Wavy - Catch A Wave
Exclusive interview with Eyal Booker and Ariel Booker, brothers, and founders of Wavy - a grooming brand designed specifically for men with curly hair. In this insightful conversation, we delve into their journey of creating a tailored solution for curly-haired individuals, exploring their inspiration, challenges, and vision for redefining men's grooming. Join us as we uncover the story behind Wavy and learn how these innovative entrepreneurs are revolutionising the haircare industry, one curl at a time.
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Eyal Booker and Ariel Booker, photographed in London by Harrison Grant, styled by Sylvester Yiu, grooming by Alan Kitrell using Wavy
Can you share the story behind the creation of your grooming brand for curly hair? What inspired you to focus specifically on men with curly hair?
Eyal Booker: Wavy emerged from a blend of inspiration and experience. My hair is naturally curly and has been a part of my identity forever, I've been recognised and followed on social media for embracing my curls and giving styling/grooming tips, among other things.
Within the curly hair community, I often felt overlooked; there seemed to be an absence of products tailored specifically for men with wavy or curly hair.
Ariel Booker: Nearly all of the products in the market are tailored towards women, we have been searching for products that resonated with my identity and needs, but never found any. I continued to see and speak to other guys who faced the same issue and were struggling to navigate their curly hair & select the right products.
EB: As my frustration grew and messages kept coming in about my hair routine, I realised that simply directing others to existing products fell short of our expectations. Instead, I decided to create a brand and product that reflected my own journey whilst also catering to the needs of countless men searching for the same thing.
What challenges or gaps in the market did you notice that led to the development of your specialised grooming products for men with curly hair?
EB: We were faced with many challenges in the development stage. Building a product from scratch is never easy, from finding the right lab and manufacturer that fully understands and sees the wavy vision to market research and rigorous testing stages to make sure it was suitable and compatible with the majority of peoples wavy, curly and oily hair.
It’s funny because ultimately I was developing a product for myself, something that I would use daily, and something that I was proud to have on my bathroom shelf.
We knew other people were going to use it but I think the development was made easier because I knew what I wasn’t and was missing so the intention was to create something for myself that I knew other people could also use. The gap was noticeable, all you had to do was read through the 1000’s of DM’s I received over the years to recognise that I was not the only one feeling like I had no representation in the curly hair space.
Nobody seemed to be doing anything about it and as the saying goes, when you want to get something done you have to do it yourself.
How does the care of curly hair differ from straight hair, and what unique needs does your brand address for men with curly hair?
EB: Curly hair is a whole different ball game! Products should be free of sulphates and parabens so they don’t strip your hairs natural oils, it’s important you retain as much of the natural good stuff already in your hair as possible. Curly hair likes moisture, so it’s important to use ingredients that don’t leave your hair feeling dry otherwise you end up with really dry frizzy hair.
AB: Our product is 95% natural ingredients and we’re all about nourishing, hydrating and feeding hair to make it the healthiest it can be. The Everyday Curl Crème is a necessary daily styling product that increases texture and definition to help our customers feel confident and proud of their hair.
Could you walk us through the process of developing your grooming products?
EB: Having tried different products for years and having good and bad results I knew what I liked and what I didn’t like. From there it was about learning and understanding what were good and bad ingredients and what actually benefited curly hair.
We partnered with a development lab and manufacturer that saw our vision and didn’t try and push us in a direction that wouldn’t have been true to our ethos.
AB: Patience is key in a development process and I think that’s a testament of how good the Wavy Everyday Curl Crème is. It took us 1.5 years to develop, we went through countess iterations of ingredients and formulas to create a product that worked exceptionally well, smelt great and was good for your hair.
What is it like working together as brothers in creating and running a business? How do your individual strengths complement each other in this venture?
EB: Its a challenge at times but also incredibly rewarding. Ariel and I have different sets of skills which complement each other nicely. Ariel has experience with starting and building a successful brand, and I come from a modelling, tv and social media background with creativity and self expression at the heart of what I do.
Combining Ariel’s extensive knowledge of building start-ups and my knowledge within social media and the other side of working with brands, we bring necessary elements of the Wavy business to the table that compliment and work well together, even if it can be a little chaotic and tense at times.
AB: We butt heads and have different opinions from time to time but ultimately we both want the best for Wavy and together we achieve it.
(Left) Everyday Curl Crème - 125ml by Wavy / (Right) Eyal Booker and Ariel Booker
How has the curly hair community responded to your brand? Have you received feedback that has influenced the development of your products?
AB: We’ve been blown away by the response of our community. They’ve fully bought in to what we’re doing and have come on this journey with us from inception of the idea to delivering our first product. It’s been really incredible to see how engaged they are and how they’ve been excited by our brand.
EB: We wanted to showcase real people in our campaigns, so both our campaigns have been based around our community. We held open casting calls for models and asked our community to apply to our shoots (including images and why they want to be involved) and we then picked accordingly. It’s been really important for us to include them as much as possible in the building of Wavy.
We do a lot of post purchase surveys & ask our customers for feedback when possible. This has really helped us in the development of our new products (launching later this year) and generally to help us improve other areas of the business/experience.
Without our community we wouldn’t exist and we value their opinion and loyalty.
What can we expect from your grooming brand in the future? Are there any upcoming products or initiatives you'd like to share?
AB: Our customers are already asking for more products from us, which we’re currently developing. Given how long it took us to refine our first product we don’t want to rush the process at the expense of quality.
EB: We’re careful to take our time and be meticulous in developing and testing our next products to make sure they’re the best they can be and align with who we are as a brand and meet our customers expectations.
So, as we continue to explore new horizons and expand our product line, rest assured that every addition to the Wavy family will be crafted with the same dedication, precision, and love that defines our brand.
How do you believe your products contribute to the confidence and self-esteem of men with curly hair? Have you received any impactful testimonials or stories from your customers?
EB: For anyone with curly hair, the daily struggle of finding the perfect product is all too familiar. Frankly, before Wavy came along, I don't think such a product truly existed. We've been able to restore people's confidence by providing a product that delivers consistent, reliable results day after day.
AB: Once our customers try Wavy, they're hooked because they know they can count on it to give them flawless, resilient curls every single time. If we can help people feel more confident in themselves and embrace their natural texture, then we've accomplished our mission. At Wavy, it's not just about hair - it's about empowering individuals to feel their best, inside and out.
For aspiring entrepreneurs, especially those considering venturing into the grooming or beauty industry, what advice would you give based on your experiences?
AB: The best advice we could give it so just start. There’s never a perfect time to begin and in starting a business seeking perfection is the enemy of progress. Once you get the wheels in motion of your idea, if it’s good and your passionate there is little that can stop you but yourself.
Finally, what do you think ‘SID’ stands for?
EB: SID -SO I DID- taking the idea that there was something SID knew was missing from the market and instead of waiting for someone else to do it you took on the task and did it yourself!
Wavy is available exclusively at www.feelwavy.com, please check for updated stocklist.
Catch A Wave (Stereo/Remastered 2001), preformed by The Beach Boys
(C) Universal Music Group.
