Jabu Stone is an entrepreneur. Be it his hair care product range, salon chain, Legends Club or any of his other businesses.You can trust them.
21 years ago Jabu Stone decided to turn his back on the growing trend of Western style fashions and culture norms influencing and forcing African people into
following and losing their identities. He was concerned with the extent to which African people, both male and female, denied themselves the beauty of their natural hair texture by flattening it with damaging relaxers, perms and similar produces.
Born in Ginsberg, South Africa down the road from Steve Biko, often cited as being one of the fathers of
‘Black consciousness’ in Southern Africa, some believe that this was the start of the spark that resulted in Jabu Stones’ drive for offering solutions to the ethnic consumer that truly where developed for them.
Jabu’s parents moved him to Daveyton, a township in Johannesburg, at a young age. His father a factory worker and mother a teacher at a local primary school where able to provide the basics, however this was not enough to quench Jabus thirst for entrepreneurship.Jabu Stone’s first business started at a very early age. An elderly man who was an
acquaintance of the family gave him a used camera as a present. He was 14 years old at the time. Whilst practicing taking photos he saw a commotion at a nearby wedding.
A couple getting married, who were
unhappy with their photographer, noticed Jabus camera. They offered to pay him a fee to take and develop their photographs. This sparked a drive for business and this soon turned into a thriving small business with Jabu employing other young men and equipping them with cameras.
It was at that point that Jabus mother imparted the following to her son “Before people will buy your product, they need to buy into you.” Jabu realized the potential in appearance and decided to learn more about business.
After studies completed in engineering and business Jabu started looking for a way
to leave his mark on the world.
Whilst visiting his sister’s salon he
noticed many of the woman burning their scalps and skin in order to achieve a westernized look. This hurt Jabu and he vowed to himself that his people should not have to suffer in order to look good.
Jabu decided to look into natural ethnic hair styles. His research into dreadlocks
revealed that the style was not a Rastafarian byproduct. Rather it was a style as old as the people of Africa. He realized that our hair wanted to do this naturally. Jabu continued to look at the variations of the style all over Africa from the Masai in Kenya to ancient Egyptians. His key finding was that westernized society had created a community that could no longer accept this style.
Jabu believed that if he could find a more attractive way of creating the style he could create a door in the wall of an unaccepting population.Jabu developed his product and tried to sell it to the salons. They however were not interested in a style that did not exist and took time and talent to achieve. Jabu eventually managed to get 10 willing stylists to learn how to put in locks. 9 of the 10 walked out of the training.
Jabu then approached the likes of Gery Rantseli-Elsdson (a television presenter, host, MC and businesswoman), Zenani Mandela (Nelson Mandela’s daughter), Lawrence Dube (Talkshow host), Sipho ‘Hot Stix’ Mabusa (one of the country’s best-loved and most respected musicians)
and Yvonne Chaka Chaka (South African Singer / Superstar) to ask if they would allow him to style their hair in locks. They were eager to let him style their locks and being celebrities amongst the community the talk of this ‘new style’ stated to spread.
He knew though, that to truly get the style on the map he would have to get the interest of the salons. Jabu decided to open his own salon and ‘rent a chair’ in the downtown ‘Alex Hair Salon’. By doing this he put the destiny of the product into his own hands.At this time the brand did not exist and the product was sold in a blank tub. When deciding that the product needed a name his friends and family that supported him along the way where quick to point out that what better name than the person who had put so many years into the product and style ‘Jabu Stone’.
Brand and product in hand Jabu believed that he could now approach retailers to sell his product. They quickly kicked him out of their stores citing that nobody was asking for his product and therefore there was no reason to stock it.
Jabu decided to get his friends to go to the stores to ask for the product. After a few weeks he would then go back to the store owner who would then let him leave 6 units. He would then get his friends to purchase the product essentially buying his own product back. He did this with a goal to get shelf space and Gondola ends in stores. This street business sense in volatile times resulted in the final piece of the puzzle.
Jabu had created the start of his
legacy by building a brand ‘Jabu Stone’.
Now in 2013 the styles that he embraced and loved such as Locks, braids and afros are common place in South Africa. People are proud to keep it natural and express themselves through their amazing hair styles.
The Jabu Stone Natural Hair Care range of products allows people to celebrate this natural look in a more refined way, by enabling the consumer to have control of their hair and style it in countless ways without being damaging. In doing so, Jabu Stone has managed to revolutionize the stereotype comments aboutnatural hair as you may notice TV personalities, government
officials to the normal man in the street.
Jabu Stone comprises an authentic range of hair care products that celebrate nature’s finest ingredients and combine these to provide ideal nourishment and care for natural hair.
The Jabu Stone Natural Hair Care product range consists of a range of products that includes Shampoo’s, beeswax, molding cream, Multi-purpose spray, braiding spray and a hair nourisher for that all natural look.
