By Madi G Bowman
Former De Montfort University student Kunmi Dada celebrated the opening of his shop Tha Luxury Club by doing a huge give away of discounted beauty treatments, his mother’s homemade Jollof rice and 100 free haircuts.
Mr Dada said his inspiration ‘came from a place of personal dissatisfaction’ in existing barber shops and salons which he felt ‘didn’t fulfil what he was looking for as a student’ when going to get a haircut.
Having studied and graduated with a degree in architecture from De Montfort University in 2017, he said: “I‘ve always had a creative mind which wanted to build and develop things.”
Mr Dada originally began cutting hair in college, then spent some time as a campus barber whilst he was at De Montfort University and later got into freelance barbering cutting the hair of many high-profile artists and rappers in London.
Although he enjoyed his time as a freelance barber, he said he felt he wanted something more ‘concrete which would be long term and stable‘.
The main idea for the shop, which opened in Market Place on Saturday, March 19, was to create a place which both males and females could get all their beauty treatments in one place and to create a young, positive atmosphere suited for both students and anyone in need of some ‘TLC’.
The shop is full of young entrepreneurs including many students from Leicester who are providing professional treatments such as haircuts , makeup , nails and eyelashes.
The shop prides itself on providing a luxurious experience and delivering reliable top-quality services.
Mr Dada said: “It’s a place to need, educate and inspire.”
He added he hopes this will be more than just a barber shop but the heart of the community, highlighting how he wants people to be able to get treatments but also socialise and build relationships as youth centres and community spaces are currently a big feature missing from the UK.
Some ideas for the future of the shop include organising a book club to encourage people to read and learn new things.
Mr Dada is also looking for aspiring artists to showcase their work in the shop window, such as graphic paintings and drawings as it will be a way to ‘celebrate people’s artwork’.
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