Working with Blank Canvas
Collaboration and innovation has been the key to many people’s resilience over this pandemic era as it has been for three women serving up beauty.
Collaboration and innovation has been the key to many people’s resilience over this pandemic era as it has been for three women serving up beauty.
The three artists have each had to rethink the way they earn a living since losing business and in one case her job over the global shut down.
Meet Celeste Kennedy, Charlene Tafunai and Lydia Whippy; all of whoms are leading brands in the beauty sector.
Charlene, a former Miss World Fiji was an aircraft engineer for the national carrier, Fiji Airways when she lost her income. Lydia Whippy is one of the most sought after professional hair and make up vendors. Celeste ran her own beauty salon.
“At the moment we’re a mobile servicer taking bookings from all over Fiji for various occasions mainly around Suva and Nadi.”
Each woman has had to innovate her hustle after coming out of the shock of being without a job indefinitely when the global travel industry all but stopped and turned to making a living out of her semi commercial hobby; jewellery making.
Meanwhile mother of six Lydia, had transferred her entire Suva life to Nadi in order to focus on the hospitality industry, international film crews and the fashion shows which take place in the area. When COVID19 changed her reality, she moved her family back to the capital and started a full island mobile business making the highway her office and going wherever beauty services were required.
It is that same business model the three have collaborated to run the new business; Blank Canvas which made its debut taking on the kind of pressure no new hair and make up artist takes on without years of experience; by working on Fiji Fashion Week (FJFW 2020).
As if that itself weren’t a big task, Blank Canvas took on the task of doing FJFW’s finale which is usually also its most difficult event and carried out by overseas vendors. But as Celeste explains, the three women knew they had their own strengths to work with.
“Locals are naturally beautiful with healthy skin because of our natural use of organic products and with many more new Fijian made skin care products now available.”
“For our teach, it was just adding a touch from whether it be on makeup or hair styling, to simply enhances beauty,” Ms Kennedy says.
And while the three women, each with an established brand, led the team, they shared the love around by including other rising stars from the industry onto the team to gain experience.
The experience of testing products and methodology during their preparations was in itself valuable experience for women all working to build a new way of making their services available.
“With different ideas and suggestions, we included some upcoming artists on our team to participate and share the experience with us for the show.”
“We’d like to thank FJFW managing director Ellen Whippy-Knight for giving us this amazing opportunity to be part of the show. Not only has she brought us together but she has gathered us to form a professional business of young female entrepreneurs and that has of course influenced and empowered the group of women.”
“To conclude on behalf of the team we’d like to thank FJFW managing director Ellen Whippy for giving us this amazing opportunity to be apart of the show. Not only has she brought us together but she has gathered us to form a professional business of young female entrepreneurs & of course influenced women empowerment.”
While having a platform to excel has boosted their spirits and revitalised their business sense, its forced the artists who were trained on international standards to think local.
Its meant investing more time to find local products to work with now that they no longer have easy international access to products they were more accustomed to pre-pandemic.
“Increased freight charges and duty has taken its toll not only with well established companies but also especially on small business owners like us. We don’t really have one favourite product as different products work with different skin types but it’s good to have make up that is suitable for our climate and it’s humidity and is accessible and affordable in Fiji.”
Another important learning point for Blank Canvas is teaching their clients whether they be models for the FJFW runway or ordinary men and women in need of some professional styling how to take care of their own beauty needs.
Cleanliness rates high on that list of tips and its advice that means eating clean, keeping your face clean but also extends to working clean.
“It is a priority, starting from our brushes to our kits and products. Cleaned brushes prior or after bookings, clean working stations, organised products from different categories.”
“Following these simple steps make our work easier and of course our clients feel prioritized and trust us enough to know that we’re using genuine products and clean tools upon applications of hair and makeup.”
