We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sherly Tavarez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sherly, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I started my brand, Hause of Curls, because I felt like there wasn’t anything out there for girls like me who had just recently discovered their new found hair confidence. One day I went to an event called Curlfest in NYC and I was looking for a tshirt that resonated with me, but I didn’t find one. So the next day I woke up and said “I’m going to make a tshirt!” and I said I’m going to make a shirt that says “Pelo Malo, Where?” which were the words I always heard growing up, about my hair. So I decided to put it on sale on Instagram and to my surprise, we got 169 preorders! It was amazing! Our mission has always been to spread the word that curly hair is not bad, its beautiful and you should embrace your curls!

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

My name is Sherly, I’m the Founder of Hause of Curls. I started wearing my hair natural in 2016 and created my brand in 2018. I really wanted to create something that my younger self would be proud of. There were so many moments where I felt that my hair defined me and because I didn’t have the pin straight hair other girls had, I felt like I was missing out. After creating Hause of Curls, we made statement tshirts that were conversation starters, we made swimsuits with statements on them, we made hair accessories and now working on a super exciting new project for this year! I am most proud of getting my Mom to wear her natural hair. For years she would say no to me when I asked her to let me style her curls. One day she finally let me and she fell in love. She now wears her hair grey and curly! It’s so beautiful to see!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I believe what helped me grow my clientele in the beginning is really sharing my story and being vulnerable. This community was built because so many people resonated with my personal story! We also did a lot of in person events, which let me connect with my customers on a more personal level. I think the key here is to make sure its not just transactional with your customers, make them feel heard and seen and like they are a part of your family!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When covid hit, we were only about a year and a half old and it was so scary. We thought that was the end of things, because people were not going out so we thought they weren’t shopping. It was quite the contrary! People were home with nothing to do, but shop! So we actually hit some really big numbers that year! So just because the moment seems like its going to be hard, it may be exactly what your business needs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hauseofcurls.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauseofcurls?igsh=eGx2a3V4M3pic25p

Image Credits

all images are Henry Torres or @henryknightny