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Kaizen Hair prepare for Saturday’s Fashion @ Christchurch
Kaizen’s expert hair team will join forces with the award winning team at Origin to create spectacular hair for the Fashion @ Christchurch show. Tickets are onsale from www.tickets.ie until this evening.
Kaizen’s leading ladies have just returned from London Fashion Week and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for the fashionable ladies of Cork! Today, we talk to Cliona & Edel, at the helm of the Kaizen brand.
The Kaizen Hair Team
How long have you been in business & what was the inspiration that lead you to open Kaizen?
KaiZen has been up and running for two and a half years now, we opened our doors in February 2009. What inspired us primarily to open our own business was being able to be in control of our own destiny longterm. We both love the fashion forward world of hair and were passionate to have our own inscription in this ever growing sector. Having come from great educational, skill training and family business backgrounds we both felt we had the necessary skills along with a positive mind set to embark on our entrapreneurial journey at the age of 24.
You have carved out a strong name in fashion in Cork in a very short time, how ambitious and involved are you in the local & international fashion industry?
Having spent three and a half years with a world renouned brand such as Toni & Guy in London, I knew this was going to be a longterm love affair with one of the most inspirational cities in Europe fashion-wise. London is uber cool and so advanced in predicting forthcoming trends before they emerge world wide and this is a huge reason we now keep a stong educational link with the capital in regards the development of KaiZen as a salon and hopefully as a Brand. While working in London at the age of 18, I was exposed to an industry that got adrenaline pumpping through your veins from the onset of my career and I feel returning to the city on a regular basis re energises this creative passion and need to suceed and drive forward to aspire to be the best. - Cliona
Having a intricit love for fashion, I am rarely without a copy of Vogue, Bazar or Elle in my hand. An addiction, even a compulsion for this industry I’m sure many women can relate to I’ve had inbuilt from an early age. Like Cliona I spent some time training in London with another prestigious name ’Vidal Sasoon’ and was also consumed by the freedom of expression through the means of fashion these Londoners (and foreigners) possed. We both love the way each individual styling of a person can set a mood or a story without the means of verbal expression - poetic almost. This is wat we try to capture and recreate when we return from business trips, seminars and workshops….- Edel
Working with both national and internationally creative like minded individuals such as Miki Barlok (fashion editorial photographer) Sascha Breuer (international session stylist) Kate Noonan (award winning make up artist), Viv & Emer at Lockdown & CFW (inspirational business women) keeps the two of us motivated. Wonderful oppertunities such as being part of the Cork Fashion Week design team and also Cliona taking part in PPQ’s A/W 2011 show at London Fashion Week, arise from simply swimming in the mindset of others.
Having completed 2 year long business courses in Chiswisk London over the past 2 years has also equipped us with the necessary people management, time management and financial skills need to run any business sucessfully. We have grown up quite alot in the past few years to say the least.
You are teaming up with another award winning salon, Origin, to showcase amazing runway hair for the first show day of CFW 2011 at Christchurch on the 24th. What preparation will your team be doing in advance of this show?
To be teamed up with such an inspirational trend setting company such as Origin is an absolute honour. Cliona trained with the company for a year before emigrating to the UK for a few years and owes her initial introduction to the industry to them.
“After 9 years it will be great to finally collaborate with the Origin team again and hopefully bounce some ideas off one another and start getting creative”
For the past 3 months we have been doing regular brain storming ideas with our team at KaiZen discussing current trends and styles. We have created a multitude of various types of mood boards for visual references on our ideas to see which types of styles were practicle for a fashion show environment. Weekly upstyling seminars and demos by our inhouse syle director have been taking place with empahsis on timing and polished finishes. Our team have been participating also in weekly hands on workshops where they get to practice the styles. We tend to look further afield when drawing on inspiration for styling – the internet has been a hugely appreciated resource for us and also ‘None‘ magazine, its so fashion forward we love it!!!
How important do you think it is that Cork has a Fashion Week to promote and celebrate our cities designers, hair, makeup artists etc?
It is in our opinion that Cork has THE best facilities in regards to accessing style right now, infact shopping and styling in Cork its absolutely at an all time high at present with some amazing designers and boutiques emerging almost weekly. Being the biggest county in Ireland we feel that Cork is somewhat overlooked unfairly in regards to the trends and opinions we have regarding fashion and feel also it is a credit to Emer & Viv to take the necessary steps to plummeting us right into the limelight where we belong. We as Corkonians have alot to celebrate and be proud of and think it will be interesting to watch the celebrities that will emerge from the mouth of the south over the next coming years….watch this space!!!
What do you hope to see Cork Fashion Week grow to in the coming years?
We would hope to see CFW develop into a national and international event like other fashion weeks have managed to do. we would hope the public would see the amount of time dedication and persistance it takes to develop an event as such and recognise all the talent that has gone into getting the event ready on a professional level. With the support of renound contacts such as Fashion TV we have every confidence this event will grow and grow and expose all the talented individuals Cork has to offer. We hope CFW will put us on the map fashion-wise and for the rest of Ireland to realise we know our stuff!!!!
What two celebs do you think in Irish & International media at present have the best hair?
Irish - we love Georgia Salpa‘s lusious locks atm simply because she oozes universal sex appeal and what woman wouldnt want her hair- right? We are also loving Corrina Durran from the band Wonderland, we feel she hits the nail on the head with her choice of colouring everytime and rocks the suitability factor.
International - Rhianna is an obvious choice as she is such a style chamellion – bold and brave – a ture trend ans style setter. we admire her risk taking ability. Dita Von Tesse has to be an all time classic favourite of ours with her raven black hair styled always immaculately in vintage 40′s glamour. her style has remained consistant and untouched for ages but it works for her.
Who do you think has the worst un-fashion friendly hair at the moment in celebville?
Katie Price aka Jordan has to win hands down for the sheer lack of respect for the hair on her head. The abuse her hair endure undergoing black to blonde transformation is suprising she has any hair left!!! Cut your hair love your not 19 anymore!!!
KaiZen is an ethos based on the principal of continually developing ones self through the means of Education. We as a team are committed to advancing and updating our skills to deliver to you our client the best service possible.
We have a integrated educational link to the best companies in Ireland and London to ensure our training is as advanced as it need to be. We also have a keen eye for fashion and offer free consultations for hairstyling for special events and occasions. Our team has 2 in house colour master degree graduates available to advise you on what colours suit your skin tone, eye colouring and over all style. With our team members attending cutting workshops and demos regularly both nationally and internationally you are ensured to receive a style tailored to youer individual needs and requirements.
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