Clutch Magazine took a moment to chat with Ericka Dotson of Indique Hair, to catch of wave of understanding, and to run our fingers through her hair.
It all starts at the root… For African American women, personal style may be a sentiment to a personal reflection. When it comes to our hair its a continual war. Our looks can be versatile, but the feeling required should never promise to be anything short of amazing. How you look can have an effect on how you feel, so when you’re seeking to “be easy,” you need an effortless option at hand.
To jumpstart your balance from head to toe, getting your look on track may require an Indique appeal. Indique is a unique brand that hails from India delivering us an unparalleled selection of human hair extensions with an exotic luxurious flare that captures the essence of quality and refinement. Unlike any of its competitors, Indique is a line of 100% Indian virgin human hair, with the cuticle in tact, that is offered in a vast collection of styles designed with every woman in mind.
Brought to you fresh and officially hot to death, looking good has been made easier with the help of Indiques four eye catching lines. Hysteria, their collection of colored but natural human hair, that continually keeps a pep in each sweep by remaining soft and tangle free. Euphoria, a line of vibrant lace front and full lace wigs, available in a straight or wavy, to a curly or a teased look. Bounce, their line of human hair extensions that’ll keep the flare in your hair with a deep wave, to a relaxed, straight or curly look. Pure, the finest in Indian Remy hair, carefully hand picked and 100% genuine available in Curly, Wavy of Straight truly defines the meaning within its name.
Clutch took a moment to chat with Ericka Dotson of Indique Hair, to catch of wave of understanding, and to run our fingers through her hair.
Clutch: What exactly is Indique?
Ericka Dotson: Indique is a hair line with collections of wefted weaving hair, lace wigs and hairpieces all made from virgin Indian hair with the cuticle intact. Indique hair possesses all of the attributes of human hair because it is, in fact, 100% human hair.
Clutch: Who is the team that makes up Indique?
Ericka Dotson: Our team is made up of hair manufacturing experts with over 25 years of experience in the hair extension industry and hairstylists.
Clutch: With the Hair extension Industry being such a competitive market, what made you confidant enough in your product to start your company?
Ericka Dotson: When I was working as a professional hairstylist, I discovered this beautiful hair from India that blended so well with my client’s hair, was easy for them to maintain and had this amazing longevity. All of my clients were wearing the hair and refused to go back to anything else. This is when I knew it would be a hit with the masses.
Clutch: What is the defining factor that sets you apart from your counterparts?
Ericka Dotson: All of our hair is 100% human through and through. You can actually dye Indique hair because the cuticle is intact! The cuticle is the life of the hair. It dictates the texture of the hair. This is why each piece of Indique hair is unique because everyone’s hair texture is different. Our counterparts manufacture non remy hair where the cuticle has been stripped and the hair is wefted in a direction that is not the natural growth pattern. Because their hair is non remy, they have to coat it with silicone in order to sell it. It looks great in the package. But after 2 weeks of wear, it begins to matte and become unruly. Our hair flows in the natural growth direction from root to end, never coated with silicone and never mixed with synthetic fiber or animal hair. You can also wear Indique hair up to a year or more. You can shampoo and condition Indique hair as if it were your own, reinstall it a second or third time around and it’s just as beautiful as it was the first day you purchased it. Indique hair is in a league of it’s own.
Clutch: What goes into the hair selection process?
Ericka Dotson: Quality Indian hair is selected in different textures then sorted into lengths. Next, the hair undergoes a special cleaning process. The majority of Indian hair is in great condition because women in India condition their hair with Amla. Amla has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to treat the hair and scalp. This makes the selection process easy when handpicking the hair.
Clutch: Will you ever take shortcuts to increase the quantity of your product in order to better serve the demand?
Ericka Dotson: The majority of your beauty supply stores that have bags of hair extensions hanging from their walls; have been selling hair provided by manufacturers who have been cutting corners for years. The sad part about it is the false advertisement. They want you to believe its 100% hair. We are not in that type of business. If we were to cut corners, we would then be categorized in their market, the non remy, non virgin hair market. Indique will never be down-graded with synthetic fibers nor will we practice a second-rate wefting process. It is what it is… and in the hair industry, it’s impossible to cut corners when you’re retailing the real thing.
