ABOUT US
KENDRA COSEY
FOUNDER
Some businesses are built with business plans. Others are built on faith. Founder, Kendra Cosey, is a salon owner, licensed cosmetologist, cranial prosthesis specialist, beauty business educator, and global beauty entrepreneur whose journey is rooted in faith, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Kendra experienced adversity at an early age, including facing homelessness as a teenager.
Rather than allowing those experiences to define her destiny, they became the driving force behind her determination to build a different life — not only for herself, but for the people she would one day impact through her work.
In 2010, while pursuing a degree in psychology, God put the idea for Sew St. Louis in Kendra's heart. With no money, no knowledge of the beauty industry, and armed with only Google and a prayer, she did what many said couldn't be done, and the salon opened its doors in May of 2011.
What started as a single salon quickly evolved into one of the most recognized and fastest- growing Black-owned beauty brands in St. Louis. Within the following year, she began offering hair extensions to clients seeking readily accessible, high-quality hair. Over the years, she expanded the company to multiple salon and retail locations, employed more than 100 individuals within her community, and serviced tens of thousands of clients while building a reputation for quality, integrity, and specialized expertise in hair extensions and hair restoration.
As Sew St. Louis continued to grow, Kendra became increasingly passionate about helping women experiencing hair loss regain their confidence. In 2018, she became a certified cranial prosthesis specialist and expanded the company’s services to include Non-Surgical Hair Replacement and customized hair restoration solutions. Today, Sew St. Louis is known not only for luxury extensions and hair transformations, but also for providing specialized solutions for women navigating hair loss.
Kendra has always believed that excellence requires going further than everyone else is willing to go. For her, that eventually meant going global.
In 2019, a hair-sourcing trip to Vietnam marked the beginning of something she couldn't have fully anticipated. Out of that pursuit came Her Best Hair Extensions, a retail hair extensions company dedicated to providing women with direct access to premium quality hair extensions and wigs. Determined to understand the beauty industry from the inside out, she began traveling internationally to build direct relationships with manufacturers, study global beauty trends, and gain firsthand knowledge of how the world's beauty products are developed and distributed, at the source.
Since then, she has embarked on more than 50 solo international trips, spanning 30+ countries across five continents. Countries such as France, India, Israel, Japan, Indonesia, Africa, and China, just to name a few, have provided Kendra with experiences, resources and insight that permanently transformed Sew St. Louis, and her understanding and approach to the beauty industry. More importantly, it gave birth to something entirely new.
Out of Kendra's global pursuit came Global Beauty Tours, a company designed to provide beauty professionals with curated international experiences centered around beauty, culture, product sourcing, education, and exploration.
Through Sew St. Louis and Global Beauty Tours, Kendra continues to help women discover confidence, purpose, and the love of God — one appointment, one trip, and one bold step of faith at a time. Her life and journey remain a testament to what can happen when faith, determination and creativity intersect with purpose.
However, despite the growth of her businesses and her global reach, Kendra’s mission has always remained the same: to use her platform to bring glory to God, as well as to inspire, empower and educate others.
From leading Bible studies inside her salon to mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs and beauty professionals, her work has always extended far beyond hair. Her approach to business is deeply rooted in Biblical principles, with a commitment to integrity, excellence, and faith at the center of everything she builds.
Today, Kendra Cosey is a wife and a mother of two. She stands as an industry leader, speaker, mentor, and visionary entrepreneur. More importantly, she is God's servant— someone who has turned faith into a business strategy and resilience into legacy.
With Global Beauty Tours, Kendra now combines her expertise in beauty, business, and global travel to create immersive experiences for those who desire to see the world through a more creative and productive lens without having to navigate it alone.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11
My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. ~Psalm 46:5