We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Meca Sica. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Meca below.
Hi Meca, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
I came up with my business name while working my second salon job early in 2020. As a Junior braider, I didn’t get to work on many styles because I was still going through the training process, and the type assigned to me was stitch braids. At the salon I worked at, many clients that came in highly requested those braids, and they’d book the best braiders for those exact braids. From braided ponytails, straight backs, freestyle braids, and anything that was a cornrow had to have stitch lines. Aside from working at the salon, I was starting up my own business, and my clientele at the time began growing because I’d post my work on my Facebook and Instagram, which brought a lot of attention to my page. One day I decided to create a booking site, but before I could proceed, I had to find a business name or a slogan that people wouldn’t forget. After 2-3 days of rough drafts and indecisiveness, I finally came up with the word “STITCHED N’ SLICK BY MIMI.” Ever since the name came to be, many of my clients after service would say, “Now I got my hair stitched and slicked by Mimi” or “my edges are slick and hair stitched by the best,” and it warms my heart because I’d never expect people to take the name or my work serious. It gave me confidence not only in my craft but my business name matches the quality of work I provide.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For those who haven’t read about me before, I go by the name “Stitched N’ Slick” or Mimi. I’m a Brooklyn-based braider, and I specialize in natural hair, locs included. I’ve been braiding since 12, but I didn’t take my craft seriously until 19. From there, I applied myself to a cosmetology school in 2018, so I can further learn and study the chemical side. After graduating in 2019, I took time to practice my craft and worked as an assistant braider till March 2020. As of late, I’ve been working on creative hair projects aside from doing my day-to-day job, braiding or loc retwists, or essential shampoo services and braid downs for my clients. I can’t necessarily say that I solve my client’s problems, but I restore their trust, peace, and confidence. Hair is very sacred to me, and the conversations shared during the process can be so healing, and I feel like that sets me apart from others. Having your hair done feels good, but the hours that go by while sitting in my style chair matter most as long as my clients are satisfied with the service. What I’m most proud of is not giving up on myself. My craft is art, and it matters. I want potential clients to see not only me as another braider/hairstylist but as someone who cares about natural hair. As a minority women, societal norms and trends make us hide our natural hair or abandon it. Still, I will be the person who’ll tend to your natural hair care needs and will answer any question you once thought was dumb, and I’ll answer because not many people get the chance to learn from their stylists. Stylists should take time to understand and learn about each client because they all have different hair types/textures and porosity. Therefore we learn from each other and pass on that knowledge to others. That’s why I braid, as our ancestors once braided hair and communicated with others.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
I keep in touch with clients by sending them random texts or DMS to ask them how was their last hair appointment with me. If their hair is still intact and if they had any issues with taking it down, and so forth. At times my reaching out to them may not pertain to hair, and it can just be me checking in to see how they’re doing because aside from being a “client,” they’re human too, and many of them have turned into friends, so we like to keep each other updated and give advice when needed.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn was that when it comes to hair products, what one client may use for his/herself may not work for the rest. One person’s hair texture can look like another. Still, when it comes to porosity and density and how the person’s hair reacts to the temperature change in a specific environment and what goes on, their hair may be different from someone else’s. Growing up around salons and seeing how much knowledge many of us lacked because we saw it with our eyes and repeated it without educating ourselves has caused many accidents and health issues years later. As a service provider, I must research and improve my craft to avoid mishaps when working with a client.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stitchednslickbymimi.as.me/schedule.php
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/stitchednslick?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mimisinger.98?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@stitchednslickbymimi5429
Image Credits
Beaute by Dom: Makeup and Photography for BEAUTE X STITCHED project (purple hair)