Five Minutes With Lana Boone
Black women have been embracing their natural tresses for over a decade and experimenting with different hair styles that reflect their lifestyle and mood. The very popular Twist Out, Bantu Knots and of course protective styles like braids, weaves and wigs have been seen on many Black women.
For those who fancy a change from heavy duty looks such as weaves there are clip on extensions that allow you to transform your looks very easily. Lana Boone is the founder of Kurly Klips which creates clip-in extensions for natural hair, She took some time out of her busy schedule to give us an insight into her career.
What made you decide to set up your own beauty business?
After a disastrous experience with a hairstylist, I searched high and low for clip-in extensions to match my afro-textured hair. When googling yielded zero results, I literally couldn’t believe my eyes. I knew I couldn’t be the only woman out there who wanted them. So I set out to create an exceptional product that would give ladies like myself more options. A year-and-a-half later, Kurly Klips now ship from the US and UK to better serve our global clientele. There are Kurly Klips customers in more than 30 countries including the US, UK, Japan, and South Africa.
What is the concept behind Kurly Klips?
Kurly Klips are the original clip-in extensions for curly and afro-textured hair. Our focus is on premium hair and service. Some of our kurlies keep their extensions for over a year; and they know that when they email customer service, they will get a response in less than 24 hours. Not only that, but our YouTube channel has more than 50 videos that focus on various on care and styling techniques.
I created this brand to help women like myself with their natural hair journeys. Whether they’re looking to protective style or add a little oomph to their look, women enjoy the versatility Kurly Klips bring to their lives. We are dedicated to helping our kurlies feel beautiful and appreciated.
What sort of research did you do to find out what sort of hair your customers wanted to buy?
To be honest, there wasn’t much research involved. I created Kurly Klips for myself and how I like to wear my hair. We offer two collections: My Fro and My Spirals. I chose these names because I like to wear my hair in its natural afro state and in a looser spiral state as well. The former look is achieved with a braid-out, the latter with a set, followed by a twist-out. By being an active follower of the natural hair community online, I knew there were plenty of other women who enjoyed similar styles.
How did you decide on the look and feel of the brand?
At Kurly Klips, we’re constantly reinvesting in the customer experience. We’ve always had a quality product, but in the early days, the website was just a couple of jpegs made from a Powerpoint presentation. However, as we grew, we were able to match our online presence and packaging to the premium hair we were selling.
Today our website is clean, pretty, and represents the everyday woman. She’s intelligent and loves the independence of clipping in Kurly Klips herself. Plus, she’s internet savvy. She knows she can trust a brand with over 500 reviews, a responsive care team, and a thorough YouTube channel. Needless to say, when she finally receives her Kurly Klips in the mail, she is not disappointed.
Our hair comes in a beautiful box that is sturdy, reusable, and looks amazing on a shelf. She can open the lower sample compartment to ensure the hair meets her expectations before deciding to keep it. In addition, her care manual is written in both English and French, and she receives a baggy of extra snap clips just in case she needs them in the future. Our branding is more than colours on a site; it’s a true dedication to delighting every customer who chooses to shop with us.
What are your future plans for Kurly Klips?
Kurly Klips will continue to expand by offering products and services our customers have been kindly asking us for.
What are your favourite beauty products?
The entire Big Hair line, which is a UK brand, and Qhemet Biologics, which is a US brand.
What advice do you have for anyone who wants to set up their own beauty business?
When funds are tight, don’t worry about having the prettiest brand in the world. Focus on delivering a quality product with above and beyond customer support. And don’t get greedy! When the money comes, reinvest in your customers because they initially invested in you.
