About Fatou n'doye

Fatou N'Doye is an international hair competition judge who has won the Australian Hairdresser of the Year Award twice, in 2004 and 2008 as well as numerous other awards. She is a member of the Australian Hair Association and was involved with the Hair Expo for 12 years. For 18 years, Fatou has travelled to Asia for The Hair and Makeup Olympics as a competitor and by 2011, she stopped competing and was honoured with being promoted to Competition Judge. 

In 2019, a photography exhibition of Fatou's customer portraits was held to showcase the expression of beauty and culture of Africans within Australian society. 

Over the years, people have travelled from all over Australia and outside of Australia to have their hair styled by Fatou. 

Born in Senegal, Fatou is one of the twenty-six children from one of her father's multiple wives and her mother's only child. With hardships in the family, she stopped school at age 8 so she could work for the family selling water. Around the age of 9, Fatou's mother was made aware of a free school where young girls could learn cookery, hair dressing and dance. It was here that Fatou learned to Dance and Weave hair.

It was at this stage that her entrepreneurial passion flared and she started her own business selling food and drink in the school canteen. Her dancing would prove to be her salvation. In 1992, she was given the opportunity to travel to Australia, performing in a dance troop as a dancer and percussionist, on a 4 year Visa, as part of a traditional Senegalese music band called Boubacar.

However this was short lived, with the contract being cancelled after two years. She was yet again given another opportunity by the Kalabach as a dancer, seeing great opportunity in Australia, she decided to stay and to make a better life and support her family in Senegal. Despite great struggles, her determination won out and
Fatou managed to secure a permanent residency in Australia in 1994. This was a difficult time as Fatou had limited resources, local knowledge, contacts and hardest of all didn’t speak English and spoke French.  

The White Australia Policy (aimed at preventing non-Europeans migrating to Australia) only ended in 1973 so attitudes were still ridged and there was a lot of discrimination and obstacles to overcome during Fatou’s early years in Australia. In 1994, Fatou attained qualifications from TAFE NSW and in 1996, she opened her hairdressing business at 109 Enmore Road, Enmore. With hard work and determination, Fatou would become more than just a resident, but a trailblazer for African migrants to Sydney and Australia. A childhood impacted by adversity, instilled in her strength and resilience and courage to focus on creating a better future for herself and her family in Australia and Senegal. 

With previous experience in Senegal in hairdressing, she worked hard to achieve numerous qualifications as a hairdresser and beautician, working with people from all backgrounds. In 2000, Fatou was invited by Boubacar to dance at the Sydney Olympic Games opening ceremony. 

In 2004, Fatou’s Salon received the best salon of the year award in Wollongong by the Wollongong Council. Fatou's Salon became more than just about beauty and hair but importantly places where African immigrants and the members of the local Indigenous community could come to meet new people, share problems and find solutions. They provided a place where people could feel safe, especially for women and young girls.  Fatou cooked, provided clothes and guidance to relevant support groups in the community and government agencies. She also volunteered at the Salvation Army for a few years. 

After gaining her TAFE qualifications, she stayed on at the college supporting new arrivals. She then progressed to teaching at the Australian College of Hair and Beauty in Sydney, all the while continuing to work at her two salons and help people to adapt to life in Australia. She encouraged people to learn English, study or learn a trade as a means to integrate and connect to their new home. In 2007, she was invited to New York by the Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade. 

Fatou understood the importance of social inclusion in future prospects of new migrants to Australia.

Clients have travelled from all over Australia to have their hair styled by Fatou. 

She has had the honour of braiding hair for international singers including Snoop Dog, Ice Cube, Stevie Wonder and many more. She is an icon of Sydney’s Inner west. 

When Fatou moved her hair salon to a new location on the same street in Newtown, the owners of the current music store kept her name above the store. When asked why they had not taken her name down, they said "your name is an attraction and important to the community." To this day, people still go to the shop looking for Fatou's Hair Salon and the music store now benefits from Fatou's customers as they end up buying their records. 

Since 2005, Fatou has served as Australian President of the Asia Pacific Hairdresser & Cosmetologist Association (APHCA), promoting professional standards, international collaboration and recognition across the hair and beauty industry. Since 2008, she has also been an international competition judge for APHCA Hair Olympics, Make-Up Competitions and creative image arts events across the Asia-Pacific, assessing technical skill, creativity, presentation and industry excellence.  This work has led her to travel to China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia.