Laetitia Ky

EARLY LIFE

Laetitia Ky was born in 1996 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and grew up in the city. Her parents divorced when she was young; she was primarily raised by her mother alongside her siblings, including her younger sister Florencia, with whom she maintains a very close bond. Hair braiding was part of everyday life in her culture. She began braiding hair at around age 5, styling her mother’s, sister’s, and others’ hair. Like many girls in her environment, she was given chemical hair relaxers from a very young age (as early as 4 or 5) under beauty standards shaped by colonial influence that privileged straight hair. At 16, after a severe hair-loss incident linked to tight braiding and prior chemical damage, she shaved her head and began the difficult process of returning to natural hair. This experience, combined with discovering the American natural-hair community online, marked a turning point in how she related to her identity and appearance. She obtained her literary baccalauréat early (age 15/16) and enrolled in Business Administration at the Institut national polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Yamoussoukro. She later realized corporate life did not suit her and chose to pursue creative work instead, teaching herself sewing with the initial aim of entering fashion.

CAREER

Ky’s artistic practice began in earnest around 2016 after she saw archival photographs of pre-colonial West African women’s elaborate hairstyles. Inspired by their sculptural quality and communicative power, she started experimenting with her own natural hair, lengthening it with extensions and shaping it with wire and thread into complex forms—a style she calls the “Ky Concept.” She photographs the results herself (often with a tripod and remote) and posts them on social media. What began as geometric and playful shapes quickly evolved into politically charged works addressing feminism, sexism, female genital mutilation, breast flattening, abortion rights, bullying, race, colonial beauty standards, and Black women’s self-acceptance. Sculptures can take from 20 minutes to over six hours. She has also worked with African wax-print cloth and created “Ky Braids.” Her work gained international attention after going viral in 2017. She has held workshops, collaborated with singer Di’Ja, and launched the inclusive fashion brand Kystroy in 2018. She is represented by LIS10 Gallery (Arezzo and Paris). In 2022 her work was shown in the Ivory Coast Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, and she had her first solo exhibition, “Empow’Hair.” She published the book Love and Justice, combining her hair sculptures with personal reflections on feminism, identity, and women’s experiences. As an actress she has appeared in: Night of the Kings (La Nuit des rois, 2020) directed by Philippe Lacôte – as The Queen Disco Boy (2023) directed by Giacomo Abbruzzese – as Udoka/Manuella (the film received a Silver Bear at Berlin) Promised Sky (Promis le ciel, 2025) directed by Erige Sehiri – as Jolie She has also modeled (including an Elite Model Look social-media category win in 2019 in partnership with TikTok) and expanded into painting and performance.

PERSONAL LIFE

Ky keeps much of her private life private. She has spoken openly about her close relationship with her younger sister Florencia, whom she has occasionally included in her artwork (one of the rare times she has sculpted someone else’s hair). She has described growing up with relatively open parental attitudes toward the body and sexuality compared with more conservative surroundings. In recent years she has spent time in Italy for residencies and projects, and as of 2026 she has moved to New York City, where she joined New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) to deepen her involvement in cinema. She continues to create from a place of personal honesty, stating that art should reflect the artist’s truth even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular.

Ky is frequently described as a figurehead of the natural-hair movement and a powerful voice for African and Black feminist perspectives. She has received recognition including selection for “On the Rise Côte d’Ivoire” (2018), Prix Jeunesse Francophone 3535, and Paper magazine’s “100 People Taking Over 2019.” Her practice deliberately centers the Black female body as a site of memory, resistance, beauty, and political speech. She continues to balance visual art, activism, fashion, writing, and an expanding career in film.