The ‘empowering’ stylist studio and marketplace set to reshape Manchester's Black beauty and hair industry

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

An ‘empowering’ studio space and marketplace for Black-owned businesses is set to open on the edge of Manchester city centre.

The pioneering BlackOwned Studios + Marketplace will open at Manchester’s Red Bank arches in November and will create co-working spaces for Afro-beauty stylists as well as offer a wide range of Black-owned beauty products for people to buy.

The space will also be used to host events, panels, and workshops. Curated by Efia Mainoo, the ground-breaking initiative was born from a deep-rooted commitment to create an inclusive and supportive environment within the beauty industry and address issues of inequality. READ MORE: Marks & Spencer choose 'iconic Manchester locations' for first menswear campaign in eight years READ MORE: Hit pre-loved fashion store to open a pop-up site in Manchester Recent research has identified that only 0.7% out of 45,000 salons in the UK catered towards Afro and textured hair, leading to a limited lack of resources for both Black stylists and customers.

The co-working studios will feature flexible and private pod spaces which can be booked out by beauty professionals to use as a hub for their business.