Aaron
My passion for hair ignited as a teenager: experiments on friends—fueled by the raw energy of goth, mod, and punk—where I discovered bold self-expression and quiet rebellion. Art history trained my eye, and early in my professional career, that vision was recognized with the Intercoiffure/Vidal Sassoon "Excellence in New Design" Award, which sent me to the Sassoon Academy in Santa Monica, where Vidal Sassoon's architectural approach became my foundation.
New York shaped much of my journey, the hustle, the mythology, learning from industry legends Wendy Iles, Yannick D'Is, and Luigi Murenu. I lived abroad in Berlin, Hamburg, and Paris, styling hair for Fashion Week shows including Armani Couture, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Dries van Noten. I worked on campaigns for Wella, Chanel, Schwarzkopf, KMS, and Goldwell, with opportunities on sets directed by Martin Scorsese and Jean-Baptiste Mondino. Editorial was exhilarating, but fleeting.
Over three decades behind the chair, I treasure the intimacy of salon work. It's an alchemy: each person brings something different, in the conversation, the history, and shared imagination of what could emerge. When a client leaves the chair feeling better than when they sat down, that's the real work.
More than ten years in Portland now, I've become a devoted gardener, tending Pacific Northwest natives and watching what grows wild. The act of pruning still fills me with awe—reading the shape, honoring the growth, knowing where to make the cut.
New York shaped much of my journey, the hustle, the mythology, learning from industry legends Wendy Iles, Yannick D'Is, and Luigi Murenu. I lived abroad in Berlin, Hamburg, and Paris, styling hair for Fashion Week shows including Armani Couture, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Dries van Noten. I worked on campaigns for Wella, Chanel, Schwarzkopf, KMS, and Goldwell, with opportunities on sets directed by Martin Scorsese and Jean-Baptiste Mondino. Editorial was exhilarating, but fleeting.
Over three decades behind the chair, I treasure the intimacy of salon work. It's an alchemy: each person brings something different, in the conversation, the history, and shared imagination of what could emerge. When a client leaves the chair feeling better than when they sat down, that's the real work.
More than ten years in Portland now, I've become a devoted gardener, tending Pacific Northwest natives and watching what grows wild. The act of pruning still fills me with awe—reading the shape, honoring the growth, knowing where to make the cut.