Welcome to Charli and TIWWAC

Freelance hairdresser Charli Elsey has been working on a bold plan for the last 7 years – to create a safe, inclusive creative studio in Leeds for freelancers. Trading as This Is Who We Are Collective Charli’s plan has now become a reality with the business based at Mill 7, Mabgate Mills.

Commenting on opening the studio, Charli said: “It has been an amazing experience getting the business up and running and I’ve been so lucky to have had such incredible support.

“The opening event in June was surreal, just looking around the studio and seeing how far we’ve come. I’m thrilled at the response I’ve had from other like-minded freelancers. The germ of an idea I’d had a few years ago is now a reality!”

Charli’s aim is fill the 1,676 sq ft studio with a range of freelance creatives who will have financial freedom and will be able to use the facilities as and when they need them.

“I want to bring a fresh approach to freelancing and do away with many of the restrictions usually associated with renting a chair in a hairdressers” explains Charli.

As well as providing hair dressing facilities, the TIWWAC studio has suites suitable for massage therapy, aromatherapy, reflexology, aesthetics and tattooing, as well as gallery space for artwork.