As a digital marketer and beauty enthusiast, beauty branding has been the focus of Jamila Bannister’s business for many years.

“My professional life had always been PR- and communication-based,” Bannister told Business Day.

“PR has a lot to do with image, communication has to do with image – the things that you say and the way that you present yourself – and that naturally led to me getting into makeup artistry.”

But when she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in May 2023, her business focus took a different turn when she experienced firsthand the emotional journey of coping with hair loss.

"Last year I shared my story with Newsday and the response was overwhelming. It dawned on me that I could turn this attention into a platform to support and empower other women facing similar challenges."

On March 8, International Women’s day, Bannister hosted the pre-launch of The Beautiful Market, an e-commerce store catering specifically to women who live with and have experienced hair loss. The launch will take place on March 25.

“Our store offers a curated selection of wigs, toppers, extensions and beauty products, providing not just solutions but also a sense of dignity and confidence to our customers.”

She said what sets The Beautiful Market apart from other hair retailers is her deep understanding of the emotional toll of hair loss and her commitment to helping other women find their way through that trying time.

“Unlike traditional hair retailers, we speak directly to the needs of women navigating this journey, offering empathy, support and high-quality products designed to meet their unique needs.

“Hair loss can be an emotional thing. There are women with alopecia, women with fatty liver disease, which causes hair to get thin and break and fall off, or some women who have hair loss and they don't even know why.

[caption id="attachment_1070079" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Bannister displays one of her wigs. - Angelo Marcelle[/caption]

“You hear similar stories: ‘I just saw the hair on my pillow; I just felt a cold on my head; I’m combing my hair like this to hide the patches.’ It’s difficult to have to deal with it.”

Bannister said after her diagnosis she began to mentally prepare herself for hair loss after undergoing chemo, but seeing her hair literally lifting off her head like a hat was a different story.

“I still have my hair hat at home. I shaved off the rest and that's when I started to wear my Stella, my big fluffy wig. She was fabulous, she was a star.”

She said whenever she wore Stella it wasn't very obvious that she was dealing with so much under the surface.

“Some people had no idea about the war that was happening under the wig – in my head, on my head and what it really meant for me. I always described it as a way to protect myself, almost like a helmet you wear when you're going to war. It allowed me to assimilate, to be normal in an environment, because I wasn't yet ready to tell my story…I wanted that for other women.”

She recalled a day she was walking a