CELEBRITY HAIRSTYLIST Shamara Roper has made a name for herself by crafting gravity-defying hair sculptures, adored by the likes of KSI, Clara Amfo and Jorja Smith. Specialising in textured hair and drawing inspiration from her Jamaican roots, Shamara calls her work rebellious, pushing the boundaries of hairstyling. After working in the industry for over 10 years, Shamara now hopes to share her experience with the next generation of girls and young women who aspire to follow in her footsteps. Shamara is also advocating for more media representation of Afro-hair and campaigning for funding curriculums specifically for textured hair. Shamara tells Truly: "Representation of Afro-hair is important because once you have representation, you have understanding. Once you have understanding, you have less ignorance."
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00 I have been a hairstylist for over 14 years now.
00:03 I've been braiding since the age of eight.
00:05 I have worked for KSI,
00:08 Golden Smith, Joy Crooks, Thames.
00:11 Representation on Afro hair is important.
00:14 Once you have representation, you have understanding.
00:16 Once you have understanding, there's less ignorance.
00:18 My main thing was being myself and being rebellious.
00:21 I don't walk in anyone else's lane.
00:23 I don't follow what people do.
00:24 I believe my job is to be a trendsetter.
00:27 Cultural appropriation in this industry
00:29 when it comes to hair styling is crazy.
00:31 If Afro hair was respected as much as every other type of hair,
00:35 tradition and culture,
00:36 then we would all be in a better place.
00:38 Your hair is magic.
00:40 Your hair defies gravity.
00:42 Your hair has power.
00:43 Also, don't let no one touch your hair.
00:45 My name is Shumai Ropa.
00:48 I'm 31 years old and I'm a session stylist
00:51 based in South West London.
00:52 I specialize in Afro hair and hair sculptures.
00:56 I have been a hair stylist for over 14 years now.
01:00 I've been braiding since the age of eight.
01:02 I've been making sculptures
01:03 and getting them published in magazines from like 2020.
01:06 I have worked with KSI,
01:09 Georgia Smith,
01:10 Joe Crooks,
01:12 Thames.
01:13 When I'm working with people,
01:16 especially for the first time, I don't Google them.
01:18 So I remember like the first time I worked with KSI,
01:22 I was like, "I'm sorry to ask,
01:24 but my cousin doesn't believe I'm lip-syncing.
01:26 Can you please just say hi?"
01:29 And he was like, "Yeah, of course."
01:31 All calm.
01:32 As soon as the camera got,
01:33 "Yo, it's your boy KSI. What's up?"
01:35 "Yo, what's up?"
01:36 - Yo, Cruz, Noah, what's up, man?
01:38 It's your boy, yo.
01:39 It's real fam.
01:41 - KSI is the coolest, most humble guy.
01:46 Like he's just, he's funny to me.
01:47 Like he's cool.
01:48 I see like good things that he does on social media.
01:50 They always share that stuff,
01:52 but just as a person, he doesn't do it for clout.
01:54 And I feel like that's like everyone I work with.
01:57 - So my family is from Jamaica on both sides.
02:00 My grandparents came over during the wind rush.
02:03 Being Jamaican, just like anything,
02:04 it's just like a lifestyle.
02:05 I can't even explain it,
02:07 being part of a culture that is so influential.
02:10 Such a small island with big energy.
02:14 This world is literally so toxic.
02:19 You know, like back in the day,
02:20 it might, I would go back to my grandma.
02:22 And my granddad put on like, I would say the white voice.
02:25 Yeah, he would answer the phone.
02:27 He's Jamaican accent was like,
02:28 hello, what's up?
02:29 I know, white, yo, you're right.
02:31 And it's like, what is that, granddad?
02:33 It's because you're trying to appease another race
02:36 to make them feel more comfortable.
02:37 We don't need to do that anymore.
02:38 Speak with your accent.
02:39 I want to know your real name.
02:41 There is a lot of like people all over the world
02:43 that are not black or have Afro hair
02:47 that are making a lot of money
02:49 off our traditional hairstyles and techniques.
02:51 When it comes to some hairstyles,
02:54 there's spiritual value behind it that is not just a look.
02:58 And I feel like a lot of people struggle
02:59 with the fact that times have changed.
03:01 So curly hairs are now Afro hairs
03:03 and now braids are in now.
03:04 So because these things are all in,
03:06 they're part of a trend, people get lost in that.
03:09 But there's people like us that will remember a time
03:11 when you'd be laughed at, you'd be teased.
03:14 And I just feel like if Afro hair was respected
03:17 as much as every other type of hair,
03:20 tradition and culture,
03:22 then we'd all be in a better place.
03:24 Everyone needs to feel loved.
03:25 Everyone needs to feel touched.
03:27 I don't even care if I'm doing baby hairs.
03:29 We're going to make sure those baby hairs are represented.
03:31 My main thing was being myself and being rebellious.
03:34 I don't walk in anyone else's lane.
03:36 I don't follow what people do.
03:37 I believe my job is to be a trendsetter.
03:40 So I have a three-year-old daughter called Shia.
03:43 Being personally, that girl,
03:45 I'm trying to get the confidence she has
03:47 as a three-year-old at 31.
