Twenty-four hours in the life of Ian Michael Black, Global Artistic Director of Haircolor for Aveda
7:30 a.m. My day starts with a large latte and a fresh croissant. 8 a.m. Still at home, I jump on a conference call with our Asia team about an upcoming trip to two of my favorite places—Tokyo and Seoul. I find going to Asia so inspiring because of its forward-thinking fashion and unique energy. 9 a.m. I enjoy some “me time” with a nice lie in a bath infused with Aveda Stress-Fix Soaking Salts. It lends the perfect calm before a hectic day. 9:45 a.m. I hop in a cab and head to Surface magazine for a meeting with its fashion team to discuss haircolor concepts for an upcoming editorial shoot. Ideas about primary colors and strong shapes are on the creative brief. 11 a.m. After catching up on emails and messages, I jump on a call with our Global Research and Development team. We review some new product innovation ideas that are in the works, then talk through my findings on some testing I’ve been working on to find the perfect tones for new color products I’ve been developing with them. Noon I drop by my favorite English restaurant, Tea & Sympathy, for a working lunch with Aveda’s Global Artistic Director of Hair Cutting Ricardo Dinis to review ideas for a new curriculum for our Advanced Academy. 1:15 p.m. After a great lunch, I jump on the subway to Soho for another meeting. This one is with our Advanced Academy Team to discuss an upcoming weekend. 2 p.m. While there, one of my favorite models who’s in town stops by to get her hair colored before she heads off to Paris Fashion Week. 4 p.m. The Aveda Global Artistic Team is in New York, which gives us an opportunity to have a “think tank” session together. We’re working on ideas for our next global collection, so it’s the first time we’re showing our mood boards and ideas to each other and discussing the story, feeling and direction we think the shoot should be going. Creativity is overflowing! 6 p.m. I head uptown to Bespoken fashion studio. The talented team there gives me a fitting for a new suit they’re designing for me to wear at an Aveda show. 7 p.m. I decompress from the day with a workout at Equinox, then head home for a quick change before going out for sushi with Surface Fashion Editor Justin Min. 10:45 p.m. I cap off the day with an English cup of tea before setting the alarm for an early start. ✂ As told to Kelley Donahue