"Yes I'm black, but I do [the hair] of all women"

It's Fashion Week in New York City, which means a lot of traffic near Bryant Park, and hordes of reporters and photographers trying to snap pictures of celebrities.

Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of some of the bigger picture issues during FW.

But today, when I had the opportunity to interview hair guru Ted Gibson, I decided to start with the tough questions.

I asked Mr. Gibson what challenges he's faced as an African-American in this field. It's fair to say that race is a hot button issue these days even if folks won't admit it.

What do race and style have to do with each other?

Apparently a lot.

Gibson said he often has to remind clients he is not a hairdresser who only does African-American hair. 

In other words, African-Americans can be comfortable with Asian hair and vice-versa. And look around, with the growth of biracial children, more hairdressers will need to work with varying textures of hair.

"I believe in textures of hair and not skin color. Yes, I'm black, but I do [the hair] of all women."

Look around, in other words, you can be dark with straight hair and fair with kinky hair.

 Take actress Debra Messing. Her hair is kinky curly. But she's clearly caucasian.

Gibson says you have to think outside of the box, but too many people want to keep it safe.

Ultimately Gibson says his obstacles will make it easier for the next African-American kid to succeed in this field.