This spring, The Steam Bar Founder and CEO Judy Koloko traveled to Atlanta to celebrate the brand’s recent addition to Sephora at The Dirty Tea, a Black woman-owned tea room. The British-Nigerian entrepreneur launched her brand after making the tough decision to leave behind a thriving career in fashion to pursue her vision of launching a premium haircare brand.
Who is Judy Koloko?
Already accomplished in the fashion industry, Koloko left behind a career that included dinners with Karl Lagerfeld and relationships with influential figures such as Anna Wintour and Miuccia Prada.
“In my mid-40s, I pivoted,” Koloko explained during the launch event. “I had an amazing career. I’ve traveled the world. I gave it all up because I thought this is going to be bigger than all that. And this has got more purpose for me.”
It was actually Koloko’s travels for work that helped inspire her vision for The Steam Bar. On many of her journeys, she found it difficult to find Black haircare products. Unable to find what she was looking for, Koloko began making plans to create her own line of products.
“I literally walked into Selfridges with just my laptop and said, ‘I’ve got this idea,” Koloko recalled. After sitting down and explaining her vision — quality haircare that didn’t just treat hair but also focused on scalp health — the department store determined it would be the birthplace of The Steam Bar brand. “They said, ‘Please don’t go and see Harrods, we want you to launch exclusively with us.”
Koloko says executives at Selfridges told her that they’d not seen a proposition like hers in years. The brand first launched exclusively in Selfridges at the end of 2023.
“And that’s how this all came to be,” Koloko said. “I won a spot in the Sephora Accelerate Program in January 2025.”
So, What is The Steam Bar?
The Steam Bar became the first Black British-owned company accepted into Sephora’s Accelerate program. Following the program’s completion in June 2025, Sephora invited the brand to join its assortment. The brand launched in April online, with six products: a clarifying shampoo for oily scalp and buildup, created specifically with curly hair in mind; a scalp and hair hydrating conditioner for dry, curly hair; a scalp microbiome balance serum for thinning hair; a detox scalp mask; a satin bonnet; and the brand’s crown jewel, a microwaveable steam cap that is currently sold out online.
With Sephora providing a foothold in the U.S. market, Koloko has already set her sights on Atlanta, a city she views as both a cultural epicenter for Black hair and a natural home for The Steam Bar’s experiential retail concept.
“Atlanta has always been the hub for Black hair,” Koloko said. “I think the people here deserve what we’re creating. Our experiences are insane. When The Steam Bar experience was in Selfridges, I had people messaging me saying, ‘I have had amazing haircare experiences in my life, but this exceeded anything that I have ever imagined.’ It’s not just about the amazing haircare treatment; it’s the service, it’s about the education, it’s about being part of the community, and ultimately, it’s about feeling good about yourself.”
That sense of self-confidence is a vital part of The Steam Bar’s brand ethos. The vibrant green and gold packaging is not only an ode to Koloko’s Nigerian roots. Each product also bears the brand’s signature tagline: What Lies Beneath. While the mantra is fitting because the products are specifically designed for scalp care, Koloko revealed that the message also carries a deeper meaning.
“It’s not about your hijab, your wig, your protective hair covering your scalp, whatever it is you’re putting on your scalp; it should go deeper than that,” Koloko, who is a proud wig wearer, declared. “What lies beneath should be, ‘Who am I? What is my purpose? What is my calling?’ What this mission is about is us loving ourselves, honoring our crown.”
A Glimpse Into Judy Koloko’s Life
In addition to her goal of helping to inspire self-confidence in others, Koloko says she was also inspired by her children. The mother of two said she is driven to leave a legacy for her son, currently in college (“on scholarship,” she notes proudly) and her daughter, now 31. When her daughter was only 9 months old, she suffered a fall that triggered a brain bleed and spent three months in intensive care. Her daughter lives with cerebral palsy, blindness, and epilepsy, but her strength and determination have proven to be another source of motivation for Koloko.
“She’s blind, and she’s epileptic, but she is a gladiator,” Koloko said. “She is the reason I am the woman I am today. My ultimate mission is actually to build a care home, which will be her legacy. Everything that’s happening here today is actually for a bigger cause. It’s really about creating something for people who have no voice.”
Koloko tasted success throughout her corporate career, but she says she’s never felt so fulfilled as she has in the last seven years, while building The Steam Bar.
“The Steam Bar is my calling, and it’s more because I know if I make this as big as I believe, then it will impact the people that really care. I’ve built something that’s all about people being seen, people deserving and people belonging somewhere, but having a child with such complex needs, I know that this mission is actually bigger than that.”
RELATED CONTENT: Meet The British Woman Creating Waterproof Scarves For Black Swimmers
from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/chrAe6p
via FWG
No comments:
Post a Comment