Small business can change the world (and this is how) with Elvies Studios
Live Chat with Ella from Elvies Studios
Today I'm chatting with Ella Rowe from Elvies Studios. Her hair salon is built, founded and run by people of colour, dedicated to making Elvies a safe and open home for everyone. They approach hair holistically. They don’t just cut hair, we want to know your story.
During this episode, Ella and I discuss:
How to decolonise the hair industry
Creating spaces that centralise BIPOC hair
Where Ella draws her inspiration from.
You can connect with Elvies Studio through these links: Website – Instagram – Facebook
Audio
Transcription
Fiona Johnston 00:00
Hello, it's me on your screen again, it's Fi here from Peach and I'm about to go live with the lovely Ella from Elvies Studios. I'm just going to add her in. Hope everybody's having a good morning and I'm sharing stories of small business owners that I know that are changing the world.
Ella Rowe 00:51
I just reached into my bag and found my lip balm. Yes, why not! Love it. The shiny lips. I’ll just get these lips right.
Fiona Johnston 00:53
Oh, are you?
Ella Rowe 00:56
Good morning! now I'm ready.
Fiona Johnston 00:59
Hi. Good morning, everybody. I want to start with an acknowledgement of country. I forgot to do this on my last live. So I'm not going to forget again. Because it's really important to me to acknowledge country, especially because we do not have a treaty in this country. And perhaps if we had a treaty and acknowledgement of country wouldn't be as significant. But right now, it's extremely important. So I'm currently in seventh, which is the lands of the Wurundjeri and the Boowurrung people of the Kulin Nations. And I recently learned the Kulin Nations is made up of five communities and the Boowurrung and the Woi Wurrung, two of those communities that come together to make the Kulin Nations. I want to pay my respects to elders past and present from those communities and any other First Nations or community elders from other communities that might be joining us today. And I stand with indigenous communities in noting that sovereignty was never seated. So Ella, would you tell us what country you're on?
Ella Rowe 02:13
We are in Collingwood. And I'd also like to acknowledge the beautiful hair traditions and practices of all indigenous people on this land.
Fiona Johnston 02:28
Love it, you have taught me so much about the place of hair in the identity of First Nations, I think equally women, women and men, and men as well.
Ella Rowe 02:42
I would only say this is from my knowledge of like, hair customs in Papua New Guinea. I was actually down at BB hair Academy when I was doing my training for my Cert III, I think it was we had to present something at the end of our course. And I actually focused on the wig, the Huli wig from the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea. And there's so much that we don't know. But what we do know of their cultural practices is that, they grow their hair to a certain length, then shave it off, and then they use their own hair to create beautiful, like beautifully adorned wigs. And these are all individual to that person. And I actually made, I think four different wigs. Using a combination of real hair and synthetic hair. I made them a little bit oversized, and yeah, I presented that as at the end of my course. And it was really cool. Because yeah, it helped me dive into that sort of cultural aspect of hair even at that stage.
Fiona Johnston 03:58
Love that. That's probably a really good segue into telling us a little bit about your story, a little bit about LVDS. And just to share with everyone that Ella is one of my clients, which is a great privilege. And that's how we know each other and we were introduced by other mutual friends who are also clients of mine. So yeah, that's how we are connected. So yeah, let everyone know your kind of salaries and there are elders.
Ella Rowe 04:27
Um, but I think that how I got here when I kind of you know, stop for a moment to actually reflect because the last two years have been a complete whirlwind for me a complete life change. I've also had a baby and I have never run a business before and so I want to thank you Fi for being such a brilliant support. So glad that I did the course with you and it really helped me but um, we'll go into that later, I'm sure. Yeah.
Fiona Johnston 05:17
My pleasure, my absolute pleasure.
Ella Rowe 05:47
I started Elvies because I reflected on my skill set. I was like, Okay, what do I know how to do? What do I love? What am I passionate about, and I come to work, artists background. While I was doing my course at university, I was really passionate about social politics and social justice and working with young people at a school, an alternative education setting, I kind of like felt frustrated, I felt angry with the system, I felt like I wasn't being utilized in the best way possible. And I doing hair, with the young people that I worked with, was a way to create a sacred space of safe of healthy and you know, safe touch. An opening for some vulnerability and conversation a bit like when you go for long drives with people you know, you don't have to look at them. But you can sit there for ages knowing that you've got to you've got some time to spend, you know, and in that time
Fiona Johnston 06:14
That's such a great point about being at a hairdresser is yeah, the space is so beautiful and assigned to a good hairdresser.
