New body wants beauty standards

A newly formed association is hopeful it can establish standards for people working in the beauty industry.

The Barbados Beauty Professionals Association (BBFA), which is inviting beauty practitioners to join its membership, will have a virtual launch at 6 p.m. on Sunday when members of the executive will inform the public exactly how they intend to go about establishing these standards.

During a press briefing at the Barbados Employers Confederation (BEC), Deighton Road, St Michael, the association’s interim president Arlette Knight-Olton said the purpose of the organisation is to bring together barbers, braiders, massage therapists, and cosmetologists.

“Anyone who says that they represent the beauty industry we want to bring into this association so that we can set some standards. Standards meaning international standards where the client can get the same service wherever they go, as in how the salon is presented, how you as a stylist present, how you as the professional present. We want to operate to a standard and right now we are not there,” Knight-Olton said.

Interim vice president Tracy Wilkinson-Gittens said the BEC and the Barbados Coalition of Service Industry (BCSI) were instrumental in assisting with the establishment of the association.

“These two bodies have been the backbone for us forming the association and they have been continually assisting us in this process, which has not been easy. It would have dated back from as early as 2014, when we would have been meeting with the BCSI to try to get something like this done and then come forward maybe three years, the BEC would have stepped in and they would have been championing the cause with the support of the BCSI,” Wilkinson-Gittens said.

Interim public relations officer Ta-shasher Mayers said professionals joining the association would get the opportunity to participate in specially designed programmes. She disclosed that some of these programmes would entail training, sponsorship, and internship, among others.

“We know that there are some beauty professionals who probably would need assistance financially, for maybe getting a business started and buying products. Insurance is also one of the things we want to offer professionals who join the association because outside of that you would find most people do not necessarily invest in getting things like health and life insurance,” Mayers said.

“We also want to look at doing things internationally, like some kind of student exchange and being able to go to beauty shows as a team and as a body. We want to show professionals how to run their business, how to deal with difficult customers, how to do this and how to do that. So you are not just joining the association for joining sake, you are going to benefit as well.”

Knight-Olton, Wilkinson-Gittens and Mayers, who have a combined 50-plus years of experience in the beauty industry, encouraged people to join the association even if they are not regularized.

The executive members said those who want to find out more about the association can do so by logging into the virtual launch. anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb