Ella Rowe is a multi-disciplinary artist whose main creative practice these days is as a hairdresser of natural curly, afro and textured hair. As the owner of Elvies Studios, named after her inspirational mother, Ella is leading the way to a natural hair movement. Adorned with artefacts from family in Papua New Guinea, the salon itself is a reflection of its mission to provide quality service for people who have felt ‘othered’ in Euro-centric salons. From braiding hair on the school bus to working in wig departments on the West End; Ella discusses her early inspirations and vision for the future of Elvies Studios.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your creative practice.
I am the proud mother of Kemiannah and owner of Elvies Studios, a natural hair salon space that was birthed at the beginning of the pandemic because I wanted to create my own space for my community, my family and to start my own family, and that’s what I did. That exact moment in time was pivotal for me as I faced personal and family challenges that resulted in me making some big changes. I have a background in Education, Art and Youth Work. All my life I have done hair and made art, my business is my greatest creative project. My current creative practice is cutting curly, afro and textured hair, building a business and a natural hair movement here in Naarm. My studio is decorated in mine and my mothers’ artwork, adorned with artifacts from family in Papua New Guinea as well as gifts from friends and clients. The studio itself was designed by the talented Semu Ntulume with inspiration from a pandanis mat weave design and the simple black and white palette. I then added all of my treasures, marrying the black and white with the homely, tropical, PNG theme and bright pops of colour from my paintings.
How did you start your creative practice and why?
I am a multidisciplinary artist. I paint as well as write poetry but my current, now full time expression is as a hairdresser of natural curly, afro and textured hair. I started playing with my own and others’ hair as a young girl. I remember sitting at the back of a minibus on a gymnastics trip to Canberra learning how to braid my teammates’ hair. I always did my Mums hair, Aunties, friends at school in both primary and secondary, found ways to do the hair and makeup in our school productions and for fellow students in higher year levels for their formals. I later did Make-Up artistry and decided to do an apprenticeship in Hairdressing. That experience in salons led me into Editorial work, Weddings, Fashion and Musical Theatre Hair & Make-Up. I spent time in Community and Pacific Arts and that was when I began receiving attention for being able to ‘cut curls’. I never considered myself a specialist, however, I had access to and the skills and confidence to gain experience with all hair types, this was a joy considering most of my work in hair had been with a forced gaze on European standards of beauty. It became my passion, to be someone people felt safe with and trusted with their hair. I knew how much hair meant to us and I also understood our shared experience as people of colour, our shared hair stories and hair trauma. I started Elvies because I knew how difficult it was to find a Hairdresser that ‘knew what to do with our hair’.
Where did you grow up and has it influenced what you create?
I was born in Lae, PNG and grew up in Donvale, out East. I didn’t find that area inspiring. It was what I found in my home, my parents’ treasure chest of artifacts, artwork, shells, stories, photographs, carvings, bilums (string bags) books and natural fibre objects and adornments. These were objects that linked me to my PNG heritage and that knowledge is what inspired me. I was lucky that although we were of mixed heritage and were growing up in Australia, I found my connection through finding my style, identity, symbolism and my creative voice, communicated to me through the physical objects and stories told in my home. Being surrounded by treasures that remind me of who I was, helped me to maintain my sense of self and my authenticity. I wanted Elvies Studios to feel this way so that others could experience it too. Elvies is a reflection of this and is where I can bring forth my dreams and creations.
Tell us about your past creative projects. What has been a highlight so far?
I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to do several exhibitions, be involved in Musical Theatre plays such as Aladdin and Priscila Queen of the Desert in the West End. I painted a portrait in my little sister’s Kaiit’s music video, and more recently I created a shell mural on a plaster caste of my pregnant body as a way to document this life changing experience, a piece I am yet to share publicly. One highlight was a full wall mural I installed as part of an exhibition curated by the Pacific New Way Finders and it was the largest piece I had ever done. My Mum helped me install it and it felt incredibly nostalgic because it was a recreation of the bedroom walls of my life. We even set up a bed with my childhood bed sheets on it and laid pebbles on the floor to represent the ground in my village, Wamira in Milne Bay Province, PNG. I also quoted poetry that I had written. It was exposing a visual landscape of my adolescent and young adult mind.
Who or what inspires your practice?
The PNG women in our family photo albums. I grew up looking at them thinking how beautiful, natural, uninhibited and powerful they were with all their natural afros, all individually shaped and styled. That’s what I wanted to look like, that was my standard. And, my mother of course. To me, she is the most beautiful woman alive and her beauty was always my standard and a reason why I named my business after her. She has always been my true inspiration. She once wrote me a note that I was to read on the night of a play I had directed in highschool. She said to read it when I was alone before the curtain went up. I did, and she gave me the greatest gift, the gift of being mindful, presence. She said, ‘stop and look around at what you have created….’. I had never felt so empowered, so seen, so alive, so loved and so brave. This is what inspires me everyday.
Whose work are you digging at the moment?
I am truly digging the work of one of my assistants at Elvies named Nisal Atapattu. His instagram handle is @nisal.mua and he is a make-up artist, studying hair at tafe and is working with us one day a week. Each week he demonstrates pure creativity, humility, is a trend setter and never ceases to amaze me and our team. He has a flare and vibrancy that is ‘low key’ but when I witness his creativity, he just makes me want to scream with delight.
What future projects are you looking forward to?
Creative hair projects with Team Elvies. I truly cannot wait to see what we produce individually and as a team in the next couple of years both in the studio, as a natural hair movement, in our prospective areas of expertise, in collaboration with artists, musicians and other movements as well as in the industry and for our beautiful clients and community. We are looking at introducing hair colouring to Elvies in the next year which is really exciting!
Where can we find and follow you online?
You can find us at elviesstudios.com
@elviesstudios_collingwood on Instagram
Elvies Studios on Facebook