A PASSIONATE PARTNERSHIP
Paul James Graham
By Louise May
Paul & Paul Salon was founded by multi-award winning and internationally trained stylists Paul James Graham and Paul Philip Dumenil. With a combined wealth of experience Paul James & Paul Philip worked in some of the best salons in the country and related industries. These two Queensland based hairdressers have forged a unique brand of hairdressing that delivers a professional and positive hairdressing experience to all valued clients.
With a very long list of accolades including 2021 AHIA Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year, Paul James has worked with various fashion designers and has worked or been featured in fashion magazines such as Oyster and Instyle just to name a few and his attention to detail and ability to interpret trends makes him a hot commodity in the hair/fashion Internationally trained stylist Paul Philip began his career over 12 years ago in Toronto, Canada and has been voted and listed as one of the top 10 best hairdressers on the Gold Coast for 2015, having worked as part of the ghd styling team for the Katy Perry tour. He has previously worked as an independent hairdressing educator to younger emerging stylists and has a passion for creating flawless lived-in blondes using advanced colouring techniques. Editor Louise May, had a chat with Paul James Graham, one part of this dynamic duo to find out more…
How long have you been in Partnership with Paul and Paul Salon and how did it all begin?
Paul & Paul Salon pretty much started 14 years ago. My Husband Paul and I met, sharing among other things a love of hairdressing. What started out as a date turned into a deep love for each other and our business.
What are both your roles within the business?
Our business has seen many changes over the years. We have learnt to listen and adjust our attitudes to fulfill a multitude of different roles. Be it admin or dressing hair, we do it all. We know each other’s strengths and
shortcomings; we understand that sometimes one has to be strong for the other and that part of working smarter is knowing when to work hard. It has been our experience that you need to be ready to be everything in your business, you won’t always see opportunities or the hurdles coming your way.
Can you tell us about the Paul & Paul Salon experience, what is it like for a guest to visit the salon, and what makes you unique?
The client is always well informed when they arrive. Rarely will we experience a client that has no direct goals for their hair. We believe in providing the client with all the relevant information so that they can make an informed decision. We have built a really loyal client base, virtually all our clients have been coming to us for over a decade, so a visit to our salon is like meeting up with a dear friend. What makes us unique? We’re not afraid to have the hard discussions with our clients. We really want to carve out the process of what service we will provide, so both ourselves and the client feel confident and comfortable moving forward. Nothing is happening to the clients hair that they don’t fully understand and agree with first.
Why did you choose to partner with CPR and what do you love about the brand?
It was a chance encounter. As a hairdresser that has been an active part of industry events and competitions for many years, I came upon the advertisement for CPR’s Mane Event colour competition in an issue of Hair Biz. The competition was open to non-CPR salons, and I saw this as a great opportunity to get creative in preparation for the AHIA creative awards in 2024. After working with the products and meeting the CPR team we knew we had found a fantastic
