Copyright The Boston Globe
The show on Saturday drew more than 100 attendees and a working crew of stylists, makeup artists, and models. Payton has been in the industry for decades, but her connection to hair began long before she opened her Somerville studio. “I did not love my hair growing up,” she said. “I was natural my whole life, pretty much, but I always hid it because I was uncomfortable with it. Everything was straight — finger waves, ponytails, extensions. My hair wasn’t smooth and straight, so I would cover it up.” A runway show at Red Sky Studios in Allston shined a spotlight not on colorful clothes, but on the curls and coils of textured hair. Sharita Payton, owner of The Loft Hair Studio in Somerville, spent months envisioning what became Texture Takes the Stage, honoring natural hair and the people who style it. The show on Saturday drew more than 100 attendees and a working crew of stylists, makeup artists, and models. Payton has been in the industry for decades, but her connection to hair began long before she opened her Somerville studio. “I did not love my hair growing up,” she said. “I was natural my whole life, pretty much, but I always hid it because I was uncomfortable with it. Everything was straight — finger waves, ponytails, extensions. My hair wasn’t smooth and straight, so I would cover it up.” After moving to Winchester, a town she described as not very diverse, and becoming a mother, Payton’s perspective changed. “There’s not a whole lot of young girls who look like my daughters,” she said. “They’re not going to be able to relate when it comes to the texture of their hair. So I wanted to make sure they got all the love and encouragement from home when it came to their natural hair.” Her daughters — 11-year-old Aleah and 20-year-old Siara — were right beside her at the show. Aleah helped backstage, diffusing curls and steaming wardrobe pieces, while Siara, a business student at Simmons University, handled ticketing and logistics. “There’s no way I can do any of this without them,” Payton said. “They’re my biggest supporters.” Payton credits Boston stylist Erica Gomes and Kristie Raymond of Humankind modeling in Boston for helping to organize the show. She drew inspiration from her time at a voke-tech high school in Connecticut, where hair shows were as big as sporting events. “It was the highlight of the high school,” she said. “People would travel from all over to come. It was like the big basketball games — but the hair show was something special.” Actress Karyn Parsons of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” inspired a short film that played during the show. In it, a young girl spots Parsons’ curls on screen and tells her mother, “I want that.” The show had a local flair, from food vendors to cosmetology students from Madison Park and Somerville high schools taking part. Payton said she was inspired by the comments from attendees. One woman with straight hair said she never focused on her hair, thinking it was vain. “But she said being at this show helped her to see that it’s more than that,” Payton said. “It’s a part of our culture. It’s a part of our history. It’s a part of who we are.” That message of pride and awareness runs through Payton’s work at The Loft Hair Studio, where she focuses as much on teaching and conversation as styling. “We educate,” she said. “It’s about learning what your texture can do — and learning to love it.” Korlu Bulaya, stylist and colorist of Classic Curls of Boston, was a member of the creative team. Originally from Liberia, Bulaya began doing hair at 16 and now works in the same building as Payton. “Seeing all the artists in the room — makeup, hair — it was amazing,” she said. “The fact that it wasn’t a competition was my favorite part. We were just there to make things look beautiful and bring hope.” Payton is already planning her second show for next year, perhaps at a larger venue, but still showcasing the natural beauty and talent of Boston.
