CÎROC Highlights Chicago Hair Stylist For The Brand’s Black Excellence Campaign

Black women have a knack for making a way out of no way, and Midge Welch is a testament to that reality.

For Black History Month, CÎROC called upon Welch to partake in the brand’s Black Excellence campaign.

“To be recognized by CÎROC as a part of what it means to demonstrate Black Excellence, and to be celebrated as a trailblazer in the city that has been home is honorable. Barber Shops + Beauty Salons are pillars in our community, and a safe space for us to bond through conversation and experiences,” Welch noted. “I am appreciative to be seen on a platform like #CIROCStands by a brand that has been influential in the Black & Brown community that understands the importance of being a conduit for small business owners.”

“The stories of Black Excellence shared by these trailblazers are so incredibly inspiring and uplifting. “Through #CIROCStands, we are able to amplify these stories to the world and hope these examples of vision and ambition showcase that Black Excellence is something to be celebrated and acknowledged all year round,” said Adrienne Cuschieri, Brand Director of CÎROC in an official press release.

Welch grew up in the Dearborn Homes projects and always gravitated to styling her friends’ hair.

“We all had like, our Jheri curls, and I would dye their hair with peroxide and then color it with Kool-Aid. So I was like coloring everybody’s hair red, purple, and this was years ago,” Welch tenderly recalls in a 2016 Vogue video profile.

She eventually went to work with a friend of her mother as a shampoo assistant at 17.

“That’s where I learned everything I know now as a stylist and business owner,” she says, crediting her previous employer with showing the ropes of hairstyling.

Within two years, she became a licensed beautician and then opened up her own salon within another year at age 23 on the south side of Chicago called Issues.

“I learned how to be a real stylist in school–school is so important,” she said and pointed out that customer service is not highly valued among young stylists because they do not appreciate gaining a formal education, according to Essence.

“I’ve loved to help make people look good since I was a little girl,” she said. “I was always the one styling hair, doing piercings for my friends, and really making them feel great about themselves since childhood.”