Ella Rowe 06:22
Not all the time and communicated knows, you know when to look away, like, you know, because our clients don't want to be stared at some times they find it also sells. Yeah. Sitting in front of the mirror can be really confronting. Yeah, I thought okay, what are my magic tricks? And how can I put them in one space? And I guess having a teaching background? I always thought about creating a classroom, you know, who are my students? How can I create, like a magical space to learning and to feel safe and to build community? And so yeah, I decided, right in the middle of the pandemic, that I'd start a small business. I pitched it to my parents who have been my biggest supporters. And I guess we made it happen. Yeah, I definitely went into it quite, quite blind in a lot of ways. You know, I talk about magic tricks. But I also have learnt that I know nothing. And so yeah, it's been a lot to also learn, but I guess I was willing to try.
Fiona Johnston 07:38
I don't really love that. So you're, I love how you call it your magic tricks. I think that's a beautiful way of imagining. So you started your business, which is LV studios. Now, if you mentioned that it's named after your mom, which I just love. But when you were thinking about or sort of dreaming up this idea of having this beautiful space? What kind of impact were you hoping that you would have on the world?
Ella Rowe 08:14
And does it feel like you've achieved at least some of that in the right ways, and you'll actually feel every single client that I'm doing what I wanted to do, I try to work in my mind, and in my heart, like client by client, so if I, if I get too ahead of myself like I have big plans and big, big dreams, and I definitely make them and I keep my eyes on them. But I definitely try to be really present with the work that I try to do every single day. And I think that when we take care of each other and focus on each person, then it grows, and it builds. And so I guess my focus was building relationships, first with my clientele and trust and safety. And yeah, I do feel like we're doing that. I think that just simply by centering, curly Afro and BIPOC people, I mean, that's sort of revolutionary in the hairdressing industry. And being a woman and myself being the Papa New Guinea woman, a proud one Mirren woman, like, you know, who does have a, an Australian, you know, a European father, like, I feel like I, I have, you know, a foot in each of those worlds, and I hope that I'm doing justice to my people, you know.
Fiona Johnston 09:47
Love that, I think there's a lot of talk about, you know, this sort of learning, learning how to do business. You know, you talked about feeling a bit blind, like you didn't know anything. So there's this sort of conversation around learning business and not knowing how and I think it's sort of this world of capitalism that you're trying to enter into. But what do you think that your, your PNG culture, you know, that side of your family and ancestry? What do you think that actually brought to your?
Ella Rowe 10:21
Well, I guess that's kind of, you know, where the decolonising comes in. When I'm talking about that within my business, I have a few words on my walls, and one of them is lift from the roots, which has a number of different meanings. And then I've got disrupt, decolonise, hydrate and moisturise. And I guess the decolonise comes through because when I was at university, that was a big focus for me of like, how can we spaces? How can we centre the indigenous person? How can we centre the person of color? How can we centre to BIPOC? How can we put money back into our communities? And yeah, try to create our own system. And I guess, what I learned from my own people is just that, I guess, you know, we call it being entrepreneurs, I think my people would look at, look at it more like you know, it's a way to survive if you're not a subsistence. And even when you are a subsistence farmer, which is what my people do, it's all about trading, it's about care of your soil. Yeah, it's understanding your environment, it's knowing your role as a person in your village. And then it's, you know, showing up and taking care of, you know, that plot, like the plot that my people in, in one area village have looked after for 1000s of years. And when we look at that space, we, we can feed our families, you know, and so that's a way that I try to approach the work that we do here, and it is very family oriented. And it's hard for me sometimes to separate the heart of it all with the professional, you know, the professional side. It sort of challenges me sometimes with my own boundaries. And that's another thing that I've learned a lot about. Because I did come from a youth worker like nurture and care, and, you know, that sort of focus, and I've had to kind of, like, grow a really thick skin. And I have been vulnerable and I have been taken advantage of many times. So yeah, it's just learning how to back myself how to protect myself in in in a business way.
Fiona Johnston 12:40
I love that. And so, on this journey that you've been on, to get to where you are now, how has, I mean, we've done this work together, but it doesn't have to reflect on that, necessarily, but how has kind of working on your business? Or sort of understanding how your business works and how the finance side of things works? Do you think that's made a difference to how you've been able to show up?
