I live in NYC—one of the most inspirational cities in the world—aside from the city I love so deeply here are some of my other inspirations which are what led me to becoming a hair artist.
1. I’m a Matrix Global Artistic Director, so I travel around the world and see a lot of different types of texture. The last thing I saw that caught my eye was in St. Petersburg, Russia, where girls were making dreadlocks out of synthetic hair in multiple colors. Then, they braided that piece into their hair and anchored it. They were all dolled up, wearing couture clothing and making dreadlocks look glamorous and groomed. When you think of dreads, you think of hippies—but it’s almost taking a different turn in Russia. Those are the kinds of inspiration you see and take when you’re traveling.
2. Vidal Sassoon is one of my top inspirations; that’s where you get that very crisp bob line. Vidal Sassoon is one of those iconic hairdressers who really put design lines and haircutting on the map. He changed the whole world of cutting.
3. Even before learning the Vidal Sassoon cuts, I was inspired by this young kid, Edwin Fontanez, from Ohio that had a salon in his basement. It really all started there. To this day, he’s brilliant in the way he styles and dresses the hair.
4. TONI&GUY is one of my inspirations. I worked for this Italian guy, Dino Palmieri, and he loved TONI&GUY, so that was kind of my first introduction to a hair industry brand.
5. From there, I was introduced to Matrix and mentored by a lady named Vivienne Mackinder—she comes from the Sassoon era. She also worked with Trevor Sorbie.
6. It wasn’t until I moved to New York that everything became editorial. Just working in NYC and going to fashion shows and shoots really inspire me.
I’ve been lucky to experience the salon and hair show side of it, working with Sassoon hair artists. I’ve also been able to experience the editorial side of it, going to New York City and seeing the world of fashion and beauty. I think the blend of both worked hand in hand and led me to where I’m at now.
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