Antonia Okonma Shittu is the founder and CEO of A-List Lace Hair, the luxury wig and hair brand she founded in 2008. It’s now a multi-million pound business with studios in London and New York. Antonia has built the business through significant personal and commercial challenges and she shares this backstory with host Nicky Pope. Oh yes, and at the time fo recording, she’s a finalist in the Black British Business Awards finalist for Senior Leader, Entrepreneur of the Year. Quite a feat and a big hurrah for hairdressing.
Meet Antonia
In this episode of the Respectfully podcast, presenter Nicky Pope invited Antonia to tell the story of her move from accountancy, to acting and then onto hairdressing. Her experience in each sector has informed her incredible success in launching A-LIst Lace Hair – a purveyor of luxury wigs with an international clientele. Hugely personable and surprisingly relatable, Antonia is a fine example of female entrepreneurship. You’ll enjoy the story.
Business entrepreneur
Today Antonia is an international brand with studios in London and New York, serving customers around the world and generating more than £20 million in sales. She is fully hands on with all aspects of the business, including fitting wigs for clients. Hers in an intensely personal story, beginning as a teenager braiding hair for family and friends. Moving through school to study accountancy, Antonia accidentally launched a successful career as an actress. On TV and film sets, she discovered a gap in the market for decent, high-end wigs. It ignited a fire to start her business which she has now built up. We salute her achievement as becoming a 2026 Black British Business Awards finalist for Senior Leader, Entrepreneur of the Year.
You can follow Antonia and and her business profiles in these important places here:
www.a-listlacehair.com HERE
@alistlacehair
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