Crowned 2013

It was black-black, so thick it drank two containers of relaxer at the salon, so full it took hours under the hooded dryer, and, when finally released from pink plastic rollers, sprang free and full, flowing down her back like a celebration. Her father called it a crown of glory. Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, Americanah

Crowned is a series of photographic works celebrating the creativity and diversity of Afro-Caribbean women’s hair. Khadija Saye, wrote that black women’s hair has rarely been adored simply for its beauty and uniqueness, particularly in the face of the endless kinks and unruly stands that dominate the discourse surrounding natural styles. Saye photographed Crowned in her home on the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower in 2013, with, in her own words, “£0, just some black velvet with beautiful friends & family”.