American Crew Hosts Opening Night in Chicago
It was standing room only when American Crew presented its much-anticipated 2008 trend collection to a packed crowd of beauty aficionados in March, during America's Beauty Show (ABS) in Chicago. The sold-out evening event brought men's hair and fashion trends to the forefront with a lively runway show spotlighting eight segments.
 From Top, Left to Right: As a crowd of beauty pros looked on, Colomer's Carlos Colomer signed a check for an $85,000 donation to Hairdressers Unlocking Hope; American Crew founder David Raccuglia addressed the crowd; Crew artists channeled Dean Martin to reinvent Rat Pack hair; gravity-defying hair took center stage in Crew's Matic presentation; male models in the Matic presentation featured clean cuts with lots of texture and volume; Crew's American Gothic segment showcased goth hair with a sci-fi edge. |
To wit: American Gothic, where goth met sci-fi; Rat Pack, Crew's take on a modern-day Dean Martin; Jeremiah, starring rugged Western frontiersmen; and Ralph Machismo—think Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in flip-flops. Also taking center stage were Steven Cox's and Daniel Silver's 2008–2009 fall/winter collection for Duckie Brown; New Folk, a homage to Bob Dylan, inspired by the movie I'm Not There; One Night Only, American Crew's annual presentation of avant-garde looks; and Matic, the debut of American Crew's 2008 collection of gravity-defying hair.
"We really let American Crew's true colors show," said Craig Hanson, artistic director for the Colomer Salon Division. Hanson and Artistic Director Paul Wilson set the trends for this year's opening night event, while members of the company's international artistic team flew in from around the globe to help create looks for the show. "We featured lots of red, white and blue that paid homage to Americana, but in a goth kind of way," Hanson said.
 Clockwise, from Above: Crew models sported beards in the Jeremiah segment that paid tribute to gritty and rugged Western frontiersmen; the New Folk segment featured Dylan-inspired 'dos; another look from the Jeremiah segment. |
To cap off the exhilarating weekend at ABS, American Crew, Art + Science Salons, Colomer USA and hundreds of caring salon professionals put down their scissors and products and picked up their wallets to raise more than $80,000 to build a home in New Orleans for victims of Hurricane Katrina through Hairdressers Unlocking Hope and Habitat for Humanity. "Hairdressers Unlocking Hope is a phenomenal organization that is truly committed to involving the worldwide community of hairdressers with the devastated community of New Orleans to make its people look and feel beautiful again," said Dan Easton, senior vice president of marketing for the Colomer Salon Division. "We couldn't be more proud to be involved in such a worthwhile endeavor." —K.D.
Joico Raises Money for Breast Cancer Research
Last year Joico raised almost $40,000 for breast cancer research through sales of a special Skin Luxe Body Butter. The money raised was donated to the Pink Ribbon Foundation, which strives to make a difference in the quality of life and prognosis of patients with recurrent or metastatic cancer. Eric Kater, general manager of Joico Laboratories Europe BV and Zotos Europe, recently presented the €25,000 check (approximately $38,000) to Stan de Klerk, director of the foundation. —N.G.
 Eric Kater, general manager of Joico Laboratories Europe with Stan de Klerk, director of the Dutch Pink Ribbon Foundation |
Eufora Launched Earth Day Recycling Program
To celebrate Earth Day and further its efforts to preserve the environment, Eufora worked with the nonprofit Stop Global Warming in April to teach salons about the environmental crisis. The company supplied salons with free recycling bins made of corrugated cardboard and recycled materials. "Eufora has always had an unwavering commitment to the environment, including at our corporate headquarters, where we have implemented several recycling and energy-saving practices," said Eufora founder Don Bewley. "Salons may not realize this, but they can have a positive impact on the environment just by starting with basic recycling efforts." —N.G.
 |
Sport Clips Awards $30,000 in Scholarships
More than 71,000 people enroll in accredited cosmetology schools across the country each year, and Sport Clips has pledged to help them meet their career goals by awarding $30,000 in scholarships this year through a partnership with the American Association of Cosmetology Schools' Access to Cosmetology Education Program. "We offer so many growth and advancement opportunities throughout the country and this is our way of getting stylists off to a really great start," said Julie Vargas, director of career opportunities for Sport Clips. —N.G.
 Sport Clips ' Area Developer Ron Chamberlain presented a $1,000 check to Poway Hair Academy student Sylvia Page during a ceremony with Poway Hair Academy students and members of the Sport Clips team. |
CND Announces the Winner of the Mary Nordstrom Memorial Award
The 4th annual Mary Nordstrom Memorial Award is presented to the Creative Nail Design (CND) employee who has most embodied the spirit of Mary Nordstrom, the woman who helped develop the company. This year's winner was Accounting Administrator Juan Gutierrez. Nordstrom always provided comfort and inspiration to the CND team, which is dedicated to nail enhancement technology and nail design. —N.G.
 Juan Gutierrez |
Cutting for a Cause
For one week in February, Bella Bethesda Salon in Bethesda, MD, hosted a campaign to benefit Locks of Love. Clients who donated 10 inches of hair or more received a free haircut, blow-dry and a gift certificate for a beauty makeover with a Bella Bethesda makeup artist. "This campaign allows us to help others in need, as well as create new and exciting looks—the two things we love doing most," said Stacy Dabney-Ramirez, co-owner of the salon. The salon collected a total of 640 inches of hair for the organization, which has helped more than 2,000 children under the age of 18 who have experienced hair loss. —N.G.
 Above: The staff of Bella Bethesda Salon celebrates with Fox 5 Morning News Anchor Gurvir Dhinsa after the official launch of the weeklong campaign for Locks of Love. LEFT: A stylist from Bella Bethesda Salon measures a client's hair before taking the scissors to it. |