Ella Rowe 13:13
Absolutely make, like, 1.0, the work that I did with you was a lot of unpacking, it was therapy, it was therapy? It was? I know that there's it's like hairdressing, you know, we become sort of therapists because we we open spaces for conversation, right? And deep, deep diving our own identities. And so the money mindset part of your course was so integral for me, my, you know, how I saw money. You know, what did money mean? To me? There were questions that you asked, like, you know, how money valued or with the people around me growing up, and how did all of those things affect me and I think also, I kind of learned things about me that really frightened me and that I really had to work hard to, I guess, unlearn, and then relearn, like, my new identity of like, what, like, what, who I am, in terms of a business woman, because I even when I started LVDS, I wasn't looking at lbs in terms of, I'm going to be a director of a business. I'm going to honey, I'm gonna, you know, I didn't even think about that. And so when I started the business, I was like, oh, whoa, I really, you know, and I did the course with you change my attitude towards money? Because I am, you know, and it sounds sad, but I Yeah, you know, whenever I thought about money and capitalism, I, I was I was afraid of it. And I saw it as ugly and I saw it as dangerous and, um, yeah, now I don't of course, and yeah, just the idea of like, thriving financially like, you know, having savings and being worthy of a holiday, you know, and that like hard work could also equal choice. You know, like, I, I was always just working, working, working, working, working, but I was never thinking about, you know, my self-care and my, my worth and like, you know how I need to look after myself to look after others, like I heard that saying so many times. But when I looked at it, of like, finances and money, the way that you helped me too. Yeah, it really made a difference.
Ella Rowe 15:46
Fipe when I first told you about Elvies, you told me to go to Fi. And at that stage, I was that person. I was like, I can't go and talk to see, I don't know anything like, I felt lacking. And I didn't feel worthy or ready or able. And it did take me a good 6 to 12 months to like, go, Okay, I'm ready. Now I need to, you know, I need to do this. It's, it's just, yeah, thank you for believing in me from the beginning. I'm super grateful.
Fiona Johnston 16:25
I think we share a lot of love for that lady. Look, I think going back to what you said about feeling that capitalism was something to be feared and scary, scary, and something that you perhaps didn't want to be associated with. It's no wonder because when you look at the Uber wealthy in our country, they have become wealthy through mining, media, and mining, media, and gambling. And those are three industries that I think most of us feel quite repelled by. And so when that's what we're looking at, as the kind of Uber over wealthy of this country, it's no wonder that we're all sitting around feeling repelled by that idea. And I think the more stories that we hear of people that are using their influence, their privilege, their magic tricks, their skills, you know, their contacts, and communities to actually improve their communities and make their community be stronger or wiser or wealthier. I think that's why I've started this content theme because I want to be able to show business owners like you who are using your business as a force for something really positive. So thanks for allowing me to do that. So this is probably a good segue then to think about, you know, if you think back on your business, your business adventure so far, has there been a person or book a quote or, you know, some kind of idea that has felt really motivated to really read
Ella Rowe 18:23
I remember reading this question yesterday, and I got bamboozled because I was just like, so many things. So just let me think yet for a moment um, I think Yeah. Sitting in the courtyard Claudia can start incredible. Get in and booking with her for color, if you can, and a haircut she's leaving in April. And she's in the salon. I think she actually might be with Petey. He's another very, very loved member about um I think love it think something that's really that I feel that I have become more and more grateful for in terms of counsel and support is my aunties. So I just want to bring it back you know the family again like my auntie Betty and my auntie barrel and my auntie worker when my auntie worker is able to be here, you know, these are women who migrated to Australia. They met they, they want well, you know, was married and he's married to Australian men, and, like, came here and they, you know, they forged long lives for themselves and their children. They have been completely selfless. And, you know, this always happens when I talk about my aunties. And, you know, a big part of what I do with RVs is because I wanted to create a space for them, for them to come and be cared for, you know, I grew up seeing all these other women coming in and having blow dryers and colours and treatments and putting their feet up and putting their feet up and relaxing. And I never saw that happen for my Auntie's. I used to see my Auntie's cutting their hair in the backyard or in their kitchens. And I'm telling you, though, we're having a good time, like, laughing stories. And, you know, I grew up around that. And, you know, I just feel like in the last couple of years, they're the ones that keep showing up, that show up and clean my courtyard, they're the ones that show up at every event and bring trays of more, which is probably any food. You know, they're the ones that if me counsel, they sit on the chairs in the salon, and I sit on the bench, and they tell me what they think of a situation and I hear them out, and they support me, and they support me, and they support me and I am so grateful for them. And they are what motivates me. They, you know, they believe in me and have known me since I was little baby. And yeah, I'm just so grateful for them. And when they're here, and they make food and my clients come and they eat it like it's, I might have made the space but they make they bring the love they like they make it what it is. I can't be me without them. So, yeah. Yeah, and I love it. Because you know, when they give advice, they all give different advice, you know, in their different ways. Like, Auntie Betty is really like, fierce. Like my earring, say… Haus of Dizzy. Christie is beautiful. Is a lot of my mantra if you were speaking of a theme, and I'm going to swear. So yes, Fierce Bitch Era. So that’s my 2023. So I am the in my fierce bitch era. One thing Peggy. I'm not sure what their Instagram handle is a friend of Claudia's. I bought a mug that she made beautiful ceramic mug, and it says Fierce Bitch on it. And I've put it on the counter out the front of the shop. And that that sort of like, helps me, you know, get in the mood for being who I need to be. So anyway, that's I guess that's a little bit of a mantra. But yeah, so I'm just really grateful for their constant support, and they don't get recognized enough and they don't get. Yeah. Enough. And so yeah, that's why I got Elvis.
