Sharmadean Reid on helping young, working-class, entrepreneurs do what they love
- Text by Shelley Jones
- Photography by Lily Bertrand-Webb
#15 – Sharmadean Reid
WAH, the psychedelic banner under which Sharmadean runs a number of creative projects — all aimed at celebrating independent women — started life as a hip hop fanzine in 2005. After gaining a cult following, Sharmadean, keen to create a space where the community could come together — like the vibrant barbershops that dot the neighbourhood — founded WAH nails salon in Dalston, East London. WAH is a celebration of creative women, more than an aesthetic, and Sharmadean is passionate that everyone gets a shot at doing what they love.
“Ten years from now I’d love to be a patron of the arts, helping support young people who want to achieve their dreams. I remember moving to London [from Wolverhampton], from a single-parent family, and I had no money, I could barely afford my rent, I definitely couldn’t afford a computer. So I would love to be able to help other working-class kids who have a dream, to achieve it. And I want to facilitate young women, single mums and the like, to make their own money.”
This is just a short excerpt from Huck’s Fiftieth Special, a collection of fifty personal stories from fifty inspiring lives.
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