Hair can often be referred to as a woman’s crown and 24-year-old Krowned Kenn is making sure women across the Twin Cities wear theirs with confidence. From creating viral, sleek braid styles to growing a brand while raising her son and daughter, the local stylist is turning everyday hustle into an empire.
In the latest episode of MSR On the Radar, host Aaliyah Demry sat down with Kenn, a St. Paul braider and content creator, to discuss how motherhood sparked her beauty journey, the reality of launching a luxury hair bundle line, and her vision for multi-industry business suites in Minnesota.
How it All Started
Kenn’s path as one of the Twin Cities’ most popular braiders started right in her mom’s house, practicing different styles on family and friends. After having her daughter at 17, she began posting her work online just for fun, only for clients to start pulling up to her doorstep.
“Everybody actually liked it,” Kenn said. “So everybody from the North side started coming to me on Humboldt and I mean, we just kicked it off from there.”
Her loud, outgoing energy always kept her in the center of attention. “I was always a loud girl in the hallways. Always wanted to make myself known, you know?” she said.
But before locking in on her craft, she faced obstacles that pulled her attention away from building a business.
“I was just with the wrong crowd, always getting shot at or something like that,” she said.
Turning things around required Kenn to mature. Following the tragic loss of her brother, Kenn credits her boyfriend with helping her shift her energy into staying consistent behind the chair.
“Like I went through so much… after my brother died, he [her boyfriend] came into my life and he just like seen better in me and he forced me to get up and go to work,” Kenn explained.
“He didn’t want no bum and I didn’t want him to be with the bum. So I got my butt up and yeah, did what I had to do.”
Building an Empire
Currently based in a St. Paul salon suite, Kenn sees clients nearly every day. While she specializes in popular styles like boho knotless braids, she admits her true ambition lies far beyond standing on her feet doing hair all day.
“I don’t want to be doing hair in the next three to four years. I want staff. Like that’s what I want to leave behind,” Kenn revealed. “An empire… Krown is going to be everywhere, billboards, everywhere. Mark my words.”
In April, she took a major step by launching her luxury raw hair bundle line, Krowned Kollectionz after spending months researching and testing vendors out-of-pocket.
“I want this to be like a rebrand, like something totally different from braids,” she said.
Her long-term plan is centred around community advocacy with commercial real estate. She is currently working toward a social work degree, starting a nonprofit to assist single parents with housing and rent support, and aiming to open multi-use salon suites catering to hair stylists, PCA companies, and local entrepreneurs alike.
“I think salon suites bring a lot of business. And this is not always the hair industry,” Kenn said.
And despite the common temptation to head south, Kenn is staying put.
“Something is just telling me like, no, stay, stay, you still got stuff to do here,” Kenn said. “Minnesota really mess with me and I’d be disappointing my people if I just get up and leave.”
Having a Social Media Following
With nearly 10,000 followers on TikTok, Kenn says navigating local celebrity status comes with high expectations.
“People put me on such a high pedestal and it kind of aggravates me so much because… they hold me accountable for a lot on social media when I’m just a human, like I’m just a person too,” Kenn noted. “I’m still young. I’m still learning.”
Instead of letting the internet commentary distract her path, Kenn is using her platforms for genuine community connections, regularly filming vlog-style “day in the life” content with the people in her chair.
“I love recording with me and my clients,” she said. “I just don’t only do it for the money…I do it for like community connections,”
The Minnesota Hair Industry
Addressing local client debates and shop culture, Kenn advocated for unity among Twin Cities entrepreneurs, especially when national celebrities visit the area.
“We got to come together because it’s like, it’s getting too sloppy. Everybody’s hating on everybody, stepping on everybody’s toes,” Kenn said.
“We need more like organizations, like groups and stuff like that for just entrepreneurs, not just hairstylists, not just makeup artists. All of us come together… That’ll make a big, big difference,” she said.
When it comes to client experience, Kenn believes in keeping services accessible and respectful. She doesn’t charge extra if a client needs a blow-dry and stands firmly against stylists forcing wig clients to show up pre-braided down. Moving forward, she plans to add full takedown, wash, and restyle packages to give clients the full luxury treatment they pay for.
For Kenn, hair was simply the launching pad. Through every shift, struggle, and goal, her drive remains rooted in building a foundation that elevates her family and gives back to the community that raised her.