Uros Mikic, owner of Kinky Curly Straight salon in Adelaide, Australia, has accomplished a lot in the hair industry since his first cut at age 14. Between Kinky Curly Straight and being the unofficially appointed hairdresser of the Australian rugby teams, Uros Mikic has been busy session styling, winning awards, and placing as finalist in prestigious competitions. And though Uros has already achieved some very impressive steps in the hair industry, he has some lofty goals ahead of him and there is no doubt that with his hard work and talent he will achieve them. Check out our interview with Uros Mikic to learn more about his career, his inspirations, and his passion for rugby!
BANGSTYLE: Can you give us some background on your career?
Uros Mikic: I did my first cut when I was 14 years old in my mum’s salon; I cut my friend’s hair and I think I got $10. What a ride. You never forget your first cut.
Completed high school of hairdressing at 17 in Slovenia, Europe and by then did my first few courses in neighboring Italy. Because I play rugby (I know a totally weird combination right), I got a chance to travel the world and what better to do in between games and training sessions but to work at local salons in London, Bologna, Auckland. Safe to say, I got lots of experience in different hair styles and trends. In between, I just tried to learn as much from all the amazing talented people I worked with and took the opportunity to attend courses wherever I was.
Fifteen years on, a few continents away, I opened my first hair salon Kinky Curly Straight in Adelaide, South Australia. Well, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the first client in this salon. 7 months on, growing and learning and working with some amazing brands. I just joined Australian Revlon Professional Color Specialist Team and my salon just took out Best New Salon Design in the 2013 Australian Hair Fashion Awards.
In the last year, I have worked on various fashion shows and photoshoots and have been named finalist in the 2013 American Crew face Off and finalist in Men’s Hairdresser of the Year in the 2013 Australian Hair Fashion Awards.
BANGSTYLE: How did you get your start in the hair industry and how did you know you wanted to make a career out of it?
Uros Mikic: Thank you mum. She gave me the opportunity to earn some money during summer school holidays by helping her out in the salon, sweeping hair, washing hair, etc. After a few months, a few friends asked me to cut their hair, all it was was a buzz cut really, but still I realized “hey I can do this and it’s fun.” And so, a hairstylist was born.
There is another passion in my life: rugby, I always wanted to be a professional rugby player and during my travels around the world with rugby, I always had these amazing hairstyling skills that landed me a job wherever I went. Slowly, hairstyling took over, but I still run around the rugby field and am the stylist of choice for a few rugby teams in Adelaide.
I’m a bit of a goal getter, so I try and be the best at everything I do. And I’m a bit of a perfectionist (says my wife) so once I got my qualifications I was always striving to be better and do more and learn more. But really, I just love this craft, it allows me to express my creative side, see rugby is not so good at that. I love giving clients fantastic styles and colors which suit them and makes them look and feel fabulous.
BANGSTYLE: What are some of your career highlights?
Uros Mikic: Definitely opening my own salon. This has been a dream of mine for a while, but I guess I needed the right place, time and people around me to make it a reality. I have a strong vision for where I want to be and having my own salon gives me the opportunity to achieve what I want.
It takes a lot of time and effort to start a new business but seeing happy clients, proud staff and getting some awards from my peers makes it all worth it.
BANGSTYLE: Do you have any advice for aspiring stylists?
Uros Mikic: So many, where to start? Learn all you can about marketing and market yourself (social media is so easy so use it to your advantage). Have a clear goal what you want to achieve and stop procrastinating and go out and get it. Work for free and help out great stylists, make-up artists, photographers. Just ask them to hang around and learn from them and make connections. Get yourself out there. Lose the ego trip. The very successful people I know are all surprisingly humble and gentle and don’t take well to young hotshots thinking they are the next big thing. Surround yourself with successful people and learn from them. Be genuine, be yourself, and believe in yourself and that gut feeling. And never, ever stop learning, internet is an amazing free tool to get the latest education but also do courses, and try out stuff on live models. And when you do all this, you start again…
BANGSTYLE: You have a variety of experiences from salon work to session styling for photo shoots and runways – do you prefer working on a particular type of job?
Uros Mikic: Not really. I love it all. Love working with my clients in the salon, love passing my knowledge to my staff and younglings. Runway shows have a certain energy and they push you to think on your feet and to do your best under pressure. Photo shots and collections, are always fun and exciting; a lot of preparation and research goes into them but seeing the photos for the first time, seeing your work come alive, what a thrill.
I think hairstylists work in such an amazing industry that has so many avenues we are extremely lucky and that is what I love most about my profession is the variety it offers.
BANGSTYLE: What kind of client experience do you create at Kinky Curly Straight?
Uros Mikic: Every client is unique. I like to spend time to get to know them, make them feel comfortable and create a unique look for them and ensure they come back. It’s about creating a journey for yourself and your client; it’s a special thing we get to share with our clients changing their looks and making them feel better, young, sexy.
BANGSTYLE: Who, or what, inspires the looks you create?
Uros Mikic: Its sounds so cliché, but people around me, on the street in magazines on runway shows, fashion designers. I think to be on top of your game in this industry you always need to look at new trends, follow fashion, follow art, keen your eyes open. And then put your own spin, your own interpretation on it. Make it your own.
BANGSTYLE: Do you specialize in a particular type of look, cut, or color?
Uros Mikic: I am known as a great cutter. I think it’s an art and there are so many nuances to good cutting. See curly hair is a completely separate style on its own and I totally enjoy getting a curly client who has never had a proper cut for their hair type and giving them an amazing cut. Their reaction is all the validation you need.
I love session work; big hair, curls and how to show them on the runway or in a photo, it’s so creative and pushing you to think outside the box and use some weird accessories and tools.
And I do love the colors; I love learning new techniques and creating unique colors for my clients so they stand out from the crowd and don’t look generic.
BANGSTYLE: Any at-home hair tips for our readers?
Uros Mikic: As stylists our clients trust that we will use and recommend only the best products, so invest some time into researching your products. In this day and age, we are lucky to have a wide range of hair companies available with a wide range of great quality products. Always choose products that are not tested on animals, are paraben free, sulphate free and are environmentally friendly, either by way of production (carbon free and sourced from sustainable farms) and come in eco-friendly packaging and your clients will thank you for it.
Clients, talk to your stylists, ask them the hard questions and look for the best products for yourself and your family. You will be surprised how big of a difference quality hair products will have on your hair’s condition. You will use less product and your hair will be healthy and shiny, why do you think we stylists only use the products we sell in our salons and not the cheap brands from the supermarket. Educate yourself.
BANGSTYLE: Any future plans or goals for your career?
Uros Mikic: Just a few. Become Australian Hairdresser of the Year at the Australian Hair Expo Awards. Open another Kinky Curly Straight salon. Grow my team and grow some new hair stars. Work with Revlon Professional and take the brand to another level in Australia; make it know for the amazing colors they have and grow the brand.
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