WE ALL SMILE IN THE SAME LANGUAGE

By Tom White

Same Same But Different is a team of innovators, dreamers, colour crafters, all working together to make a one-of-a-kind salon, and take ‘salon experience’ to that next level.

Inclusivity and equality should not be something we just talk about, it’s something we should practice.

A ‘hub for the good’ is how to describe our Melbourne Salon ‘Same Same But Different’, which has been built around 4 brand pillars… Honesty, Creativity, Diversity and Community.

Every move and decision is dictated by our brand pillars. If an idea doesn’t contribute to making the world better or people’s lives better, we just simply won’t do it. The pillars a great reminder every day that we are fighting to help the industry progress.

Our mission with these brand pillars is to tackle all issues head on and we plan on making some big noise about it. These are some of the things we implemented straight away.

Honesty - it’s about simply that. Being honest with our guests, our colleagues and more importantly ourselves. Being that open that you understand your own flaws and are humble enough to accept and improve. Being honest with our sustainability, showing how we help the environment and holding all companies accountable to their sustainable pledges.

Creativity – We are always aiming to reinvent or create. Not just hair but creativity within our lives. It’s about self-expression and constantly evolving, always aiming to be your best. Finding new ways to move forward and never being scared of the unknown.

Diversity – We care for everyone and anyone, we don’t judge, and we promote equality. Everyone deserves to be loved upon and cared for no matter their race or gender. For some reason there are still people out there that don’t get this, so we are here to scream and shout about the social injustices experienced within our nation, but also promoting the beauty of a multicultural society and that love is love!! Community – we are here to serve and lead our community. Hairdressing salons used to be the pillar of the community, and that has been lost. Well, we are bringing that back. We have committed to promote local business’, support, and advertise local business’ and help our guests get their business’ out there and connect them with like-minded salon guests. We are also collaborating with local artists and giving them our space for free to advertise their art. This will be covering all aspects of art. Singing, painters, indigenous artists, literally anyone can use our space. Giving each artist a platform to get their work out there without having to outlay cash for a site or venue to exhibit. We are connecting with the entire community and bringing people together.

My colleagues are the most important entity in my professional life , I want all employees to have a great life. A happy work life balance. Hairdressing is renowned for anti-social work hours, so by only trading 4 days a week, this changes that! and we can still service all of our guests due to 3 late nights on Tues Wed Thurs and shutting at 6pm on a Friday. We need more young people entering the industry, they want freedom to live their lives. This goes a long way to offering that! are a movement. We will always advocate and practice equality, diversity, and sustainability!

Everything we do, every decision we make, as a collective, is to better the world and our community.

We have gender-neutral pricing. This means everyone gets charged the same for a haircut, we believe in charging for time, not charging based on your gender. We have created a judgement free space where we celebrate what makes you, uniquely you. We will always deliver the same level of expertise and care in every service, for everybody, at all times. Over 90% of everything we use in the salon is recycled or a recycled material. We will keep working to find solutions for unsustainable materials as we try to do our bit to help the environment and preserve our planet. We use Salon Waste Systems, an Australian owned company, that collect all our waste, from the foil we use, the tubes your colour comes in, even the chemical wastage, and recycles or disposes of it correctly to reduce the footprint the hair and fashion industry leaves. Our salon partners, EVO, DAVINES and OLAPLEX align with our values. From evo Hue-Verse botanical colour to Davines’ reforestation programs and everything else in between, as a collective, we are all making a difference.

LET’S MEET THE TEAM!

Kylie AKA Vallance. Salon Coordinator

She is the glue that sticks everything together! A lover of the Melbourne culture after moving here from country NSW, especially the op shopping and fashion. Kylie, in her own words, “has an addiction to hair products”, (seriously there isn’t a product she hasn’t tried or bought), and has a profound knowledge of them all, and even though she isn’t a hairdresser, her desire to help people achieve their goals is incredible and will give you confidence in her recommendations. Your first and last point of contact at SSBD.

Becc AKA Tronage. Principal Stylist

Moving over the ditch from Hobart to live in Melbourne definitely reignited my passion for hair, says Becc..especially in the sense of client relationships and the trust and loyalty that is formed. My passion is human connection and healthy hair plus my 100% devotion to making a difference, and we have the ability to ensure that happens at s.s.b.d with our brand pillars enveloping everything we as a team stand for. We are a part of a company that wants to make the world a better, safer place and care for its diverse communities. My team are everything to me and, as a principal stylist, to see them succeed and grow is a constant career highlight. Who knows where my career will take me, but 1 thing is for sure, as long as I get to love on people and make them happy, I’m happy.

