Portrait of A Stromg Woman
TDarla Dilbert,owner and Artistic Director of Eclipze Hair Design & Day Spa.
"By the time I was seven or eight yearsold, I already knew what I wanted to do," recalls Darla Dilbert-Wood,owner and artistic director of Eclipze Hair Design & Day Spa,"and that was to go into the beauty industry."
That decision was not always kindly lookedupon. Though her parents, Norrean and Shirley Dilbert, and herfamily were always supportive, others were not so.
"My teachers really tried to talk meout of it," she explains. "People outside my familywould ask me "why do you want to do that? You're such a smartgirl?". (Wanting to be) a hairdresser was looked down upon."
She did do very well in school indeed, thoughshe admits that she has never been one who loves to study. "Ihave a very good memory. My mom says I have a photographic memory.I retained things very easily, and that helped me a lot,"she admits.
For a while in high school Ms. Dilbert-Woodconsidered pursuing a career in teaching instead of going intothe beauty industry. "I was sort of convinced by my teachersnot to follow that path," she says.
"So when I was picking the subjectsfor my O'Levels I decided that if I had to choose something else,then I would like to be a geography teacher," she explains.
Graduation finally came around and as sheputs it: "I was fit to go to university if it was up to otherpeople." However this decision was strictly up to her "Iwasn't going to go just to make (someone else) happy, so I didn't."
Ms. Dilbert-Wood believes that she was ableto make that decision because even at that age she was alreadyvery mature. "I began working when I was nine years old,"she says. "I have two sisters and one brother, and we alwayshad what we needed, if there was anything we wanted then we hadto get it for ourselves," she explains.
She worked summers at her mom's boutique,and as a special treat her mom would take her to Virginia's BeautyCentre on the weekends. " I knew then that that was the environmentI wanted to be in," she recalls.
"One Saturday," she says, "and I can't remember how it happened exactly, but I started doingshampoos and sweeping the floor (at the salon). From then on Ibecame a Saturday girl at Virginia's. It was my first taste (ofthe business)," she says laughing.
She worked Saturdays and summers from agenine until high school, and even had some clients back then too.
"Now that I think about it, I had aregular clientele. There were people who'd come to my house andI'd give them a haircut. I had been cutting my own hair sinceI was 12, but I began cutting my mom's and dad's hair, and evensome of their friends'," she recalls. "I really should'vecharged them for it too," she adds laughing.
The money she made from her jobs was "pocketmoney" for her to buy the things that she wanted. She rememberswhen Reebok's Keds first came out and, since everyone else hadthem, she also wanted them.
"We had Kangaroos, so I asked my momfor Reebok's and she asked me why. I said I wanted one becauseeveryone else had one. Her answer was that since I couldn't tellher what the difference between the two of them was other thanthe name I should buy them with my money," she says. "Iwas saving up to buy a pair of gold hoops, so my thought was 'there'sno way I'm going to buy them with my money'" she laughs.
"Those are the principles that havehelped me to get to where I am today," she continues. "Lifedoesn't come easy, and you have to work hard. It was a hard lessonto learn at a young age."
However it was a lesson that would indeedserve her very well in the future. Once she decided that she wasnot going to university, the fifteen year-old graduate workedfor one year to save enough money to go to Bruno's CosmetologySchool in Canada. "The government didn't give any scholarshipsfor those going into trades," she recalls, "so I workedhard and saved every penny."
She lived with her aunt and uncle in Canada,and did not come home for the entire eighteen-month duration ofthe program. "I was too homesick," she admits, "and I knew that if I left (Canada) I would not (return)."
Her family did visit, and not only did Ms.Dilbert-Wood complete the course, she was the top student of herclass. "I had a natural knack for it," she says. "Itwas a breeze. I knew that was my calling in life."
She graduated in 1986 and was hired rightaway to work at Visage, where she worked until it closed in early1993. "I thought that I had worked with the best (at Visage),and no one else would really be up to par," she explains."So I decided to take a chance and do my own thing. I wasyoung, had no major commitments, and in my opinion I could doit on my own."
So Ms. Dilbert-Wood sat down with her youngersister, Darna Parchman who was working in the accounting departmentat a local law firm and asked her if she wanted to go into businesswith her. "She agreed, but she kept her job (at the law firm)and worked part-time (for the salon)," Ms. Dilbert-Wood explains.
With the help of another young Caymanianwho had apprenticed under her (who has since opened a salon ofher own), Ms. Dilbert-Wood opened Eclipze on April 1, 1993.
If opening the salon was a major event inher life, another major event was around the corner. "I hadtold myself that if I was going to have kids I would do it bythe time I was 30 or not at all," she says. "By thetime I turned 30 I changed my mind, and I thought I could do itlater in life. After all I was still building a business and didn'thave enough time to spend with my husband," she recalls.
However, this time the decision was notentirely up to her. "Two months after I turned 30 I foundout I was pregnant," she says. The discovery also came twoweeks before she could take her test to get her brown belt inKarate (Kempo).
"I was in the best physical shape sinceI was a teenager. I had to stop right away."
At the time, she admits, she was overwhelmed."I kept praying and asking 'why me?'" she recalls. "Evenafter Blayze was born, it took me almost a year to get used tothe idea (of being a mom). But he is the best thing that has happenedto me, and there are a lot of things in my life that have beengreat. He is the love of my life," she adds with a motherlysigh.
The woman who thinks she would have neverfelt ready for motherhood is a single mom today. "It is hard,being a single mom. When I got married I thought that was it,that it was forever. Getting a divorce was the last thing I wanted,but I come from a very strong set of women so I'm lucky."
"But I am blessed," she continues."I was a work-a-holic; I had no choice but slow down. I wasraised to be there for my kids (when the time came). (Blayze)made me realize that life wasn't all about work."
As always her family was very supportiveand helped her during her hardship. She and her former husbandhave developed a good relationship and she says that he is "avery good father" to Blayze, who is now three years old.
She has restarted her Karate training from scratch, and will soonbe taking the brown belt test she had to put on hold for threeyears.
"I really encourage parents to gettheir kids involved in sports and activities. I specially recommendKarate; it creates discipline spiritually, mentally and physically."
Thankful for all the opportunities she hasbeen given, Ms. Dilbert-Wood is always willing to do what shecan for her community.
This coming October, Eclipze will be hostinga "Cut-A-Thon" to benefit the Lion's Club of TropicalGarden's Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign. "It's aworthy cause for women, and we support them however we can,"she says.
As for the future, this cheerful woman admitsthat she tries not to look too far ahead. "You never knowwhat the future will hold," she says. Instead she likes tofocus on her present, and make sure she appreciates everythingshe has been given. "I thank God every day for all the blessingsHe has poured on me and my family," she adds.
Photos by: Miguel Escalante