The Create & Cultivate 100 returns for its 3rd edition this year! The annual feature honours 100 forward-thinking women who are taking the world by storm. It’s a list of powerhouses inspiring a whole new generation of girls to not just please the boss, but be the boss. Each category honors 10 women who are bucking tradition, making history and fighting for change in the workplace and the world.
Among the carefully selected list, Freddie Harrel, and Asiyami Gold are honoured on the list in the beauty and Art & Design categories. Read their features below.
“Beauty should not be acquired at someone else’s expense.”
These are the words Freddie Harrel lives by. The UK-based Parisian fashion blogger and self-proclaimed confidence coach turned a frustration within the hair care industry into a booming, ethical business of its own. Freddie was on the hunt for synthetic extensions for her own big, bold, beautiful hair, but was disappointed by the quality of the products available. She started experimenting by making her own synthetic extensions and a few years later, Big Hair No Care was born.
Since beginning her foray into the business side of hair, Freddie has used her platform to advocate for women’s empowerment with SHE Unleashed, a workshop series where women of all ages come together to discuss the issues that impact the female experience, including the feeling of otherness, identity politics, unconscious bias, racism, and sexism. She was also the Cosmopolitan Influencer of the Year in 2018 and is a renowned TEDx Talk speaker.
Harrel’s brand is so much more than ethically-sourced hair products—it’s evolved into a community of women who want to take back the confidence that the patriarchy robbed from them. At the helm of this movement, Harrel is a fierce force who wants to inspire a generation of women to embrace their true selves.
Click here to read her full interview
For the Nigerian-born Asiyami Gold, the decision to quit nursing school to pursue a career in the arts came as a disappointment to her parents. But that decision also opened up a new door, one that allowed her to travel the globe, create an international community, and achieve prestige in a number of creative fields. The model, designer, photographer, creative director, and storyteller is a jack of all trades, and master of most. Scrolling through her Instagram is akin to flipping through a moodboard, as the tones, landscapes, and intimate portraits tell singular stories. Not to mention, her self portraits and their corresponding captions are so stunning and raw, you’ll find yourself deeply invested in her journey. She leaves ego at the door, and transparently shares her evolution through her art and world view.
Finally, if you find yourself jealous of her style (which, you will), revel in the fact that she founded a fashion label, A.Au. You, too, can attempt to borrow some of that Gold that makes Asiyami so damn cool.