Locks Down Opens Up a Whole, New Market -- Seven years ago, Deon Leftenant had an idea to create an innovative product for men, women, and children that would keep their hair in place in a fashion-conscious manner. His passion grew into an exciting entrepreneurial opportunity. Described as "The new hair care accessory everyone is raving about," it is called the Locks Down. Several pieces are available in different prints and fabrics and appeal to every ethnic background and culture. Leftenant and his energetic business partner, Clarice Miller, are trail blazers. Together they successfully launched the product, Locks Down in New York. Created and patented from an entrepreneurial spirit, the Locks Down fills a need for the shoulder-length haired individual. "Locks Down is an innovative product designed for men, women, and children to keep their hair in place in a fashion-conscious manner," explained Designer, Deon Leftenant. "Several pieces are available in different prints and fabrics including terry cloth, cotton, leather, form-fitting, and silk. The Locks Down appeals to every ethnic background and culture and compliments any wardrobe. Use Locks Down for: -- Overnight -- Pool side -- After showering/bathing -- Motorcycle Rides -- Formal Events -- Every day fashion -- And More Website: www.locksdown.com email: orders@locksdown.com
Poolside / beach ~ Love the beach? Hate the wind blowing your hair all over your face? Locks Down is the answer! • After showering / salon ~ after you shower, and your hair is WET Terry Cloth Locks Down is the Best BET!!!! Drop your hair in the pocket and let gravity and the Terry cloth fabric dry your hair for you, no more heavy towel wrapped around your head! •
Be f or e
Af t e r
Men, Women & Children Perfect for in between braiding & bad hair days!
Motorcyclists will find that the Locks Down can be worn comfortably with or without a motorcycle helmet.
WEAR YOUR LOCKS DOWN TO WORK KEEP YOUR HAIR OUT OF YOUR FACE, AND OTHER ELEMENTS OUT OF YOUR HAIR!! If you work in the food industry, and you have long hair, The Locks Down is a must!!!
New York Newsday Brentwood businessman sells hair-braid idea BY GARY DYMSKI | gary.dymski@newsday.com September 8, 2008
As the drywall installation crew - mostly Jamaicans in dreadlocks was finishing its job four years ago, Deon Leftenant wondered how much easier the task might be if only for their hair. "They kept getting dust on their hair during sanding," Leftenant said, "and it was just a hassle for them to work that way." With the struggling group at a Westbury construction site as inspiration, Leftenant, 48, of Brentwood, hatched his idea for Locks Down, a wrap for securing the long hair of active people, especially athletes and laborers, in ponytail fashion. As Leftenant has pitched Locks Down at festivals and trade shows, many have asked the plumber-turnedentrepreneur if baseball slugger Manny Ramirez was the inspiration. But Leftenant conceived the idea unrelated to Ramirez's growing his locks and helping his team, the Boston Red Sox, win the 2004 World Series. Leftenant said while Ramirez's locks could benefit from the wrap, Locks Down is not just for dreads. "It's for anyone whose long hair gets in the way." Since the prototype, Locks Down has been streamlined. Snaps have replaced tie-downs, and the ponytail's tip can be left exposed or covered in a folding pocket. Locks Downs sell from $10 to $50 apiece, depending on material, including terry cloth, silk, satin, leather, cotton and a stretch polyester blend, at locksdown.com. So far, Locks Down has been a mild seller at a handful of ethnic festivals and trade shows. Leftenant said his best success was selling about 100 at an Atlanta trade show in late April. Traditionally, wraps in the black community were used to help keep hair straight, said
Pamela Edwards, beauty editor at Essence magazine. "Back in the day, people would not be caught outside with their hair wrapped," she said, "but over time things have changed, and it's become trendy, fashionable." Locks and long hair can be heavy and hot, Edwards said, and it appears Leftenant has found a way to fashionably cover hair when people are at work or play. Athletes in dreads, like Ramirez and some professional and collegiate football players, generally use skull caps and do-rags to keep hair tightly confined. Because the latest version of Locks Down is lighter and less bulky, Leftenant, who has invested more than $20,000 in the project, thinks he's close to bust-out success. His business partner and friend, Clarice Miller, 38, also from Brentwood, hand sews all the Lock Downs, but they are working to have them mass-produced by a Chinese manufacturer. Leftenant expects to visit a prospective investor from North Carolina later this month. "It's been a slow process," he said, "and we're still very much in the red, but I am confident." And what might make Locks Down really take off? "Maybe if I got one to Manny Ramirez," Leftenant said.
New York Daily News Small business owners finding their next new thing BY MILDRED L. CULP
Saturday, August 16th 2008, 4:00 AM It may take just one great product to launch a business but, sooner or later, many entrepreneurs find they need a follow-up product to sustain their success. Your Money talked to three New York small business operators, each of whom built on early success by continuing to innovate — giving their companies new momentum. Deon D. Leftenant Deshalamar Enterprises : Sports fans have long seen the dreadlocks of Manny Ramirez and many other players flowing from under his cap. Plumber-turned entrepreneur Deon Leftenant has a product that can help superstars and regular folks who sport the same look keep their dreads under control. Leftenant, 47, of Brentwood, L.I., invented Locks Down, a line of wraps targeted to that market. He got the idea watching Jamaican construction workers battle to keep their hair out of their way. Last September, he launched his product through his newly formed company, Deshalamar Enterprises, which is based in Central Islip, L.I. "It's something to wrap your hair in, eliminating the need for a bandana or scarf," he said. Made of cotton and terry cloth, Locks Down sells for $15 to $18. Leftenant, an Army vet, uses the American flag on some of his product. His customers gave him the idea for his next innovation. "People kept saying they wanted to jump in the shower and go about their day without getting their hair wet," he said. His solution was a water-resistant version made of umbrella fabric. That one sells for $20 to $25, and Leftenant hopes it will increase sales by 30%. It launched in May at the Locks Fashion Show at the National Black Theatre of Harlem. The fledgling business, which Leftenant started with $35,000 of savings, is still working its way out of debt. But now he has hopes for financing. "We're meeting with some investors," he said. "I couldn't get anyone to help before, but now everyone is coming out of the woodwork."
