 Hey guys, welcome to freesaloneducation.com. I'm here with American Salon Magazine at Premier Beauty Show in Orlando, Florida I got Rafe Hardy from Sexy Hair Concepts. Hello, concept sexy hair sexy hair, and you're the artistic director, correct? I am so I'm pumped to talk to you because so there's a couple things when I The very first hair show I went to 12 years ago. Mm-hmm. There were two booths I'm not gonna name the other one, but sexy hair was the most exciting. It was you had the inflatable Tent kind of booth and you know, yeah in there and the leaders yes Yeah, I remember that so you'd break dancers inside. So I that was the first time I saw somebody spinning their scissors I don't know if it was you but I was only two months into beauty school and I went back to beauty school and I started spinning my scissors and still to this day Your the way that I cut hair is because of sexy hair. So whoever that was I don't know Oh, that's fantastic. I think we all spun our shears But we had one guy in particular the work with us that was he'd do a large cut and he'd flip those shears around Yeah, that was mr. Wayne Tuggle. Okay. All right still friends to this day. That's very cool. Very cool So so let's talk about your career. You've been in the industry for over 30 years, right 35 So tell me like what is so interesting to me is When I would like right now, I've been in the business for 12 years, right? So and I always thought when I first started thinking of people that were in the business for 12 years seemed like a long time Right at 12 now. I know that 30 years is creeping up on me. It's gonna happen quickly What have you seen? What is the big transition in hair? You've been in the show circuit and all that so what's like the big Change that you've seen well, you know, I I I think that the most major change that we've seen is we've come a long way from those Visual show days, you know, I think that today's hairdresser really comes to a hair shows For the education, okay, you know because the industry is changing so much so quickly so fast technology techniques everything is changing that you really have to stay on top of things that to Understand the latest and greatest whether it's color or whether it's, you know Lifting or whether it's even different cutting techniques like we provide I think that the industry has gotten a little bit more serious about their time when they come to shows, right? You know, I still think that there's a place for edutainment, right, you know, because I mean watching someone blow dry hair is kind of right, you know kind of so I think that to People are looking to be inspired. They're looking to leave with something of value more bang for their buck You know, so a lot more private classes and companies are setting classrooms for that individual attention type of education And that's come a long way. It's always been there, but I think these days It's really relevant in our industry where people will come to the hair show. They'll walk the show floor They'll see the latest and greatest as far as products and things but when it comes to Real value for their money. I think education is yeah the foremost awesome And so you so how long have you been with? Sexy hair 15 years 15 years and you Well, how did you start in the company? Well, I was working for another company and I I happen to see Michael O'Rourke who was the original founder of sexy hair I saw him at a booth and he was doing hair and visually it was It was very different. It was the way he moved for hairdressing as we're all very visual and that's what attracted me at first and then the results that I saw and then Throughout the years for about two or three years We would see each other at hair shows and I'd look up and see him out there looking at me at my stage And I would go and I'd watch him on his stage and then we started taking from each other You know and one day we had an opportunity to sit down for lunch And he was starting sexy hair at that time Okay, and he had asked me to come on board and I was with this company and I had worked for almost nine years with this company and We were doing well and I it was still exciting for me this and then the other company changed And I finally went on board with Michael in 2000 nice. Okay. Yeah, I remember in school I had the Michael O'Rourke VHS tape. I think it was structure in motion. Yes. That was called I watched that thing over and over that was a good one. So, um, all right, so how do you become art director? How do you make that? How do you? Work your way to that point in a company? Well, I Always say keep your wits about you and wits is short for whatever it takes, you know and as a Rambunctious and and driven hairdresser who was interested in becoming a teacher right out of beauty school But my my instructor said no get out there and see the real world Yeah, and then you know you can always do that at a later point. So with That teacher bug that bit me I started looking for a company to work for and I think that's the start of it to Reveal yourself let yourself be known your abilities your stage presence and everything if it and if it takes practice and work and I mean as far as I'm my story You know, I I come from a small town in Louisiana four years in the military got out of the military went to beauty school and Just wasn't sure my mother was a hairdresser So and I've always had a knack for sharing with others And I felt it was my calling to get out there and really just kind of share that information help others to grow and that philosophy of course when I Was introduced to sexy hair that is their philosophy So it fit right in with where I was going and I think if you're interested in becoming an educator or platform artist It's just kind of getting your foot in the door showing your work showing that you're capable of Representing in whatever way that that certain company, you know, of course, there's right lots of different flavors of Edutainment out there right education how-to's and things like that But I think it's it takes dedication. It takes discipline. It takes sacrifice a lot of time away from your family You know, we're called weekend warriors Yeah, so you got to be out there where the action is and I started doing shampoos and blow-dries, you know And I I offered to go international free Just get my room and board and I'll go They'll pay me so I could be there as an assistant But what I'm getting in return that experience that acknowledgement the ability to learn different things and to share My talents and my art right, but it's a it's a constant battle staying up with the latest and greatest, you know Yeah, and when I say battle meaning that it takes time out of your life and it takes that willingness to Understand that you still have a lot to learn, right, you know, yeah And I have a funny saying all my colleagues always they Razz me about it because it's an old saying but it's so true and it's when you're green you're growing And when you're ripe you're rotten So when you think you know it all you're gonna