Human Hair

Beauty platform for the promotion of black women

“I want to defend a world where the question is what we can achieve and not whether we have the skills to do it, be your best…” – Gisela Van Houcke
We are led and founded by a woman, wanting a vision of women recognized for their ambitions, thanks to custom-made wigs available via our technological platforms.

Zuri was founded in 2016 by Gisela Van Houcke. She is originally from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo where she lived until her adolescence. She had to flee to the United Kingdom in 2003 due to wars and political instability in the region.

Gisela holds a degree in English and French law. She left the legal field with the aim of emancipating black women and creating the world’s first black beauty brand.

In the “Forbes Under 30” ranking, mainly dominated by young entrepreneurs from English-speaking Africa, she was the only woman from French-speaking Africa in the “business” category. A remarkable performance for this young entrepreneur, married and mother of two children.

“When I returned to Africa, I immediately noticed a gap in the market for extensions and cosmetics, particularly for people with dark complexions. People around me always asked me to bring extensions and cosmetic products when I traveled. This gap was simply inconceivable; Africa carrying a large number of people interested in this type of product.”