Meet the Female Founder: Flora & Curl
It’s International Women’s Day – and at Debenhams.com, we’re celebrating all the iconic female founders that are making waves in the beauty industry! We caught up with entrepreneur, innovator, and Flora & Curl frontwoman, Rose Ovensehi, on the importance of streamlined routines, sustainability, and diversifying the haircare space for the better.
What inspired you to launch Flora & Curl?
“I decided to completely change my haircare routine many years ago. I decided to stop stop straightening my hair and I was lead to create a routine that was really simple and easy to navigate. I just felt overwhelmed by all the options on the market and I didn’t feel like there was a brand that would give it to me simple and easy. And so, that’s when the idea for Flora & Curl sparked – essentially a plant-powered haircare range for textured hair.”
What makes Flora & Curl stand out against its competitors?
“Firstly, our goal is to simplify and streamline, while other brands focus on having a huge collection of products. We thrive on being a sustainable brand – we use packaging that is up to 70% plastic-free. For us, it’s really important that we give back to the environment. It’s in our name – flora is latin for plant life. We want to make sure we’re not just a brand that’s selling product – we’re a brand that communicates with their customers.”
What are the core values of your brand?
“Our core values as a brand are that our ingredients are plant powered. We don’t use any synthetic fragrances or colours. We also thrive on the fact that our range is simple. Simplicity means less is more for us. In addition, we love the fact that haircare is self-care.”
What makes you feel empowered?
“I feel empowered when I know I’m helping people – whether that’s to improve their lives in any way. It’s really about empowering our customers to love their curls and make that journey towards healthy curls easy and seamless for them. In that way, I’m helping my customers and allowing them to enjoy their natural haircare routine, embrace their natural curls, embrace who they are, and that just gives me joy. It’s motivating for me as a founder of a haircare brand.”
What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received?
“I would say the best business advice I’ve received is to just listen to your customers. Listen to what their needs are. Have communication with them to make sure that they feel heard. Your customers are your most important stakeholder.”
If you could change one thing about beauty, what would it be?
I would love to see more transparency when it comes to general beauty. So, people showing their imperfections – whether that’s frizzy curls, curls that have poofed up because of the humidity, raw skin, discussing skin issues like spots, uneven tone, or scalp issues. A bit more openness to discuss them […] just to make others feel like they’re not alone.
What advice would you give to female founders in the making?
My advice would be to go for it – but also crawl, walk, and then run. Try and launch with as little of a collection as possible – even if it’s one product, two or three. Less is more. Focus on less and learn from the results of that launch, then develop from there. It’s really important to grow sustainably in the beginning and build a loyal customer base.