We recently connected with Candicia and Camillia John and have shared our conversation below.

Candicia and Camillia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Candicia and I are two second-generation Caribbean sisters who had chemically permed their hair during our childhood. After Candicia had suffered from a chemical perm incident that left her with clumps of hair in the sink in 2012, she quickly had to learn how to grow her natural hair and remedy the damage. In June 2018, she dreamed of having an event in the metropolitan city of Toronto where people would be able to learn more about natural hair, get their questions answered, and learn how to use their curly hair products to the best of their ability. She pitched the idea to me, and as a fresh marketing graduate, we decided to work together and make our dream a reality and create the first-ever Toronto Curly Girl Meetup in 3 short months and have never looked back.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We are two second-generation Caribbean sisters from Toronto, Canada. Candicia graduated with her Biology major and wanted to pursue veterinary medicine while I went to school for Marketing. We decided to join forces back in 2018 and make our passion for curly hair and education a reality. We are both full-time entrepreneurs and have several other businesses under our belt.

Toronto Curly Girl Meetup specifically has grown beyond our wildest expectations by rebranding to The Ultimate Curly Hair Experience in 2023 with Fireside Chat Guest Miss Jully Black, having key sponsorships including Shea Moisture, Sephora Canada, Maui Moisture, Curl Keeper, and Bounce Curl to name a few. The event also got media coverage from City News Toronto highlighting the event and to our journey for two consecutive years and having charity initiatives where attendees can give back through product donations to several inner-city charitable organizations.

Toronto Curly Girl Meetup is truly one-of-one, having the first and the biggest natural curly hair event in the City of Toronto. Hosting The Ultimate Curly Hair Experience during the summer months has become the most sought-after event the company hosts annually. This event consists of a panel discussion by Canadian influencers and hair industry experts, a fireside chat with a Canadian icon, activations and photo op moments, a hair salon where attendees can get their hair cut and styled by professionals, and a vendor marketplace highlighting small business owners.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

During the pandemic, due to restrictions, we were unable to host in person events which had been our main source of revenue. During this time, we were forced to reassess our strategies and pivot into other streams of income. We then launched our e-commerce beauty store where we sold Canadian founded beauty products hosted on our website. Unfortunately, this did not work out the way we had hoped and also did not give us the revenue that we needed to stay afloat. My sister and I went back and forth on how we would survive this time and considered shutting down the business. Once the pandemic was over, we decided to re-emerge the brand after months of not posting or being present on social media with an in person event and the community showed up for us and we were able to offer in person events and more educational resources from 2022 to now.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

We believe that our authenticity and keeping community as the forefront of our mission has helped us build a strong reputation within our market. People are able to connect with us on a personal level and feel very comfortable with our brand creating a feeling of a safe space. Also, by creating a space for the Canadian curly hair community to thrive in and it being the first of its kind, people feel a sense of belonging with Toronto Curly Girl Meetup.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.torontocurlygirlmeetup.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/torontocurlygirlmeetup
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/torontocurlygirlmeetup
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@torontocurlygirlmeetup?si=a_fgOu0OASBxf21M

Image Credits
Kofi Daisy Parti Taejon Mikle