ON THE ROAD:South Australia Edition.

With a never-ending commitment to authentic connection, Mocha Group’s General Manager, Jarred Stedman was On The Road again recently, this time travelling around Adelaide and visiting over 17 local heroes in one week. SA has some incredible talent, thriving businesses, brand ambassadors and industry leaders all tucked into a beautiful city by the ocean.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS ADVENTURE:

Pipsqueek in Saigon pipsqueekinsaigon

Belinda Mills AKA ‘Bel’, owner of Pipsqueek in Saigon salon, was stop number one, and we had organised to catch up on one of her famous content days. Pipsqueek has two locations with over 12 staff and despite the businesses, she still prioritises at least one day a week to be creative, create content, and experiment.

This was no excuse, working with Evo’s colour range plus one of her muses (and staff member Vanessa), it was a creative jam session. With her signature neon pastel colour pallet, unique placement and flawless technique that compliments Vanessa’s natural style – it was a real masterclass in how colour, cut, extensions and styling come together from start to finish.

Bel has built a niche in the market by simply doing what she loves consistently and with authentic curiosity. You could be forgiven for not being sure which ‘box’ she fits into. Underneath the wavey blonde hair, 90s hip hop beats, socks, and slides, is a laid-back strategic businesswomen who is reshaping what ‘success’ looks like in the modern market.

Attaboy Hair attaboy_hair

We caught up with Robby Lippett and the crew from Attaboy. They just opened barbershop number 4 in Henley, just 100m away from the beautiful Adelaide coastline and Henley Square filled with great shops, pubs, and eateries, all looking over the beach and jetty.

They have opened 4 Barbershops in 5 years, which is thanks to Robby’s entrepreneurial mindset, business acumen and vision for collaboration. Some of the shops have partnered with Café’s and Tattoo parlours to drive traffic and offer the clientele more with convince.

Robby has a background in professional soccer and hospitality which he has brought into Attaboy. Creating a space that is fun, professional, innovative and build on customer care and staff satisfaction.

He also gives a lot of credit for the success of the business growth and culture to his mate and manager, Tom Wynn. Coming from a hairdressing background, he joined Attaboy 4 years ago and immediately wanted to provide a point of difference with the introduction of a colour service, which Robby was very onboard for.

On top of the barbershop, the two travel the country educating for Nak and will continue to do so in 2024.

Keeping true to their craft and always pushing the boundaries, between them both they are also 2023 AMBA finalists for:

- Best Men’s collection: Classic

- Best Men’s collection: Freestyle

- Best Men’s collection: Team

- Best Business Director

Boris The Cuttery boristhecuttery

With a resume that is as long as your arm (3x Australian Hairdresser of the Year, L’Oréal International Ambassador, Dyson National Ambassador) you could excuse Damien Rinaldo for not being front and centre in the business and with staff.

Despite his creative genius, he is all about leading from the front. “I make sure I get to work before all my staff, open the door, turn all the lights on, get the place ready because then you’re setting up the day for your people to work in the space”.

When we visited the freshly renovated salon, there was a moment that emphasised Damien’s’ personal mantra “Lead with love, not fear”. Sitting in his chair was ex-employee (and friend of the show) Cassie Jacquet.

She still gets her hair cut by Damien, and they catch up, and talk about life and business. It was really lovely to see the culture of support, inclusiveness, and connection not just within the four walls but across the city.

Maison Jacquet maisonjacquet.salon

With a freshly renovated salon, Cassie and the team welcomed us in for a wine and a chat. Maison Jacquet name originated from Cassie previous salon in New York.

Maison is French for ‘home’ and Jacquet is her married name. When you meet Cassie, you understand why salon name is so significant. She is a brilliant mix of generously hospitable, eclectic in style and design, warm and welcoming.

Located only a few streets away from Glenelg Beach, the salon has been removed and refreshed. Everywhere you look is another fun visual surprise.

With a drive to support local, there is everything from the coffee beans, Haigh’s chocolates, local art, and fresh flowers from the local florist across the road.

The celebration for local grown doesn’t stop there, Maison Jacquet is also an Evo flagship salon. Evo HQ is about 10 minutes down the road.

It’s Incredible to be able to visit this 2023 AHIA Business Salon Design Finalist salon and see what makes it so special.

Etcher Salon etchersalon

Lauren Cooper has been in the hair industry for over 16 years, early on in her career she was in the 2015 Hot Shots team with the likes of Monique (Missy) Veyret, Shannon Williams, and Royals salon owner Mary Alamine.

3 years ago, she opened Etcher Salon in Adelaide Centre. This Warehouse size salon is light, bright, and full of vibrant colour and helping hold the operational side together is her business partner and husband Matt.

Together they have built an inclusive, thriving business with 8 staff and more to come.

Being one of the first ever salons to have Evo’s colour range was a brand alignment that worked perfectly with the goal of the salon being “Etcher encourages everyone to be their most authentic selves, have a little fun with life, and leave feeling good.”

In 2024, Lauren will be business educating for Evo around the country and also working with Sydney muti-award winning hairdresser, Nathan Cherrington, on some fresh end to end education/workshops.

SJ Establishment sj_establishment

2016 Hot Shot, Sam James, was in the Christmas spirit, with fun prizes and Christmas gifts for clients. They had each of the team members' faces on a bauble – each with a unique prize that was redeemable in the salon during January. We were also excited to hear more about Sam’s incredible trip to India with Matrix this year, for MHT 3.0.

It’s a competition with over 30,000 candidates from across India. There were 250 artists who competed in a live skills test and winners got the opportunity to be mentored by our very own, 2023 AHIA SA Salon Business of the Year winner, Sam James.

Matrix has also just announced in late December 2023, that Sam James, along with Mat Johnson, have been selected for the Global Matrix Team. These 2x Aussies are amongst only a handful of artists around the globe to be included in this alumni. Mocha Group will continue to share all the progress throughout the year of these two Adelaideans.

All images by Jarred Stedman © mocha group