overview
Curly Lifestyles is a digital platform and community focused on curly-hair education and professional discovery. I grew the community to 25,000+ through content, audience engagement and partnerships, while expanding the platform through research collaborations and business funding.
The project has included work with 30 master’s students and $15,000 secured through entrepreneurship pitch competitions.
role
Marketing, Partnerships & Program Development
Approach
Curly Lifestyles was built to make curly-hair information, inspiration and professional discovery easier to find in one place. The approach focused on understanding what the audience was looking for, creating content around those needs and building a platform that could connect people with both information and professionals.
1. Defining the Audience & Positioning
Positioned Curly Lifestyles around the wider curly-hair experience, including education, professional services, identity and self-expression.
This gave the brand a clearer purpose and helped shape its content, voice and visual direction.
2. Growing the Community Through Content
Grew the community to more than 25,000 through consistent content and direct audience engagement.
Audience questions, feedback and content performance helped guide what we created next.
3. Developing the Digital Platform
Expanded Curly Lifestyles beyond social media into a platform for finding hairstylists, barbers and educational resources.
I helped shape how the platform was organized and coordinated its development.
4. Using Research & External Feedback to Strengthen Strategy
Worked with graduate students on research projects focused on Curly Lifestyles and presented the business through pitch competitions.
These opportunities brought in outside feedback, strengthened the business direction and helped secure funding for continued growth.
5. COMMUNITY EDUCATION
I expanded Curly Lifestyles beyond digital content through educational programming for university and high-school students. The sessions combined curly-hair education with conversations around identity, confidence and lived experience, with content adapted to each audience and learning environment.
The programming also created a new way to connect directly with students, build community partnerships and bring the brand into in-person spaces.
6. In-Person Brand Engagement
I brought Curly Lifestyles into in-person spaces through festivals, hair shows, community markets and live events. These experiences gave me the chance to connect directly with audiences, create original photo and video content, have real conversations about hair and identity, and better understand what people were interested in.
They helped strengthen Curly Lifestyles as more than a digital platform by making the brand visible and active within the communities it was created for.
outcome
Curly Lifestyles grew to a community of 25,000+, expanded into a dedicated digital platform and supported graduate-level research collaborations. The project also secured external business funding and created a stronger foundation for growth through content, partnerships and professional discovery.
© 2026 Miriam Zine. All rights reserved.