Today we’d like to introduce you to Dereq Clark.
Hi Dereq, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I got started in the industry when I went to hair school high school back in my hometown Indianapolis Indiana. I used to do the little girl’s hair on the playground in grade school. I would take their ponytails down and redo them. Lol, I was always playing in someone’s here. My mom let me build a little salon in the basement of our home when I was in hair school and high school.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t want to say It’s been like super hard but I mean, I do work very hard at what I do and there are some things I had to overcome especially being a black male hairstylist. That can tend to come with a stigma And other labels he didn’t necessarily ask for because of that. I used to be ashamed or embarrassed to tell people that I did hair because I would be ridiculed typically by other black men if I told anyone that I did hair. This is something that we don’t talk about a lot.
Other struggles will be finding the right salon fit. Sometimes it can take a long time and I tended to hop around from Salon to Salon trying to find the right fit which of course, no one wants to do but it’s something that you might have to do.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Well, I am known now for being more of a hair colorist. Many don’t realize that haircutting is my first love, but I can understand by looking at my body of work on my social media handles you would assume that oh he loves to color which I do, but hair cutting is where I become most alive.
I do a lot of dimensional hair color meaning a lot of highs and lows in the hair and different techniques like balayage and heavy highlighting things of that nature. So when people come to me they usually are wanting dimension in the hair so I’m like right in my element.
At the end of the day, I am an artist and I am sensitive about my shit so I’m like super proud that people take well to my work believe it or not. Sometimes I’m shocked that people receive some of my work as well as they do because sometimes I’m not like 100% sure how it will be received and I think that stems from being an artist because artwork is subjected to each individual. I just love the fact that some people just get me.
So I have like a signature look where the hair is typically tossled or like beach waved. It’s not something that you necessarily saw on a lot of textured hair/brown girls. I did live in New York for a while and I did hair in Brooklyn and I think I brought some of that grungy edgy yet still classic hair down to the south! It’s been pretty well received. I just like hair to be hair I’m not a fan of overly styled coiffed hair.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I a definitely a risk taker. I like to explore, I like to innovate, I like to step outside of the box and just try new things. I’m always taking hair classes simply because I love to learn about hair but because of that, it allows me to have a more broad perspective when it comes to approaching hair and hair textures. I also love to travel and I grab inspiration from everywhere.
Contact Info:
- Email: dclark199@yahoo.com
- Website: www.dereqchair.com
- Instagram: @dereqc
Image Credits:
Credit @dereqc
