Zigleys, a brand founded by Daria Dana is redefining hair jewelry for locs, braids, and twists with exquisite 18-karat gold pieces.
The business was born from a simple question: why isn’t there fine jewelry for hair?
This query sparked a year-long journey to create high-quality adornments for our most vital asset—our hair. Zigleys is more than just jewelry; it’s a movement to challenge stereotypes surrounding Afrocentric hairstyles in professional settings. By offering fine hair jewelry, the brand asserts that our hair deserves the best. While the price points may seem high, the craftsmanship and materials used are unparalleled, ensuring a lasting investment piece. Zigleys honors the cultural significance of these hairstyles and engages with the community to celebrate their beauty through various initiatives, including Instagram Live sessions and personal hair journey stories. Celebrities like Erykah Badu, Chloe x Halle, and J. Cole have embraced Zigleys’ hair jewelry to elevate their looks, making a bold statement. The founder’s personal journey and love for locs deeply influence the brand’s vision, creating stunning jewelry that reflects the heart and soul of the African diaspora.
Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind starting Zigleys and your mission to redefine hair jewelry for locs, braids, and twists with 18-karat gold pieces?
I was putting in a piece of beauty supply hair jewelry and then put on all of my other jewelry, which was real. I wondered whether there was fine jewelry for my hair, so I Googled it with the intent to buy some. When I couldn’t find any, I instantly knew that I was going to make it and pretty much worked tirelessly for the next year. It didn’t make sense to me that the most important part of my body, my hair, was getting the lowest quality jewelry. Given my connection to my hair and African history, I felt that if anything, it should be the other way around.
How do you see Zigleys contributing to the broader acceptance of Afrocentric hairstyles in various professional settings, such as boardrooms and courtrooms?
Zigleys hopes to continue taking part in these important conversations about hair, stigma, discrimination, and Black beauty. Everything starts with a conversation. Beyond conversation, we believe that the mere act of providing fine jewelry for hair is in itself an act of assertion that our hair is in fact beautiful and does in fact deserve the same quality of jewelry that we’ve had for many other parts of our body. As we expand our product line and see more people bejewelling their hair, I really do believe that it can contribute to changing perceptions – even within ourselves (centuries of being told that our hair is *insert negative phrase here* can and has affected people consciously and subconsciously). For example, since I began wearing Zigleys in my hair, my love for my hair has deepened, and my mindset toward it has definitely shifted even more positively. However, we don’t need fine jewelry to show us our hair is perfect as is. So, Zigleys plans to take part in social change initiatives geared toward this greater cause of ending hair discrimination and increasing hair love within our community.
The prices for Zigleys’ hair jewelry range from $1000 to over $5000. Could you elaborate on the craftsmanship and materials used that justify these price points?
Unlike other fine jewelry companies that use mass-molds and incredibly high markups, we work with just two or three goldsmiths, based in New York, who make each piece by hand, as the order comes in. The piece is then quality inspected to ensure that it fits Zigleys’ standard of excellence. This means that the piece you receive was made specifically for you, by a skilled artisan with decades of experience. Because we use solid 18-karat gold, you don’t need to worry about your piece diminishing with time. And, because of our secure locking mechanism, you can wear it for the rest of your life. Like your great-great-great grandmother’s ring, Zigleys, too, can be passed down for generations while still retaining its beauty and value. It’s truly an investment piece made with care, love, pride, and historical significance.
Your brand’s tagline is “Jewelry for Your Crown, Fit for Royalty.” Could you share some insights into the cultural significance and personal connection that these hairstyles hold for individuals, and how Zigleys aims to honor that through its products?
Shortly after I decided to create Zigleys, I started doing a ton of research about African history, gold, jewelry, and royalty. I realized that the significance of these pieces could go far beyond simply being beautiful. Now, they’re ways to honor our history and make a statement about ourselves. Hair in Black history has always been important even in times of pre-colonialism. Groups in different parts of Africa have adorned their hair differently, and royalty had the most intricate hair jewelry from cowrie shells to brass and gold. I try to take all of this into consideration when designing a new piece so that each finished creation is a fusion of our history and modern elegance.
Zigleys hosted a contest to celebrate the launch of your collection. How do you plan to engage with and involve the community in promoting and celebrating the beauty of these cultural hairstyles?
Moving forward, Zigleys plans to participate in more community conversations about hair. We will soon begin an Instagram Live series called “Hair Tales” where we have conversations about our hair and an Instagram series where we ask people to talk about their natural hair journey. Beyond these, we are big on community and always trying to engage our audience by stirring up conversations about black hair, history, and culture.
Can you provide some examples of how celebrities like Erykah Badu, Chloe x Halle, and J. Cole have embraced Zigleys’ hair jewelry to enhance their locs and braids?
We’ve seen hair jewelry on plenty of red carpets and on some of our biggest loc and braid inspirations like Chloe x Halle, Teyana Taylor, Erykah Badu, and so on. They use it to elevate their look and tie their outfit together, and it makes a huge difference every time. Zigleys simply seeks to bring this a bit more mainstream and offer more high-quality options for those who want them.
As the founder of Zigleys and a proud wearer of locs, how does your personal journey and experience with these hairstyles influence the vision and direction of the brand?
Learning to love my hair was a journey and I feel it led me here, to creating Zigleys. There is real love, passion, and thought in each design and it comes from my deep love for my people, and deep respect and even reverence for our ability to thrive and flourish despite literal attempts to stifle us. I like to say that I create beautiful things to wear with our beautiful hair. It sounds simple but feels profound and meaningful to put it into action and see its impact. I take that job seriously.
Learn more by connecting with Daria Dana on Instagram.
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