FABRiK Salon is a young hair salon located in the center of downtown Missoula, Montana. We got to speak with Lisa Gregory, the salon owner, about her career and the inspiration behind FABRiK Salon. Check out our interview to learn more about the salon and see the great photography from FABRiK Salon’s partnership with Danielle Ford Photography!
BANGSTYLE: How long has FABRiK been around?
Lisa: FABRiK opened last August 2012 in downtown Missoula, MT with one other stylist – currently we are a team of six exceptional stylists and an air brush spray tan artist.
BANGSTYLE: What were your experiences in the hair Industry prior to FABRiK ?
Lisa: I have been involved in the industry since the mid-80s in England, starting out with an apprenticeship in a salon working up to Creative Director. I started my involvement with education and photography work with WELLA in London which paved the way to be nominated twice for regional British Hairdresser of the Year.
I got the urge to travel and took off for a year – cutting hair as I went. Once arriving in the USA, I got involved with fellow Brits at Graham Webb, doing shows, videos, and academy teaching for 11 years. I then went on to do educational videos & teaching seminars until taking a break to open FABRiK.
As of May 2013, I am now proud to be part of TIGI as an educator – Anthony Mascolo is an icon for our industry and I am excited to be part of this amazing company.
BANGSTYLE: What inspired you to open a salon?
Lisa: I have always been involved with strong teams and love the inspiration and motivation I get being amongst them. Finding inspiration from innovative stylists drives my own sense of creation, style and motivation – I created FABRiK in the city I live in so I could surround myself everyday.
BANGSTYLE: What is the vibe and decor of the salon – what is on the playlist ?
Lisa: Our vibe & decor is Soho NYC loft inspired – our color palette is very light white calming colors – with white and chrome sleek furniture. The building dates back to the 1930s, so I wanted that Soho loft vibe with the original wood floors, plastered walls and old tiled ceilings, but the furniture is European sleek and contemporary. The art work is our own photographic work and fabric swatches stretched out like canvas paintings.
Our playlist varies depending on our mood & vibe – from Ibiza chill lounge, Reggae, Moby, Sinatra & current dance hits.
BANGSTYLE: What kind of client experience do you like to create?
Lisa: My emphasis is consultation and service – I want our clients to feel like they had total attention to their entire hair needs – from the consultation, amazing head massage to the ultimate hair design.
I want them to feel like they just stepped into a haven of relaxation, inspiration and amazing service of hair!
BANGSTYLE: Who or what inspires the looks you create ?
Lisa: The inspiration is eclectic. I am constantly looking at hair/fashion/lifestyle/interior design, looking at design and color combinations with paint & fabric. I check out websites like BANGSTYLE to see what other stylist are creating.
I love how “mother nature” lightens kids’ and surfers’ hair in the sun with layers of lightness. I am always wanting to re-create that on my clients.
We are in a university town, so it’s great checking out raw street fashion with the students taking an idea and infusing it with a mix of Haute Couture, as I love the seasonal runway looks. Hair is your biggest accessory in fashion and so easy to change .
My team is also a weekly inspiration! I love to watch them creating and see what inspires them from one client to the next.
BANGSTYLE: Can you tell us about the partnership with Danielle Ford Photography?
Lisa: We met about 2 years ago through a mutual client who I had previously done a shoot with. We clicked instantly for our partnership and I was elated to find such a talented photographer who was up for doing shoots to build both of our portfolios. It’s the perfect partnership as we both need each other to create a look to capture and we inspire each other for ideas.
I am hoping to grow the photographic side of services at FABRiK. We have already, this past year, had several publications and we are excited to get more, BANGSTYLE being the latest to be featured in! We were so excited to be featured in The Supremes! I love to see our work in print.
BANGSTYLE: What do u look for in the stylists for your salon?
Lisa: I look for natural talent, professionalism and a team player with an openness to education and a drive for self improvement. I want my team to be the strongest around.
BANGSTYLE: Do you have any at- home hair tips for our readers ?
Lisa: I tell my clients not to wash their hair too often to save the color and condition. I’m all about condition as we are in a dry climate, so rubbing oils, serums and conditioner at night really helps to maintain and help the ends to not break or split. Braiding the hair with treatments and product gives a great beachy tousled look the next day for effortless style.
Using product to layer in each day to take the hair to different look and vibe is what we like, from sleek and straight, to salt spray beachy waves, to a tousled up do, or hippie boho braids the next!
BANGSTYLE: Any future plans or goals for the salon?
Lisa: I want FABRiK SALON to not only be know on a local level but on the hair map within our industry. Being involved with Danielle Ford Photography and having our work published is getting us out there for great PR.
Being involved with TIGI is taking our education to a higher calibre, and I would love to have my team expand to educator level at some point.
I want the team to continue to grow and evolve FABRiK SALON into a lasting success for years to come. We are not even a year old yet! I feel that the possibilities are endless!
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