Christina Hsu ’08

It is not uncommon to wear multiple hats throughout a career, but Christina Hsu ’08 chooses to wear headbands instead. Whether it is through her work at her environmentally friendly hair accessory company, Flower Child Hair, or in the UCLA Community Based Learning program, she is committed to promoting awareness and reaching out to under-represented communities. Hsu shares with us her memories of UCLA, proudest moments, and ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

 

Can you tell us about your UCLA experience and what was significant about it?

Christina: I remember being in high school, just 18 years old, and getting my acceptance letter to UCLA. I was so excited that I get to go to my number one school. I think that was the most important piece of mail I’ve ever received in my life to date. I lived in De Neve my first year and got to know everyone on my floor and made a lot of life long friends. I had a wonderful undergraduate experience and took advantage of various opportunities such as studying abroad and being part of the Campus Events Commission.

I was involved in UCLA UniCamp for four years. I’ve always had a passion to work with those from underserved communities and UniCamp gave me that chance. During the week we were at camp, none of us used our real names; we could set everything from our whole lives aside and just be a brand new person at camp. No one knew your social status. No one knew anything about you. We were able to show the student campers that you don’t have to be defined by how you feel society perceives you. Instead, you can create that for yourself. I really liked that meaning.

So how does your company, Flower Child Hair, fit into your life? Did you start this while you were working as the Program Coordinator with the Community Based Learning Department?

Christina: I started Flower Child Hair in May 2013 when I was attending graduate school at UC Irvine full-time and working at Community Based Learning (CBL) part-time. Now that I’ve graduated, I am back to work with CBL full-time while I work on Flower Child Hair during evenings and weekends. It takes a lot of dedication to do both, but I find it very fulfilling. I was inspired to start the company because in both my undergraduate studies and graduate studies, I repeatedly came across the problem that textile and water waste is a big environmental concern in the fashion industry. I knew I wanted to find a way to address it.

I've always maintained an interest in fashion. After completing my bachelor’s in political science and global studies from UCLA, I decided to pursue fashion and I am only a couple of courses short of my fashion merchandising degree in addition to obtaining my master’s in public policy. With my graduate school education, I discovered how I was going to help improve the fashion industry’s waste problem by merging my desire to achieve social good with fashion. I wanted to start a hair accessories company, but also limit my environmental footprint. With that in mind I made the decision to use re-purposed fabric. I also make sure that my accessories are sturdy and re-useable.

What were some of the lessons that you’ve learned?

Christina: In business, just as in life, I learned that things don’t always occur according to plan no matter how much you prepare. Although I’ve worked hard securing retailers to carry my products, I’ve had boutiques close down on me for reasons that were out of my control. For example, a boutique closed down because of a flood and could no longer carry my products as a result. There were a lot of moments where things happened unexpectedly. I learned that you can set deadlines and due dates, but you’ll always need to manage your own expectations and be flexible.

Do you think your end goal is to pursue Flower Child Hair full time or do you enjoy having each hand in a different pot?

I’m always going to be interested and passionate about both community outreach and doing Flower Child Hair, but there’s no definitive answer. I can’t tell you exactly where my life will be 10 years from now. I’m hoping to grow Flower Child Hair and partner with more nonprofits. For example, I partnered with the St. Francis Medical Center on their Prom Project where I donated Flower Child Hair products and spent time braiding and styling the female patients’ hair. I think I’ll always be pursuing both opportunities.

How did you choose the St. Francis Medical Center?

Christina: St. Francis is heavily involved with helping underserved youth. For teenagers, prom is a landmark milestone in their lives, however it can be very expensive and many cannot afford it. I like how much effort St. Francis Medical Center puts into this event to make it special. I saw that there was a lack of hair accessories, and I knew I could help by contributing my hair accessories and styling their hair. Here's a glimpse into the event.

What are you most proud of among your accomplishments?

Christina: I recently organized a UCLA Health Care Career Health Expo for 700 high school students in Los Angeles with medical professionals. The event’s purpose was to give high school students an industry introduction, especially to those in medically underserved areas of L.A. I am also very proud that I started Flower Child Hair. I took a risk and it was scary, but I’m proud that I wasn’t afraid to pursue my goals.

What were some of your motivations? Was there anyone who inspired you, either personally or professionally?

Christina: My mom has inspired me a lot throughout my life. Despite having graduated college, she had to start completely over in an unrelated field when she immigrated, because her degree wasn’t recognized in the United States.

I'm motivated to help others because I understand the difficulties of working through adversity. I believe that America is the land of opportunity, and I find it fulfilling to be able to help others navigate this land to pursue their dreams. It can be very difficult and intimidating for anyone to come to a new country, to start a new life, many without speaking the same native language. In many of the underserved communities I work in, I serve immigrants or their children. In many of the underserved communities I work in, I serve immigrants or their children. I've seen many of the sacrifices they have made in order to provide for their families. Ultimately, it's about providing hardworking people with opportunities.