University of Oklahoma Student Launches Her Own Hair Accessory Line: “Sisters Before Misters”

A University of Oklahoma student is finding great success with her newly launched hair accessory line, “Sisters Before Misters”, on sale at Campus Corner.  Chinh Doan, a junior at the University of Oklahoma, started selling her line at the Larie Marie Boutique on Campus Corner in September of 2010. “It’s a fun hobby and it’s something that I enjoy doing on my own time.  Some people go for a run. Some people read a book. I enjoy making hair accessories,” she said.

Chinh Doan attends a greek event to sell and promote her hair accessories line: "Sisters Before Misters".

“I’ve been selling my line for about a month now,” Doan said. “I sell it when I go to sorority houses for events and on Campus Corner at the Larie Marie boutique.” The boutique opened at its Campus Corner location recently in August of 2010 and sells women’s and children’s clothing.  The owner, Brooke Wood, describes it as a mother and daughter shopping experience for all ages. Doan said that she has already started seeing girls wearing her “Sisters Before Misters” line from the Larie Marie boutique around campus. “It’s so nice to see the reward almost immediately,” Doan said.  “When I see people that I don’t even know wearing one of my headbands and just knowing that all the proceeds are going to something that means so much to me is really rewarding.”

“The whole reason I started doing this is because my birth mom is in Vietnam, and I’m trying so hard to fundraise and get the paper work together so I can bring her over here to live with me especially in time to see my graduation,” Doan said.  Her mother was her inspiration to turn her hobby of creating hair accessories into her very own hair accessories line. “I’ve always made hair accessories for myself.  But because I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to do something that’s going to benefit my mom,” Doan said. “Because I’m so passionate about it, it makes it so fun for me.  It doesn’t feel like work.” Doan says that she hopes her hair accessory line will help ultimately bring her biological mother to the United States by May of 2012 when she graduates. The process takes anywhere from 6 months to a year,” she said. “So this is my personal fundraiser for her.  The money is not my spending money.”

While her mother inspired the creation of Doan’s “Sisters Before Misters” line, there were a lot of different factors that inspired the fashion behind the hair accessories.  “I think a little bit of everything inspires my line,” Doan said. “I have a little bit of a child in me with a little bit of maturity.  I also have a little bit of a sorority girl as well as a little bit of a professional in me. I try to do a little bit of everything so that there are a variety of things in my line.”

Doan’s “Sister’s Before Misters” line has gotten to be so popular here in Norman, that it is now going to be sold at the Edmond location of Larie Marie.  The boutique in Norman is located at 329 White St. next to Victoria’s Pasta Shop in Campus Corner.  Stop by to view some of Chinh Doan’s newest “Sisters Before Misters” hair accessories.