Humans of the Islands - Sesalina Simonetti

SESALINA SIMONETTI aka Shezel 

Hair Braider at King Fadez (Kingsland)

Tongan 

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Tell us a bit about yourself - What you do / Where you're from / Your Pacific heritage.

I was born and raised on the North Shore, Auckland. My parents are from Tonga - Dad is also of French/italian heritage and born in Fungamisi Neiafu Vavau Lahi.  My Mum is fromTatakamoTonga / Kolomotua Nukualofa Tonga.  They now live in Auckland.

Before getting this job – I was volunteering for church groups and second hand stores. I’m a full time mother of three kids (7,6 & 3yrs).  Now I’m working here at King Fadez as a full time member doing braids.

Its always been a hobby, something I always enjoyed especially back in high school, when we used to be rocking corn braids for dancing competitions. Then I thought I would start it up at home, so as a part time gig on the side, I was doing corn braids. Then a good friend of mine approached a friend of his who owns King Fadez (Barber shop in Kingsland) and told me I should start doing it full time. I’m blessed to be working in this industry.

I do box braids, cornbraids, dutch braids, dread extensions, hair straightening, hair wash and curling. I also do styling mainly for family members.  Most of my clients are boys who come in for fades, and then they realize we do braiding too, so they decide to get it braided instead of getting it cut!

How did you learn to braid?

My mum taught me the art of braiding. When I was young, my mum used to braid our hair for school. She used to tie the end of my hair with ribbon, and so she taught me how to plait with ribbon, and then I moved on to learn with extensions.

Back in 2013 when I was in Tonga, one of our neighbors came over to get his hair cornbraided. They had nothing to tie at the end, and we were sitting on Tongan mats with wool on the ends so we used that, tied the end of his corn braids with wool and I taught myself how to plait with the wool.  Now I use it as extensions in braiding and also when I re-dread dreads.  It's something unique about my braiding/re-dreading I guess.

If someone wanted to come in and get their hair braided, how long does their hair need to be & what do you charge?

If you can tie your hair up, then it’s long enough to braid.  

I'm here at King Fadez from Tuesday to Saturday 9am - 7pm so you can pop in any time to see me for a consultation as well.

Pricing varies depending on the length of hair and the style of braids so you can either message me on my FB page OR give me a call at King Fadez and I can give you a quote.

I also do hair washing, styling and straightening if you've got a night out or special occasion too.

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How has your upbringing and culture shaped you into the woman you are today?

Our tradition and culture especially being Tongan, one thing my parents always told me was to respect one another and to always have God before anything, and anything is possible.

Who are your biggest inspirations and why?

My parents…because they never gave up on me.  My parents are the biggest role models in my life, Dad being a "Pule ngaue" in our Tongan catholic community in northshore he has shown me great leadership for our people.  Even though Dad would give me hard talks about what I wanted to become, he still supports me through anything. 

And my mum, she’s such a strong woman and she’s always there no matter what. She's the strongest supporter I have.  I've learnt so much from her and thats how Braiding became a huge success in my life and why I stand here today as a fulltime braider.

Also my kids…they love what I do, and I want to show them that whatever talent your blessed with, share it with others - it's a blessing from God!!

What are your goals for the future?

My goal for the future is to run my own business and to help the youth. I want to open a business that will hope youth that are going through struggles, to use their talents.

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You can find Sesalina at King Fadez in Kingsland or on her Facebook page ShezelStarlish