where the wild ones play

I first met Gigi in person while working part time last Christmas vacation in Barbados. The first thing that came to my mind when I saw her, other than her Boho-Chic attire that day of course was,  “ Cha, I love her hair”. 

We first got into a conversation fervently discussing my Michael Kors watch, and it was great to share a talk with someone who was bursting with personality, had such an effortless charm, and most of all had the same fixation with fashion as I did. 

I knew I was going to be into the island for at least three more weeks, so I took this opportunity to give my natural hair a break and organize an appointment for a curly sew in. Gigi did an excellent job at it my hair, making it look just how I wanted it; big, full and most of all natural looking.

During a conversation on that day, I really wanted to establish a date for an informal interview for my blog, as well as shoot some pictures of a couple outfits she had styled.

Upon this compelling experience, I learnt that Gigi first started dabbling into fashion when she was 15 years old . “It was the Boatyard days”. She revealed her style was really simple, surrounded by basics such as; whites, khaikis… and makeup was a mere powder and go.

That was until one summer she told herself, each time she went out, she’d style herself based on a different theme. Some being eccentric looks like “Gypsy Chic” and “Latin Legacy”. 

Different, yes, but this snowballed into an even deeper curiosity into style.

After completing 5^th  form at The. St. Michael School, she flew to a few of fashions landmarks such as London, France and SoHo in New York.
“I observed people.” She was immediately inspired by their effortless style.

This experience catapulted her into a fashion frenzy. She was heavily influenced by the Olsen twins, which created many of her tomboy-chic looks.  She was also experimenting a lot with her body and hair. 

(All Pictures are in the next post!) 

In terms of hair, I remember her saying, “Zoe, I’ve had everything under the sun”.
From locks, to a Mohawk, classic bob, and even one side shaved. Gigi has had it all while maintaining the styles in the most eye-catching and flattering forms.

When returning to Barbados, she did a small stint at UWI majoring in Law and revealed to me a blunt and honest tone, “I got bored”. She packed her bags and flew off to Orlando and enrolled at the Paul Mitchell School majoring in Cosmetology. 

She returned to Barbados and literally took hair and fashion to the next level.
 
Gigi has worked for clients such as Cave Shepherd, Gadal Agency, Island Queen 2011, Universal Records Toronto, Honey Jam (just to name a few) and well-known fashion photographers such as Joel Brooks and Jaryd Niles- Morris. 

Regardless of her small stature, Gigi’s personality and experience has led her to become one of the islands most in demand stylist and hairdressers.

Gigi Ma’at is a fashion connoisseur to me. She acquires to ability to pair unlikely pieces and transform them into a killer ensemble. Even though she’s 5”2, she walks as if she is 5”9 and has a commanding presence that entails every head to turn.  She doesn’t care about people’s opinions of her style, which illustrates a strong self-assurance that is rare, and quite frankly inspirational.