fall off the tree exactly, right? It's a southern analogy, right? I love it. It still works. That's awesome. So um, so two more questions as an art director now What have you seen how long you've been the art director? Eight years. So what's the difference between an art director eight years ago and an art director today? Well, you know, I it's it's still It still takes some insight as to the trends and so forth and what's helped me is I get to travel on a global level And get influenced by different cultures and different trends from different countries and so forth um I think now because we've grown together a lot of people in our team have grown together It's a little bit Easier to to do what we have to do because everyone plays their part and they're they understand the Well, the widths whatever it takes and we have a team now over the years We develop a team that makes everyone's job easier because everyone pulls their weight and knows how to do it really well right And that's as far as on the inside as far as the outside it's um, it's always a challenge to go out there and really decipher what we're seeing as far as trends from an artistic uh director's point of view and to be able to create haircuts and styles and imagery that is Well relevant that's trendy that's going to excite hairdressers Everything's been done in this industry. It's really hard to come up with something brand new We're still managing to do it as sexy hair with some of the the looks and the techniques to achieve those looks as well as our products so I think that As an artistic director how it's changed over the years is the fact that You have to you have to be even more insightful back than you were back then now Because of course the lame look around the competition is out there. You have to do something that's really going to stand out And trying to find that point of difference. I think is getting a little bit more challenging once it's found It's easy because the team helps you produce it. So it kind of goes hand in hand Yeah, definitely. And so when you're uh, when you're not doing hair you talked about family and all that What what are you what are you doing? Well, my my pastime one, I have a 16 year old daughter. I'm a single father So you're in that That time frame right now, right? I am that and that's a job in itself for all of you who have teenagers Um, but for me to get away. Um, I'm a Adventure motorcycleist. Oh nice. So I have a motorcycle I can take On the road or if I can go off road and I enjoy The the release and getting away from the daily the normal grind Um, I find that when you're on a motorcycle Everything else goes away because you have to concentrate on what you're doing. You're on a motorcycle And getting to see places and I'm you know from Louisiana So the outdoors has always been a big part of my life And I'll throw a tent and a sleeping bag on the back of my motorcycle and just take off in a direction and Stop when I want to and it's my time. It's my casual time And it just allows me That freedom that I don't normally have, you know, my cell phone stays off other than gps Know where I'm going. Yeah, and just and get away and just enjoy the the solitude, you know We love people, you know, I love people and it's been my life and and This industry has been my life for the past 35 years But you have to have you have to supplement it with some your own time And I found I used to golf but that takes like eight hours I know I love golf, but if I'm gonna be gone eight hours. I'm gonna go somewhere besides a golf course So I go to the desert. I go to the mountains. I mean, I'm from louis From los angeles where I live now and I have the sierra nevada mountains or two hours drive for me So I can be at 7 000 feet in a nice cool campground enjoying mother nature. That's awesome. That's great That's my getaway very cool. So um, so one last thing with uh sexy hair What's happening? What's next? Guys, we just finished our 2018 photo session Nice So and it happened last week a lot of timing and preparation Um, you know and another part of being released in 2018 It's being released january 2018, but it's in the can already. We've already got it We want to stay ahead of time, you know in this industry You have to get out your collateral to all your distributors and everything the classroom formats the visuals and also They can start to print. So we we did a little earlier this year because well, this is when the schedule allowed Um, but we've got some and you'll see kind of a a change in our imagery Kind of a we're stepping in a little bit more of a creative artistic direction with our work Three years ago. We uh took on marylum and roe as our ambassador Well, we created collection cuts relevant to that era that time and then we came up the following year with Modern hollywood, which is a collection another collection. That was for 2015 okay, and then for 2016 this year we have california dreamin so it was all about the quintessential Kind of la kind of a girl west coast girl kind of thing. We stayed with that theme And next year we're going a little bit of direction. I think you'll notice our imagery has changed Our education is always going to be world-class and we'll be able to share with you some very new techniques Just as a preface we have one style that One of our artists created and she created a new braid that hasn't been done before So that's exciting when you ever this is brand new. So it's yeah, instead of mixing and matching We gotta wait till 2018 to january 2018. Yeah, I said a sneak preview. It's a sneak sneak You too person. I'm like I whatever I think of I put out tomorrow. So it's like very exactly fathom 2018 when they said we were having a photo session, you know in May I'm kind of like well, that's 2018 But you kind of predict and and knowing where trends are going and In this case we're we weren't so I guess caught up in where we think trends are going versus us setting new trends, right? And that's what being an art director is about And it yeah, exactly and it's and dictating that far out in advance what's going to be hot What's going to be not After 35 years in the business, you know and working with professionals that we do a sexy hair We can kind of determine where the hair is going to be or where it will be going Right because we have to think beyond 2018 because if we're presenting something in 2018 and it's not new and fresh And it's already been done. Then it's not a new collection. It's kind of a different take on what's happening already I want to share with them what's happening towards the end of 2018 so they can be ahead of the trend curve Which is what we shoot for cool. Awesome. Well, I'm Very excited. I got to sit down with you finally meet you and uh, definitely Thank you to american salon magazine for Hooking up this interview and so check them out american salon Dot com and also check us out free salon education dot com and uh, yeah, thank you so much Thanks, man. I appreciate it. Good luck you guys out there. We'll see you on the next video. Ciao