I’m Ashley Akemi, a Jamaican-American hair artist based in Miami and the founder of Akemi Hair. I’m originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, and I’ve been doing hair since I was fourteen.

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I’ve always been a creative person. I love poetry, dancing, and photography, and I’ve picked up so many different hobbies over the years. Hair is the form of expression that has always stuck with me, though, and I think it always will.

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I started by watching tutorials and trying things on my own hair. At school, people would compliment me and ask who my hairstylist was, not realizing it was me. Before I knew it, I was doing hair for girls at my school and other high schools nearby.

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When I moved to Miami to attend FIU, hair came with me. I supported myself through college doing hair in my dorm room. I still remember one appointment with a girl who was also named Ashley. We laughed and talked the whole time, and after she left, I kept thinking about how much fun we’d had—and how much more confident she seemed walking out than when she came in.

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That appointment stayed with me. It made me feel like I owed it to my future clients to become a better hairstylist than I was at that moment. I wanted anyone who sat in my chair to get the best I could give them, and I knew I had more to learn. That’s what finally pushed me to enroll in cosmetology school. I attended Paul Mitchell while continuing my studies at FIU, eventually graduating from university and earning my cosmetology license in 2019.

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I officially formed my LLC in 2019, too. At the time, I was deep into my Japanese studies and trying to decide how I wanted to brand my company. I came up with Ashley Akemi, inspired by the Japanese name Akemi, written 明美, meaning “bright and beautiful.” It felt right for me and what I wanted to create, and became the name behind Akemi Hair.

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I love hair that looks polished, effortless, and expensive. My taste naturally leans toward classic looks, and I specialize in working with extensions and wigs. I also love opportunities to get creative, try something different, and show more of what I can do.

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Over the years, I’ve built a loyal clientele both in the salon and through my work with public figures. I’ve also built Akemi Hair, my hair extension company, which I’m proud of and still growing.

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The part I love most is seeing someone feeling themselves after I’ve done their hair. When they keep looking in the mirror, smiling, and you can tell nobody can tell them nothing. That’s the feeling I’m always going for.