friends and started by sewing the clips onto the wefts. This was long before I saw any brand bring out clip ins. I feel like I missed the boat a little there.
As I grew older another friend of mine who was a hairdresser taught me how to properly fit hair extensions before going on to get my proper qualifications.
When I moved to Dubai I couldn’t find anywhere to fit my hair, there were no brands present here and no one had even heard of micro rings. I set up an Instagram account and the rest is history. As an extensionist having been a master extensionist/super stylist for various well established brands it has always been a dream to one day bring out my own brand so it’s something I’ve worked on for years but the brand had to be perfect before I took the leap.
What’s your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement would be making my own dreams come true. I believe we are the creators of our own success and if you want something bad enough you can make it happen.
We don’t rely on outside agencies to grow our brand and have done everything in house from creating the brand name, designing the colours & packaging, website creation and managing our social media accounts ourselves. This is a huge achievement for me as you not only have to be a specialist in hair extensions but everything else that makes the business tick over.
Women empowerment – what are your thoughts on it?
I believe women should always encourage and empower each other. It’s a tough industry and unfortunately not everyone is kind or supportive. Hair extensions are a great way for women to add confidence and you see the difference from when they walk into a salon without extensions to the bounce and hair flicks they do when leaving the salon with a fresh set of extensions. There used to be a stigma on women wearing hair extensions and association with being fake, however you never know someone’s story. We see all kinds of clients, who have been through hair loss, thinning hair, lack of confidence due to past relationships …the list goes on and by adding hair extensions these women get a little bit of that confidence back. I love that feeling.
Favourite clothing stores?
At the moment I’m obsessed with a new boutique in Dubai called Hi Maintenance. @himaintenance.ae Our models wore their dresses in our recent video shoot and they looked gorgeous. I will definitely be buying some of their dresses.
Who inspires you?
“Self Made” – Madam C.J Walker
She was the first African American self-made millionaire. She worked so hard and had so many heartbreaking knockbacks as well as jealousy, yet she made it with nothing handed to her on a plate. If I ever have a bad day I think of this and remember that if it was easy everyone would be doing it…and I keep going.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Never give up on your dreams. Not everyone has the same dream as you so don’t be put off if not everyone believes or understands your vision. I also think life is so short so if you want something just do it. No one ever regrets trying