Fiona Johnston 23:02
Yeah. Shout out to all the Aunties, all the people who play the role of it in somebody's life. It's a beautiful role.
So how can people support you? What's happening? And Elvies? What do you do with Elvies? So, you know, what are the kinds of services that are on offer? Are there any events coming up? Or in that way should people connect with you.
Ella Rowe 23:32
Just book in talk about us, share us with all you know, the curly and Afro-textured friends and family that you have? Most of our clients are word of mouth, we do a number of different services, mainly focused around cutting styling, and treatments for Afro textures and curly hair. We also offer color I also do lock services. So I guess I'm a self-taught lock technician. And we also do like a wash day service. So if you're somebody who you know is either struggling to wash your hair or would just like somebody else to do it, then we offer those services. We also take care of the hijab community so if you would like a discreet space to have your hair done in we can definitely make that happen for you. We do and what else? I guess we are planning some events for the year. Nothing solid yet but watch this space. And to I guess to support us, it would just be lovely to just receive I guess you know if anybody has any ideas In terms of, you know, like maybe there's a grant or something that you guys know of and that I might not know of, because I guess down the track, I'd also like to see, I would love to see the LDS be a part of creating a BIPOC or a black and brown, hairdressing industry of our own. Ill like I have, yes, scenes, out of the hairdressing industry for a while having been a teacher and an artist. And there are many reasons why I left that space. And I, I don't necessarily want to reenter it, like I like being on the outskirts on the sidelines. Because I feel like my approach to hairdressing is a different one. And I'd love to see us band together, whatever our differences might be. But there are so many breeders, there are so many hair cutters, other lock technicians out there other session stylists who are passionate about curls, and Afro hair, and about the politics of it. That are, you know, brilliant, and I feel like it's the come together and share our skills. There are enough clientele out there for all of us. And one day, I'd love to create an OBS Academy. So in Yeah, at the moment, I'm looking at starting small. So I want to create education for primary and secondary schools. Where Yeah, interweave the Elvies curriculum, and use hair and how we see our hair. And yeah, a little bit of hair politics so that young people are growing up, because that's a big focus of mine, as well as children, and young people. So how we can focus on really nourishing and nurturing them and their hair stories and identities. So yeah, I'd like to visit schools and run workshops. So that's sort of something in the mix as well.
Fiona Johnston 27:15
I love that. That means everybody watching this, and everybody in my community, so many different ways to connect with you and throw their spotlight on you as well. Thank you so much for joining me today. Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Ella Rowe 27:33
Just that I'm really grateful. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be heard. That I yeah, I, I love what I do. And I, you know, we all have moments of self-doubt. But it's people like yourself, and opportunities like this that help us to sort of regain that strength and that ability to keep moving forward. And yeah, I'm just really, really grateful. And I love my life. And I love my baby girl. My baby girl, Kimmy Anna, she just turned one. And my mom, my mom, just while we're here. My mom comes to work every day she supports me in every single way. And yeah, she deserves everything that we have to offer here and beyond. And she just got a new car and it matches her new hair color. And can add, I'm going to do a post about this soon. But when I post everybody will understand, you know, really what our people have been missing out on. And you know, she she's been using packet dyes her whole life. Just recently, Claudia took her read and I was assisting and yeah, the transformation in in mom's energy. And it's not even that, you know, she changed it was just that this person came out of her that has always been inside. And it was beautiful to see and this is what hairdressing can do for people. So yeah, I'm proud. And I am proud of what I'm doing here.
Fiona Johnston 29:14
A question from Jaye from Stitch Strategy has said, so great to hear your story. Yeah, totally agree. Thanks, Jaye.
Well, thanks, Ella, and thanks to all the Auntie's that make what you do possible because you are definitely making the world a better place through your business and you know, just through being part of your community. So sounds good. Let's wrap it up. And I hope to see you soon.