Eden Sassoon was someone that totally took me by surprise.
She’s fun and serious at the same time.
I met her last year, for the first time, in Las Vegas. I knew she was going to be there and I was focused on saying hello. I couldn’t wait. I’m never usually nervous to meet people, but I was a little before I met her. I wanted her to like me and at least talk to me for a minute.
I wondered about what her life was like growing up as the daughter of one of the greatest hairdressers, if not the greatest, of our time. You see Vidal Sassoon passed away before I got the chance to meet him. So, meeting her meant a lot to me.
However, after I met her, she had so much personality and presence that I totally forgot about asking any questions about her father. She had mentioned a few things about him in conversation – as any normal conversation would flow. We ended UP having an amazing lunch and shared stories about hair and the art of it. She was just as interested in me as I was in to her.
Eden Sassoon is the perfect person to represent her fathers legacy, and now she is making her own.
She makes people feel good about themselves and has a genuineness about her that makes you completely comfortable – it makes you want to know more about her.
Thank you Eden for your support and kindness. I can’t wait to see you again – to laugh and chat about just anything – like we always do.
Love your energy and I am happy to BE part of YOUR STORY.
Here I am with Eden Sassoon, Daniel Di Tommaso, Brenda Ferrell and Randy Taylor CoFounder, Hairbrained.me at the 2015 North American Trend Vision Awards in Las Vegas.
Eden Sassoon
Owner, EDEN by Eden Sassoon
Owner, EDEN by Eden Sassoon Pilates
Founder, Beauty Give Back
Your father built a global brand – now you are helping carry on the family name with your businesses in the health, wellness and beauty industry. What is the main difference and similarity between the Vidal Sassoon and Eden Sassoon brand/language?
The similarities are our dedication to technical excellence and our culture of doing what we do to the best of our ability. We want to be centers of excellence in all areas of our brand and we strive for improvement on a daily basis. Our brand is ‘all about our people’ who have to be dedicated, ambitious and have a passion for learning, in return, we as a company, have to build an energy around them to fulfill their development.
He changed the way everyone looked at hair.
Grace Coddington, Creative Director, American Vogue on the legacy of Vidal Sassoon
The difference is I wanted to create environments that reflected my home, my sanctuary. High ceilings and tons of natural light open up the space so my guests feel welcome to almost hang out. Service is paramount and our clients are not just patrons who pay for a service and leave. They are genuinely guests in my home and are treated as such.
But let’s be honest – the main difference between me and my dad is he could cut hair and I can’t!
Eden by Eden Sassoon is a unique concept – a finishing studio. What kind of vibe and experience do you create for your guests that are different from everyone else?
I wanted to create a place where women could come for all of their beauty needs. Whether it be for the mom who only has a short amount of time to take care of herself before she has to go back and take care of her family, to the professional business women working who are on the go and are lucky to get in a few services for themselves in a free moment, to the groups of women going out for a girls night, red carpet event and weddings. But at the core of the salon we strive to be a center of excellence in cutting, coloring, styling or any beauty service we offer.
The #iamavisualartist campaign went viral very quickly. Even though hairdressers have had such a huge impact on pop culture, fashion, beauty and trends all over the world, our craft doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Do you think that this is changing?
I think it has improved but not quickly enough. The only way you can change people’s perspective is to come together as one and demand it, and sadly I think our industry is just too fragmented. You just have to look at the hours differences, state to state, to gain a cosmetology license in the US to see this in practice. I truly believe that if we came together as one craft, through associations, manufactures, educators and hairdressers and worked together, then we would become one of the most powerful industries in the world.
The #iamavisualartist campaign was never about my father being on a banknote, but more a call to action to our industry to start standing up for itself.
Hairdressing in general hasn’t been given the kudos it deserves. It’s not recognized by enough people as a worthy craft.
Vidal Sassoon
How did you get involved with Beauty Gives Back? How has it impacted your business and you personally?
My father believed that we as artists coming together through education could make a powerful change in the world, and that was my driving force when I founded Beauty Gives Back.
If I could bring hairdressers together, with no ego, and have an additional purpose other than just sharing the gift of knowledge then we could truly make a difference. We are a collaboration who is solely focused on delivering great education, not pushing brands down people’s throats. Beauty Gives Back is brand agnostic. We have the Rolls Royce of Hairdressers, fully present and doing for others what was once done for them.
It is the purest form of education and the result is that all profits raised through the charity go to The Thirst Project who build sustainable wells in Swaziland and whose goal is to eliminate the water crisis in Africa. I have been an Ambassador for The Thirst Project for some time now and have even been to Swaziland to dig the wells myself.
What legacy do you hope to leave on the industry?
The legacy I would like to leave on the industry is to keep my Dad’s vision and love for the industry alive. I challenge everyone reading to set their intentions. Wake UP!
I witnessed greatness, so I know it’s achievable. Who is going to make the next indelible impact on our industry?
Could it be YOU?
Come on let’s stir things up!
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