Afra's Fine Art of Hair Care

Hair picks, beads, and rollers meet gilded elevation as Afra turns ordinary pieces of hair iconography into sublime creations worthy of your mantle. Inspired by
the art of adornment prevalent throughout Black history, the young New York-raised Guyanese-American celebrity hairstylist Nigella Miller sought to rethink beauty supply staples and the impact they’ve had on connecting the African diaspora. "I feel like a lot of these items will fade away in history at some point as Black hair evolves," Miller explains. "I wanted to recreate some of these tools as novelty, wearable art pieces so we won’t forget our hair culture." First launched in 2019 and with new designs including an oversized pick and perm rod introduced recently, the collection consists of art pieces that are more at home on your coffee table than nestled amongst your locks—all of them cast in gold. "I wanted to modernize them because we as a generation don't really collect art," Miller explains. "I love home decor so I wanted to create objects that can be placed in our homes that remind us about our hair culture that says so much."

For more information, please visit AfraNYC.com. Read this story and many more in print by ordering our inaugural issue here.