In the News

SCOUTING TREND

by Ken Broekemeier

Joseph's Artistic Director, John Aguirre, speaks out on his recent visit to America's Beauty Show in Chicago. He has some interesting insights regarding where our beauty industry is headed creatively, and how we can prepare for those trends.

I sat and talked with John recently as I slowly sipped my steaming coffee on a typically chilly Nebraska spring morning. We are at Joseph's College Corporate Offices and I am "all ears". I'd always enjoyed hearing his concepts and theories on salon business and the art of hair. This conversation was particularly interesting because our Creative Director was able to hob nob for three days in Chicago. I was anxious to see if the show had confirmed or changed his opinion of what's happening in our world of cosmetology.

Mr. Aguirre tells me, "We're going back to curly hair again." I chuckle inside as I envision a redo of something Irvine and Rita Rusk might have created in the 80's big and bold hair movement. "A Flock of Seagulls" and "The Thompson Twins" come to mind. John cautions me that it's different this time around, though. "This trend has a different twist accomplished with new techniques and cutting edge technologies. There is a whole new generation of perms available and the end result is not like the old really curly ones. It's more a textural tool for unique dimension and texture. We're making women look like women via soft effects." I feel like I am speaking to a revisionist Christian Dior when he released "The New Look".

I hear a voice of excitement when John says, "Hair also is making a more feminine and softer statement. Updo's are coming into their own again. Color continues to influence design. Translucent and pastel color applications are especially fresh and exciting. For women, the newer look is a finished one, mastered in a way that only a hairdresser can truly accomplish. It's a "Sassoon salon finished look", and it's bringing business back to our doors." The artist side of John comes out and he sees the challenge from a student's perspective. He tells our Joseph's student body, "It would be a really good idea to get a firm grasp of your basic knowledge and fundamentals. Always continue to grow from there. Repetition regarding the practice of technique is the key for success. The mechanical use of hands needs to work in tandem with your creative vision and how it relates to your clientele's sense of style. It takes perseverance. Mastering the combination of technical, mechanical, and artistic interpretation is a must in making yourself unique and in demand."

I was fascinated with John's ideas of what texture really is and how this element of design influences hair. He tells me, "It now goes beyond the traditional restraints previous held. The older techniques are used and changed through strategic modifications. Texture is not only cutting. Texture is volume and curl. It is color and techniques harnessed beyond the limitations of dated technologies and expressions of design. It's an exciting time to be an accomplished hairdresser who has an understanding of our craft." I take one more sip of coffee. I realize how Mr. Aguirre has me to understand why I am so happy to be in this creative business of making people beautiful.
 
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