Tarin Boone’s natural hair journey started five years ago, with her own desire to find new creative styles for her newly natural hair. That journey has grown into Naturally Me! Media, a growing media company created last year to help multi-ethnic women discover, accept, and celebrate their natural hair and beauty. Her mission is to inform, entertain, educate and support natural beauties in the areas of beauty and lifestyle through conferences, videos, blog posts, mobile applications, and social media interaction. ‘Fro Fashion Week, Naturally Me! Media’s natural hair show, debuts February 18th-20th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Atlanta.

NaturallyCurly talked with Boone about Naturally Me! Media and ‘Fro Fashion Week.

NC: Tell me about the inspiration for Naturally Me! Media.

Boone: I started going natural five years ago, and by year three, I was stuck in a rut. I started experimenting with styles I’d seen online, and coming up with my own styles. People would stop me and ask me about natural hair and about transitioning. One time, I was literally stampeded in Target by a lady who dragged me down the aisle to ask what I used in my hair.

NC: How did that evolve into your business?

Boone: Last summer, I started thinking I should write this stuff down and document it. Naturally Me! Media was born in July 2010. I started it as a blog and began getting tremendous traffic. The blog now features over 15 categories of information, including a hairstyle gallery and homemade hair and skin recipes. I also created the first iPhone application that helps women find black beauty supply stores in their area. Naturally Me! Media has become the umbrella for all my ideas.

NC: Tell me how you came up with the idea for ‘Fro Fashion Week.

Boone: I was looking through New York Fashion Week coverage, and I realized that no one sets the trends for natural hair for the seasons. My other profession is PR consultant, and I had clients telling me I should do an event. I began to brainstorm about a natural hair version of Fashion Week. ‘Fro Fashion Week stuck. The idea was to take what bloggers were posting about off the computer and make it a live event. It started as a one-day hair show, but I wanted to put a unique twist on it. Then we felt it needed a fashion show. It’s taken on a life of its own. It’s become my passion.

NC: What are some of your goals for ‘Fro Fashion Week?

Boone: For the people who attend, I want them to be informed no matter where they are in their hair journey— whether they’re thinking about transitioning or have been natural for 10 years. I want to give them a fresh twist on the norm. The styles they see and techniques they learn will enhance and better their lives. It will give them a different spin on what they can do. For the stylists who attend, it will be an opportunity to get inspiration, learn new techniques and meet new clientele.

NC: You also have talked about how ‘Fro Fashion Week can serve as an incubator for some of the new companies developing products for natural hair. Tell me more about that.

Boone: One my missions is to uplift and inspire other small businesses. This event will really give them the platform to be the next Hair Rules or Curls. It will give them a lot of exposure to people. This event (and their products”> will be blogged about for weeks after. I want companies to begin thinking of ‘Fro Fashion Week as the place to launch the latest, hottest, most ground-breaking products.

NC: What would you like to see ‘Fro Fashion Week become?

Boone: I’d like to take it on tour to cities like Houston, L.A. and Chicago. Each market has its own styles and culture. In L.A., they may be doing a different braiding technique than they’re doing in Houston. I want to keep it fresh and exciting.