Co-Founder & Head of Creative

Virginia Pettitt

From founding The Curl Bar London to building NUBEAUX, Virginia has dedicated her career to creating spaces where representation matters. Now she's using that experience to connect Africa's luxury properties with the creators and audiences the industry has overlooked.

Africa Was Born in Her

Virginia Pettitt wasn't born in Africa — but as she often says, Africa was born in her. Half Zimbabwean, she grew up with the continent woven into her identity, her family stories, and her sense of belonging.

That connection shaped everything that followed. From building businesses that celebrate Black beauty to creating content that showcases African luxury, Virginia has spent her career ensuring that people who look like her see themselves reflected in the spaces they deserve to occupy.

In 2020, she opened The Curl Bar London — a salon and safe space for natural hair in Crouch End. It proved she could build physical businesses rooted in community and cultural pride. But it was her travels across Africa that revealed the next opportunity.

Visiting luxury properties across the continent, Virginia noticed a pattern: world-class experiences being marketed with imagery that excluded the very audiences most eager to book them. The diaspora was searching for connection. The properties were failing to speak to them. NUBEAUX was born to bridge that gap — combining Virginia's understanding of both sides to create something the industry has been missing.

The Journey

Heritage

Zimbabwean Roots

Half Zimbabwean, Virginia grew up with Africa woven into her identity. The continent's stories, culture, and sense of belonging shaped her worldview from the start.

First Business

The Curl Bar London

Founded London's destination salon for natural hair in Crouch End. Created a safe space that proved she could build physical businesses rooted in community.

Discovery

African Luxury Travel

Travelling across the continent revealed a gap: world-class properties marketing themselves without representing the audiences most eager to visit.

The Mission

NUBEAUX Collective

Co-founded NUBEAUX to bridge the gap between Africa's luxury hospitality and the diaspora audiences being overlooked by traditional marketing.

Philosophy

I wasn't born in Africa, but Africa was born in me. That connection is why I understand what the diaspora is searching for — and why I know most luxury properties aren't speaking to them. NUBEAUX exists to change that.