Since its launch in 2018, Kohl Kreatives has carved out a space for underrepresented communities in the beauty industry. A champion of inclusivity, the brand’s specialised makeup tools help those with motor disabilities apply cosmetics more easily while its charitable arm, Kohl Kares, offers free workshops for cancer care patients or those transitioning to learn how to integrate beauty into their new routines.
Now, seven years on, Trishna and Disha Daswaney, the sisters behind the brand, are turning their attention to training. Like all creative industries, beauty too has hurdles that exclude people based on their social and economic backgrounds and the founders have decided to do something to change that.
It all started last year, while the pair were on a trip to India. Moved by conversations with local women who were in financially unequal relationships with men in control of their finances, after returning to the UK, they were shocked to find out that the issue was a lot closer to home than they realised. “38% of women in the UK between the ages of 18-24 experience financial abuse, which is about a million women,” Trishna tells GLAMOUR. “There’s definitely a ‘not in my back yard’ attitude towards it.”
“It’s quite shocking,” Disha adds. “We both work in education and have noticed how it has become a privilege rather than a right, especially when it comes to vocational courses, so we wanted to create a course that covers all sides of the coin. Women can train to be makeup artists, but also know how to promote themselves because the marketing side is really important as well.”
The result is KohlLab, a training initiative aiming to help underprivileged women gain qualifications so that they can financially support themselves. Launching in London in June, the week-long intensive course is iTEC-accredited and covers everything from the basics of makeup application to editorial makeup and colour theory, ending with a photoshoot to kickstart the participants’ portfolio. After completing the course, graduates will be paired with mentors currently working in the industry. “They go straight into work, whether it’s assisting at a counter, for a brand, or with a makeup artist,” Trisha shares. “Everyone we’ve had a conversation with has been incredibly generous and wants to get involved.”
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For an initiative that feels incredibly important, it’s sadly in short supply. At a time where ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusivity’ have moved on from buzzwords to contentious terms, how does Kohl Kreatives navigate the changing landscape? “I wouldn’t say the conversation is necessarily disappearing,” contends Trisha. “There are obviously reasons to highlight inclusivity from time to time, but if this becomes mainstream, I feel like I’ve achieved my goal.”
“It’s a necessity,” Disha adds on continuing to endure despite perceived pushback. “KohlLab is literally an extension of the mission to get more people involved in the beauty space and feeling like they’re a part of the conversation too.”
As a self-funded initiative, KohlLab needs support to help expand its offering and help more women earn the qualification. Whether it’s offering mentoring or expertise to lead workshops, sponsoring students to get the resources they need, or partnering to supply beauty kits – it’s an opportunity for industry leaders to get involved too. “These women deserve face time with those industry insiders too,” says Disha. “It’s really important that they know when they go into the industry that this is the network they’re starting with which is important in their field.”
Despite being two months away from the inaugural batch of trainees in London, the duo is already dreaming about expanding KohlLab. “The big thing is being able to be mobile and take it to different cities. We’re very fortunate that a lot of universities are happy to donate the space so we could be in the Midlands, West Midlands, or the North West of the country,” shares Trishna on their plans. “We’re aiming to do 10 including two in Indonesia and two in India which is where this whole concept started, so we can’t wait to take it there and work with the women that we met.”
If you’re interested in joining or supporting the KohlLab initiative, find more information at www.kohllab.co.uk/.
