2 minute read
INTERVIEW WITH JACQUELINE KANKAM-HOPPE
the interview sister act
Rising industry star Jacqueline Kankam-Hoppe was a double winner at the 2021 Concept Hair Learner of the Year competition, taking top honours in the Colouring category and the Fellowship Spotlight Award. Recently the talented graduate stylist created her own photographic collection with the help of her boss, Karine Jackson of Karine Jackson Sustainable Hair, London.
Concept Hair: How did the collection come about?
Jacqueline Kankam-Hoppe: This is my first ever collection. When I joined Karine Jackson Sustainable Hair, I made a Moodboard — I came up with the outfits, accessories and then took all my ideas to Karine to make a plan of action.
CH: What was the inspiration behind the collection?
JK-H: The inspiration behind the collection was to celebrate sisterhood, togetherness, love and escapism. A lot of my inspiration came from the days of slavery. During these times, women planned to escape by braiding their hair in particular patterns which would mimic the roads they needed to take.
CH: Who were your models for the collection?
JK-H: For the My Sisters collection, I used my friends and sisters as I wanted the collection to be as personal and authentic as possible. All the women in this collection have gone through discrimination and so I felt that it would be much more personal when telling this story.
Photographs by: Sade Russell, Advanced photography and Art
Make-up by: Charlotte Lakin
CH: What would you say was the biggest lesson you took away from doing the collection?
JK-H: The biggest lesson from this collection is that if you have a vision, it will not become reality if you do not put in the work. The night before the shoot, I had to do the final preps, up until 3am and I got up the next day at 6am. I was super-exhausted, but it was all worth it.
CH: Do you think your win at Learner of the Year 2021 helped give you the confidence to take on a project like this?
JK-H: I have been wanting to do this collection since 2019 but winning in two categories at Learner of the Year 2021 definitely pushed me to finally plan and execute my first ever photoshoot. I thought to myself, ‘if I could create a look in lockdown and enter Learner of the Year, then I can definitely do this shoot’.