Clutch: With these products being of a higher standard and quality, naturally the price is a bit more expensive than some of the other lines currently available from other merchants. But with your company doing quite well, what do you think is the appeal that draws consumers to your particular brand?
Ericka Dotson: We are the first hair company to really take action in branding Indian hair on a high level. Image is key for us. We work hard to ensure the product is superior, the packaging is unique and the marketing efforts are well received by a huge demographic.
Clutch: What’s your most popular product?
Ericka Dotson: Our most popular product is the PURE Curly texture. Curly Indian hair is a rarity. The curl pattern can range anywhere from a soft curl to a coarse and tight curl. What is currently on the market in regards to curly hair is normally chemically altered and synthetic. With the synthetic hair, you have to go without shampooing because the synthetic curly pattern will not maintain. Once the silicone treatment wears off; the synthetic curly hair becomes a horrible mess! Indique offers curly hair that you can straighten flat and smooth and shampoo everyday if you choose. The natural curl pattern bounces back after every single shampoo and the hair is lush and full of life.
Clutch: At first glance, your website looks to be more than just an advertisement for your products, it looks like your marketing a lifestyle. Where does your vision for Indique intend to take you in the years to come?
Ericka Dotson: Indique is a lifestyle brand indeed! We plan on venturing into cosmetics, hair products and hair tools. I’m also very excited about our upcoming salon wear line that we’ve been working on that’s due to launch next year.
Clutch: Who do you feel is the “Indique” Woman?
Ericka Dotson: The Indique woman is your best friend, your Aunt, your round-the-way girl, your mother, entrepreneur, housewife, cancer survivor, college student, teacher… I can go on and on. The Indique woman is every woman I know who wants easy to manage hair that will last, is versatile, makes them feel beautiful and adds a little bit of luxury to their lives.
Clutch: Are you aware of any celebrities that utilize your extensions that can be considered an unpaid spokesman for the Indique line of products?
Ericka Dotson: Indique is considered a beauty secret for many women. Unfortunately, I can’t disclose any celebrity info…so sorry! But I can say that there are several celebrity stylists who have partnered with us and they are definitely adorning their high profile clients with our hair. Now that high-definition film is in full effect, there is an even higher demand because high-def footage shows every single flaw. Quality human hair shows better than synthetic on film. Therefore, stylists on the set are opting for the most natural looking hair on the market and that’s what we provide. I’m happy to be in a position where I can help women look their best on the silver screen!
Clutch: What are some of the major accomplishments that Indique Hair has already achieved since its inception?
Ericka Dotson: We have branched out into South Africa this past year with great success! The women in Africa love our lace wigs. We are looking forward to an exclusive training symposium in Africa this spring.
Clutch: Is there anything you would like to leave on the mind of the consumers that will consider opting to buy your product versus others?
Ericka Dotson: When you’re out purchasing hair, don’t always believe what you see on the packaging. Just because it states “100% human hair”, it does not mean that it actually is 100% human hair. Another thing to look for is packaging that states “remy” hair. These are all a play on words to get the consumer to fall into the “bad hair” trap. You get what you pay for and with Indique you will always get 100% quality human hair. It makes more sense to purchase hair that you can wear without any issues. If you have to brush your hair every 10 minutes because it’s balling up in the back; you probably need to reconsider what your are actually buying. When you wear quality hair, you avoid having to deal with the headache of matting and tangling, it’s versatile because you can flat iron it one day and wear it wavy the next day. It moves and flows naturally, and most important- you don’t have to deal with taking your weave down because the hair has gone bad; you’re taking your weave down because the base braids are loose. At the end of the day, it’s less expensive to purchase true, 100% Indique human hair, not that scratchy “hair” that hangs in bags at your local beauty supply store.
For more information about Indique Hair please visit indiquehair.com.