braided

Her kitchen space, complete with brightly colored dishware and ceramic food replicas, was swiftly transformed into a makeshift vanity space where she sat to get a full face of makeup and her hair braided.

Now Orla is part of a "braided" career project, thought to be a first for Scotland, which is aiming to help reverse that decline.

She sent him photos of a smiling woman in her 20s with braided hair in a blue nurse's uniform, and images showing a desk with files on it, seemingly snapped during her working day.

The sandals, showcased at the Milan Fashion Week last week, had an open-toe braided pattern that closely resembled the traditional Kolhapuri sandals made in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka.

“To me it feels like connection. Any young, Black woman or Black kid in general can relate to sitting in their mom’s lap and getting their hair braided,” says Chandler.