By Taroue Brooks
How do you balance school and managing your business?
I always make sure that I definitely put school first. I sometimes use my 45 minute breaks to work on wigs. Oftentimes, I work late nights to complete work. Sometimes I am up until 4am working on wigs.
What inspired you to create wigs?
I have had a passion for doing hair since I was 3 years old. I used to play with tissue and pretend that it was hair. As a very young child, one of my favorite toys was my little pony horse with the real hair. I was bullied as a child, so playing with wigs and hair became my safe place.
What type of training have you had?
Actually, I haven’t had any training. Everything I have learned I taught myself through trial and error. Watching my mom as a very young child and playing with wigs and loose hair was my favorite pastime. I just practiced and made a lot of color messes on my mom’s floor, but I eventually learned to master the art of coloring wigs.
Tell us about your efforts to create wigs for women with cancer.
I am very passionate about making wigs for cancer patients and all women who suffer from hair loss. While society glorifies long luxurious hair, it saddens me to see people lose their hair. It makes me extremely proud to be able to give women something that has been taken away from them by cancer. The look on their faces when I finish is priceless and makes me very happy.
How have you processed the attention that you have received from this line of work?
Honestly, I have to create time and space for myself to establish self care. Being in the public eye can be very overwhelming. You have to create balance. Social media also has a way of invading your personal space if you’re not careful. So I try to balance them both.
What was your experience having clients like Black Chyna and other celebrities?
Working with celebrities can be very fast paced. Initially, I expected it to be lots of fun and glamorous. Well it is actually the opposite. It’s a lot of hard work and requires a great deal of concentration in a fast paced setting. However, the end result is amazing and definitely glamourous.
When you aren’t creating wigs, what are some other things that you enjoy?
When I’m not working, due to Covid, I’m home a lot and I am spending a lot of time with my family and that’s always fun. I also have more time to study and create new techniques for my wigs.
Where would you like to see your business in the next five years?
I would like to do some work on TV with organizations like Marvel and Disney making wigs. I would also like to do motivational speaking.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram: trentonsluxecouture
Tic Tok: TrentonLuxeCouture
About Trenton
Trenton Lee. The owner and founder of TRENTON’S LUXE COUTURE™ (T.L.C.).
Just a few years into his life I began to see things that were extremely special and notable within our son. It wasn’t until 2004 that I realized he was unique his LOVE OF HAIR! We were in Walmart shopping for a gift for a girl’s birthday. We walked past an area that was filled with my little ponies.
My son pointed up at them and I told him no you cannot have that, these are for girls. Just days later I thought to myself what would happen if I bought one of these my little ponies and surprise Trenton. Well I did. I will never remember the sparkle in his eye. Trenton immediately opens the package and his first thing that he went for was the hair. It hit me! He didn’t necessarily want the colorful pony, he wanted the HAIR that was on the pony.
Trenton entered Kindergarten in 2008 and this was the first time that he had ever heard the word gay. Then the bullying began! I had no idea that this was only the beginning of intensified bullying! I thought that as a mom I would try to change his environment. So, I put him in a different school and district. Do to all the bullying that was taking place, at such a tender age.
Now in another school district we believed things would now be better. But, once kids realize Trenton’s love for hair and he was always surrounded by hair with his hobbies, then the bulling began once again. Most people believe he should be a football or basketball player, do to Trenton being a bigger then most of his classmates.
For the next couple of years Trenton continued to get bullied. He was also dealing with his father and I dissipating our marriage. This really put Trenton in a very dark space! We ended up having to take him out of the school district again.
In 2016 things started to make a somewhat of a different change. Trenton sat down, and we talked. He let me know that he truly has a passion for hair. At this point I put everything on hold including my career. I told him, that I would do whatever I could to support him.
In 2017 I spoke to a really good friend of mine and shared with him the timeline of events that had occurred with Trenton. Eron Jay put together a video for Trenton on YouTube that consisted of offer 20 to 30 celebrities’, artist, musicians and community activist!!
Cedric The Entertainer was one of main people who started the video. This video put so many things in perspective for not only myself but for my son. I feel like this really saved his life!
Trenton began to create pieces that caught my eye, but really began to catch the eye of people in the community. He began to create custom frontal wigs that in my opinion looked better than half of the wigs in the store. I will never forget the endless nights that Trenton was sitting up typing in researching. He has found several vendors that want to he works with him, in and out of the country. He has found ways to create things working with a budget of only $20-30 a month!
I wanted to give my son so much more, but I knew all that I could give him was my heart and my true honesty. My son began to see the stress that I could no longer hold in and I’ll never forget that on the day of January 23rd he came to me and said mama, I made my first sale and I want to give the money to you. I will never forget that when I took an extended my hands to grab the money I looked at him and said tell me where you want to go out eat.
Currently, up-to-date Trenton had opportunity to meet with Cedric to entertainer for the first time and that was quite the experience. Cedric was very kind to him. He told Trenton that he would be the first celebrity to follow him on Instagram!!! Trenton was so stoked and within 24 hours he had gained over 500 followers!!
We still have our struggles. But when I look in my sons’ eyes, it’s still the same Sparkle that was in it when he was two years old! He has spends hours on top of hours creating beautiful units for customers of all ages.
The most miraculous thing is that we have no type of financial plan in order! The only thing that has got us this far is God!!! Today, Trenton has created numerous different units for his clients and some celebrities. Now at the tender age of 14 one of his BIGGEST DREAMS is to meet Ellen Degeneres and maybe get on her show to spread his truth. I’ve always told him as his mother. Don’t wait for the perfect moment son, take the moment and make it perfect!
Signed: Trenton’s Mother ❤