03:49 She's in nursery now.
03:50 She's going to be starting school this year.
03:52 It's crazy.
03:54 No, she said she's going to pick up Shia.
03:55 I just wanted to check to see if it's balanced.
03:58 Balance does not exist in my life.
04:01 Shia, every minute you find time to play, innit?
04:03 Literally, my life is suitcases, products,
04:07 and hair and Shia.
04:08 So today I'll be going to Final Check Hair
04:12 and Makeup Academy in Romford,
04:14 where I'll be doing my first live masterclass.
04:18 All right, I'm ready.
04:20 I'm looking forward to teaching people
04:22 about Afro hair and little hacks on set.
04:25 And for me, it's just the fact
04:26 that people want to come to the class.
04:28 This is game time.
04:29 Let's warm up.
04:30 I feel like I'm small and shy,
04:33 but I've got my hair and my art is very big energy.
04:37 If I wanted to change it from a curly hairstyle
04:39 and then add product to do something snatched,
04:43 I could use this because it's water-based.
04:45 You want to be time efficient,
04:47 but you also want a flawless finish.
04:50 So take your time, do it in sections.
04:52 The emotions I have one-to-one with clients
04:55 and the things we shared
04:56 and seeing how I helped them in a way
04:59 that with my hands, it made me feel like,
05:03 okay, this is my power and this is my form of magic.
05:07 Being able to create hairstyles for people,
05:09 make them feel beautiful, make them feel comfortable,
05:10 make them feel like they're heard
05:12 and make them feel represented.
05:14 I say my work is defiant because it's rebellious.
05:17 When making my hair sculptures,
05:19 I normally try and do it for editorials
05:21 because I know they're going to be on covers,
05:24 could be worldwide.
05:25 So it's a good chance to showcase the art.
05:28 Hair sculptures are not new.
05:31 They've been part of African history and culture.
05:35 And I started to delve more into that.
05:37 The way they done it was more tribal and traditional.
05:40 I kind of want to interpret my own way of making sculptures.
05:44 So I base everything on my mood.
05:48 The more twists and bends,
05:49 probably the more chaos in my life at that time.
05:51 The less means I was probably in a more calm situation.
05:55 Cultural appropriation in this industry
05:57 when it comes to hairstyling is crazy.
05:59 Like there'll be white or European hairstylists on set
06:02 and they'll have their black Afro-Session stylist assistant.
06:07 You would be doing the whole head of hair
06:11 and you won't get not one credit.
06:13 You get your little pay and that is it.
06:15 In the beginning, I definitely was faced
06:18 with some situations where I had to kind of side out
06:20 and be like, "What?"
06:23 A lot of the situations I can't say were racial
06:28 or anything purposely.
06:30 I'm saying it's more due to ignorance.
06:32 So I remember I was on set one time
06:34 and someone just started twerking near me
06:37 when a particular song came on.
06:40 And I had to look at them and be like, "Who said I twerk?"
06:43 So I feel like it's more through ignorance.
06:45 And I feel like our generation is so good at togetherness.
06:50 It's not about race, it's about people and energy.
06:54 Everyone smile.
06:55 Representation on Afro hair is important.
06:58 Once you have representation, you have understanding.
07:00 Once you have understanding, there's less ignorance.
07:02 My only anxiety is thinking about
07:05 what life is going to be like for my daughter
07:07 when she's older and also when I'm not here.
07:10 I felt like the class went pretty well today.
07:12 Seeing the young girls take it seriously
07:15 and also be so in tune with learning
07:18 about different hair types outside of their comfort zone
07:20 makes me so happy.
07:21 There's room for change, which means that one day
07:24 we'll have it on the curriculum,
07:25 which means one day they will get funding
07:26 to go and study Afro hair.
07:28 (upbeat music)
07:30 So right now, we've just finished the masterclass
07:35 at Final Check back in South London,
07:37 back at Peckham Palms with the lovely Kay.
07:40 She's got an event to go to,
07:41 wants to do a little bit of extra.
07:43 So the Palms is a space in Peckham.
07:47 It's basically for black businesses.
07:48 And this is a studio for session stylists
07:53 to come and do their thing.
07:55 So we're just going to have fun with this look.
07:58 I believe like this is just my gift.
08:00 So it's something that just flows naturally to me.
08:03 Go hard or go home, why not?
08:05 One thing I enjoy about hair is that transformation.
08:08 It makes me feel like the fairy godmother.
08:10 Knowing that someone feels good for a day and night,
08:13 evening and if it's more long-term,
08:15 and they feel good, it makes me feel good.
08:18 No one else is going to have this hairstyle, so.
08:20 (laughs)
08:21 And I'm going to be the talk of the town.
08:23 I'm tired now, but I can work on no sleep
08:25 because I'm so excited and I'm so passionate
08:27 about what I'm going to do.
08:29 Or excited to work with the colleagues or clients
08:32 that I have.
08:33 The past few years, my life has changed completely.
08:35 Like, it's a dream.
08:36 (upbeat music)
08:39 (upbeat music)
08:42 (upbeat music)
08:44 [BLANK_AUDIO]