Texture on the Runway Evolution of the Crown: Iconic AF

Essence Beauty joined the beauty walk with Celebrity Hairstylist, Tater Pazon, moderated by Mielle Founder, Monique Rodriguez, for a jaw-dropping show on the BeautyCon™ stage. At Texture on the Runway, it’s all about the hair. Rather than hairstyles playing second fiddle to fashion, we’re letting texture serve as the inspiration for it. By putting curls and coils front and center, we have celebrated texture in all of its many forms. Whether it be a wild ‘fro hawk or cascading waves, texture can be the perfect complement for any fashion.

“Beauty and texture is my passion, it’s something that I love, it’s something I created through Mielle Organics,” Rodriguez said. “We are the number one leading natural texture hair care brand in the industry.” We could hear the Mielle booth loud from the BeautyCon™ stage, shut down for Essence Fest day two due a line wrapped around the corner. As a brand formulated for Black hair, the theme for Texture on the Runway represented the bold and unapologetic attitude of curly, coily and wavy hair, presented by naturallycurly.com.

Pazon touched up hair on the BeautyCon™ stage turned runway for a fabulous fashion show. As models dressed up as some of our beloved artists, including Essence Performer Mary J. Blige, the audience brought an electrifying atmosphere akin to the Essence Fest Evening Concert. A series of models graced the stage to the tunes of Erykah Badu, Nicki Minaj, and Beyoncé, creating an illusion of celebrity appearances, but in reality, they were showcasing the incredible talent of Pazon’s clients.

From Beyoncé to Zendaya, the celebrity hairstylist displayed creativity with natural hair. To open the show, a woman modeled Pazon’s platinum blonde wig, with a medium-length, wavy body texture. The wig was creatively transformed into a dress, featuring a braided bodice and extensions gracefully attached to the wings. He then pinned her hair into an updo with only a rat tail comb and pins he pulled off of the dress, with sparkly clips as a finishing touch.

Texture On The Runway offered an unapologetic alternative to the prevailing high fashion trends. The event challenged the status quo by celebrating and embracing textured hair, which has been underrepresented and often misunderstood in the fashion industry. Straight back cornrows have unfortunately become the default hairstyle for Black models, largely due to the lack of proper training and understanding among hairstylists in caring for textured hair. And, although braids are a definitive feature in Black culture, the protective style is not the only style Black models can pull off. We need to see our texture on the runway and on the cover of magazines, from afros and locks, to bald heads and other classics.

Visit BeautyCon™ the Essence Fest edition at essence.com for more on the latest Black beauty panel.