A FORMER Barnsley College student whose own experiences led her to start her own business after she wasn’t able to attend her school prom.
Dana-Leigh Togara, a former level three music production student at the college, was inspired to set up her own business, Luxe Hub, after she was unable to go to her prom due to the lack of industry professionals in her area who specialised in treatments for black women.
Her business specialises in selling wigs, clothing and accessories, and was supported after Dana received her iTrust grant of £250 which allowed her to purchase more equipment and further expand her product range.
She said: “I have been interested in starting my own business since I was 15 after I shaved my hair completely bald and wanted to the ability to switch up my look from time to time.
“I started making wigs and came to realise that there are some women who are going through things like cancer and alopecia who, like me, want a chance to change their look without worrying about the time it might take to grow their hair out.
“Wearing wigs has been a protective hairstyle for black women like myself and I really wanted to express my creativity through them.”
Jess Widdowson, enterprise team leader at the college, added: “Dana-Leigh has been incredibly driven since I first met her back in February.
“Since then, her business has gone from strength to strength and she now has a line of high-quality and bespoke products.
“I can see huge potential in Dana’s business and look forward to seeing it develop and grow in the future.
“It has been a pleasure to support Dana.”
The iTrust initiative is a joint venture between the college, Barnsley Chronicle and The Business Village which supports students interested in setting up their own business.
