It’s Women’s History month and I want to give honor to a diva that works behind the scenes enhancing the beauty of women all the world. Women behind the scenes are doing the work so that the other women in the forefront can shine bright like a diamond when they hit the spotlight. I know it’s not always easy that no one ever see’s the Queens that put it all together, but it’s times like this where we can acknowledge the hands that enhances beauty.
Dionna Owens is a fearless, business savvy, entrepreneur who is the owner of Sew Natural. She has built a name for herself by creating an everyday look that has gone from the beauty parlor to the tv screens. Dionna services everyone and does not want to be boxed in by being known as just a celebrity stylist. She values everyone that rocks her looks. When asked what led her into the hair industry, she gives all credit to her grandmother. Dionna was doing hair at age 3 years old, and some point grew a little weary of it and wanted to branch out and do something different. She was reminded of her talent and gift and was told to look beyond what she could see because there was so much more.
A few minutes into our zoom discussion, I realized that Dionna was rare and that she has favor. As she started to walk in purpose, the gift that she thought she was walking away from was being watched by others. Some may say it’s luck and she believe that anyone has the skill set that she does. In fact, Dionna is so convinced that anyone can do what she does, she has provided one on one YouTube videos where she teaches others how to create her looks. Dionna is BOLD & FIERCE; and even in a over saturated market, she isn’t afraid of competition. She believes in her gift and stays in her lane. Dionna is a dreamer, and she imagines where she wants to go and then she strikes off to see how far she can go. During our very intriguing conversation, Dionna shared how she takes hair as she creates wigs and plays with the texture to see what she can do with it. She shared that anything can be reversed. Dionna has been creating looks on top of looks. That is what I call using your imagination. She imagines what she could do with her products and then creates that look. As Dionna connected with people that was outside of her space, she realized the world was a lot bigger than what she could see and she needed to dream bigger. Dionna is not an ordinary stylist, she is one that is in demand. She has worked along with some high-end celebrities. At age 22, she was flying around the world. At that point, some would say she is at the top of her game, but there is no end for Dionna. She has been going from level to level.
Dionna originally started her journey creating content and then putting her talent on YouTube. She then got a call from her first client that was connected to the entertainment industry. Dionna received a call from an unknown celebrity at the time and she flew out to Bel-Air to show case what she loves to do, hair. She started working with Lyndrea Price (Serena & Venus Williams’ oldest sister). Dionna pays honor to Lyndrea for helping her discover her talent on a wider scale. Dionna has always loved taking extensions and making it look like natural hair. She started out doing sew ins, but with a creative mind like Dionna’s, she decided to do something that would last longer. This is when she discovered her passion for making wigs.
From our conversation, I think it is safe to say that Dionna doesn’t mind thinking outside of the box and tapping into her creativity when it comes to hair. People may feel like they must be in the industry to service the industry, not Dionna. She figured out a way that she could stay grounded, where she had already planted her roots; and continue to service her growing clienteles while spreading her wings and expanding her brand and services. This teaches those that are looking to become a celebrity stylist that your work will speak for you, and if you do the work and put in the time to craft your skill no matter where you are, you can be found. Your gift will make room for you, and Dionna’s gift has open many doors. Dionna saw a demand where people wanted more than just beauty store hair and wanted to wear a more natural look. She heard the voice of the people and came up with a solution. A solution that would give them exactly what they wanted. And that to me shows how to stay relevant and on top of your game in an over saturated industry. We are in an era where more women are sharing their stories about hair loss and wearing wigs. For many years, the quality of wigs just wasn’t it. Women want to feel beautiful and when they step out, they want to be more of themselves. It is harder for a person who suffers hair loss; having a natural look and feeling more like themselves and less manufactured is important, especially in the black community.
Dionna doesn’t just stop there, she has worked with vendors overseas and have established a relationship where she was able to connect with them on a level where she is able to learn the product more and what she can and can not do. She found out what she had access to when working with different ethnicities overseas. Once she learned that those doors could be opened to her, she realized she could create anything that she needed to beautify black women. It appears that Dionna has kept the culture in the forefront of her mind. She has opens doors that not many are able to enter and to be honest, there aren’t many stories like Dionna’s. I would like to call this favor. Dionna is selfless and seems to put the need of black women first. She saw an issue in a beauty space that needed some attention and she had no issue addressing what the needs were.
Black women want to feel separated, set apart, and not be a part of another trend. We dare to be different and want to all look different. For so long, the looks of wigs were about other cultures. Even though we’ve embraced those looks and we did it well. Black women needed something that defines the difference in black hair, black style, black culture, and black excellence. I feel like Dionna heard the message, she heard the voice of black women, and she delivered.
Dionna Owens is a trailblazer and has tapped into her gift in such a way that she is able to build relationships with the right people, so that she is able to service a plethora audience of women around the country. She exemplifies what being kind and humble can do for a person. She never came off as if she’s better than any other stylist in the industry. She knows what she brings, and just brings it to table. Dionna knows her audience and she treat every queen like a diamond.
Featured Image by Charles Chris
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