THE GLAMOUR SISTERS

Film by Fadle El Harris

Anne left Sierra Leone during the civil war and came to Australia as a refugee under the UNHCR program along with her nine children, including Wokie. When she arrived in Bankstown region there was nowhere for African women to get their hair done. The western hairdressers didn’t have the styles or the range of hair weaves that are popular amongst women in Sierra Leone. Originally trained as a hairdresser she began doing hair weaves for women from her house. Word got around and she realised she could make a living out of this. In 2001 she established the Glamour Sisters. Wokie works with her mother where they offer a wide selection of weaves and specialise in hand stitching the extensions with needle and thread which has gained them a big customer base. Anne has since helped resettle young refugee women by teaching them how to do hair weaving and sending them to TAFE and she won a Humanitarian Award for her business. Wokie says being in Bankstown means they get clients from many ethnicities easy to get clients from many ethnicities. "I love coming here [to the shop] and seeing so many different people and clients in the area. It makes me happy working in this area and being part of what my mum does."

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