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New York Newsday Bob Glauber is in his 22nd season covering the NFL, and has been Newsday's national football columnist since 1992. He was Newsday's football writer covering the Jets and Giants, as well as the NFL, from 1989-91. Bob Glauber
What about Bob? Glauber's NFL Blog A solution to what's really ailing the NFL Forget about Spygate. We've just gotten word from an entrepreneur who has a solution to the biggest problem the NFL now faces: big hair. That's right, the folks at Locksdown.com have written us and advised that they've got the answer to that all-important issue of players wearing their hair so long it covers their jersey number and name plates on the back of their jerseys. And wouldn't you know it - the company is in Central Islip. The e-mail from company founder Deon Leftenant begins: To The NFL: I would like to introduce myself to you, my name is Deon Leftenant, President of Deshalamar Enterprises Inc. and I am the designer of the new hair care product on the market called the Locks Down. The Locks Down is designed to hold in place (restrain) hair, that is shoulder length or longer, particularly players that rock locs, in a fashion conscious manner. I know that there is a concern in the NFL right now about players with long hair. We here at Deshalamar feel that the Locks Down is the answer to that dilemma. Sounds good to us. We'll pass it on to the competition committee.
http://www.blackathlete.net/main.shtml
Black Athlete Sports Network
Putting The 'Locks Down' On The NFL New York company may have answer to the league's hair issue by Lloyd Vance, lloydvance@blackathlete.com POSTED: Aug 1, 2008 PHILADELPHIA -- Even though the NFL quietly put aside “Hair-gate”, the policy/issue of whether a player’s hair can cover their name plate, at the last owner’s meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell saying that he needed more time to talk with more concerned parties (NFLPA, Players, etc) before trying to tackle this issue. I fully expect a potential NFL battle brewing over individuality versus uniformity when it comes to long hair. You know the first play of the 2008 NFL Season where a player has his long hair legally pulled that a commentator will bring up the proposed policy.
Clearly there are two factions forming around Hair-gate with some conservative military crew-cut types in NFL (i.e. Kansas City Chiefs organization) preferring that long hair go the way of the old-school “Dropkick” and long hair enthusiasts like players Steelers DB Troy Polamalu, Saints DB Mike McKenzie, and Packers DB Al Harris not wanting the NFL messing with their individuality any further. Diplomatic Colts head coach Tony Dungy recently said about Hair-gate, “I think there is room for personal expression, but when you listen to Herm [Edwards] and the Kansas City guys, it is kind of a uniform thing”.
He added, “You look around and the name is covered, and part of the number is covered. We have to figure out how to address that. Hopefully there is a way to do it and get the best of both worlds (uniformity/safety and self-expression).” As I stated before, I really don’t care how many tattoos a player has or if his hair is down to his waist as long as the guy can bring the “wood” on the field. In doing a quick scan of NFL rosters I noticed at least 50 plus players that had long hair including many with the popular African American style of “locks”. The Philadelphia Eagles, the team that I cover, have at least five players (WR Jammal Jones, OL Stefan Rodgers, DB Asante Samuel, DB Marcus Paschal, and DT Trevor Laws) with the hairstyle. In talking with Eagles receiver and special teams player Jammal Jones (5-foot-11, 205), a five-year NFL veteran, who has hair down to his numbers after 61/2 years of hair growth since college, the former North Carolina A&T player said that he has never been pressured by coaches to do something about his hair. The 27-year old in talking about his whole take on the “Hair-gate” issue said, “If a player wants to wear is hair over his name, then he should be allowed to”. However Jones, who also understands how tough it is to stay in the NFL after stints with the St. Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers since 2004, added that if the NFL changed the policy that he would comply. But I clearly got the sense that he and other long-haired NFL players would talk to the NFLPA about fighting to maintain a players prerogative to wear any hairstyle.
In my Good Samaritan search to help the NFL find a good alternative to the sticky “Hair-gate” issue, I may have found the answer in a New York City based entrepreneurial company called Deshalamar Enterprises Inc. ***imag2***Deshalamar is the producer of a versatile lightweight head wrap called the “Locks Down” which supports and keeps long hair in place while being fashionable. In talking with Locks Down designer Deon Leftenant, the inventive fashion conscious young man expressed to me his desire to work with the NFL so that players can follow the rules while not stifling their individuality in order to pursue their dreams. Leftnant is confident that Locks Down is the NFL’s answer and he is in the long process of working with the league to get Locks Down approved. He already has a few prototypes in longhaired players’ hands in an effort to be ahead of the “Hair-gate” curve. Here’s hoping that an amicable ending can be found to end this potentially combustible situation. NOTE: For more information on Deshalamar Enterprises Inc. and the "Locks Down", log on to www.locksdown.com. Lloyd Vance is a Sr. NFL Writer/Analyst for Taking It To The House and an award winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). He is also the editor of BQB Site (www.bqb-site.com), a website dedicated to the history, news, and accomplishments of African American quarterbacks.