Claire AKA Bear.

Advanced Stylist Hairdressing wasn’t always my first choice; says Claire… I wanted a career in art. It wasn’t until I started learning colour that I found my creative outlet and felt the passion for making people smile with my colour palette! Working at SSBD has really changed me as a stylist but also as a person I’ve been able to stand by an amazing boss who has the same passions in changing the industry. Now I’ve been in the industry for 11 years it’s time to push myself to the next level and I know that I’ve got the team to support me along the way. I am BLEACH OBSESSED!! My ultimate goal would be to teach my colour knowledge and techniques to inspire others on multiple platforms.

Jorgie AKA Jorge.

Advanced Stylist I entered into the hairdressing industry after doing a Diploma in Beauty and knowing it was almost right, says Jorgie… I just knew I wanted to help people feel amazing, I just knew I needed to be able to talk a little more. I was 19 and had no idea what to expect, but boy it didn’t disappoint. I’m now almost 27 and have the best love, education, support and friendships from clients and my team. SSBD has built a community of heart and soul based on equality, diversity, and sustainability. I truly believe you can feel it when you walk through the door. I would say I love everything about our craft, but I’m really into natural looks right now. Whether that’s seamless balayage, complimentary hues or baby-lights. It’s whatever is natural for who is in my chair. If you feel like the ‘best you’ is with blue hair, then let’s go blue! I must say I love doing copper tones, it’s a proper vibe for me I want to experience as many facets of our industry as possible. I want to travel with work, for education and brand shoots, gain management skills to run a salon, learn how to strengthen a team and build people up to feel unstoppable.

Shanna AKA Batman.

Senior Stylist Originally from Tasmania, I made the decision 4 years ago to move to Melbourne and was lucky enough to find myself at a salon like Same Same But Different, says Shanna. I started as a fresh, 1st year apprentice and finally qualified after delays with Covid Lockdowns. Every day I wake up excited to go to work. I’m surrounded by talented stylists who are like family to me and clients I’ve built trust with. SSBD stands for everything I believe in honesty, community, creativity, and diversity. I always know my opinion matters within the building of the company and that I will be given opportunities to reach my goals whether they be professional or personal. I’m passionate about balayage/blondes and styling. I continue to educate myself more and work towards more photo collections of my own, live shows and shoots.

Tegan AKA Tegs.

Advanced Stylist My career is pretty great, says Tegan. I work with an awesome leader and my teammates are my close friends. Our ethics are otherworldly and it’s something that the whole team likes to shout out loud. My personal favourite, is being inclusive on all fronts, gender, hair types and skin colours. We are determined to promote diversity and equality every day! With us being in the lockdown capital of the world, Melbourne, I was just itching to get back in the salon so I could see my clients faces and get back to doing seamless blended colours. I like to be diverse in my knowledge as a hairdresser, so I love any new trend and I do my best to stay updated by always educating myself and changing techniques often. I want to be the best I can be! One day I hope to own my own salon, and take away the integrity that I have learnt from my coworkers and my boss, who I have seen grow in big ways since before the birth of SSBD. We are extremely fortunate to work where we do!

SHANNON AKA Knowlsey .

Emerging Stylist Lovingly known as ‘Knowsley’, Shannon is an Emerging Stylist loaded full of talent and determination. While she can’t sing like Knowlsey she certainly has an eye for all aspects of hairdressing. You will be seeing a lot of her on the floor.

And finally,…TOM WHITE Salon Director

(Australian Men’s Hairdresser of the Year and multiple finalist for Australian Educator of the Year. Tom has cemented himself as a leader in the industry and now brings Same Same But Different to the community. He and his crew share the same common goal, to add value whichever way possible to the community they serve. Known for his precise haircutting techniques, innovative business and educational ideas, Tom is a person that stands up for what he believes in and is dedicated to producing an inclusive environment for his team and guests which anyone and everyone can enjoy!) The best thing about Same Same but Different is the crew that we have, says Tom. All of the team have contributed to the makeup of the salon and what we stand for, all of our values and beliefs align. You can see that in our brand pillars that we created together, Honesty, Community, Diversity and Creativity. These are the foundation this company is built on and what the company will always advocate. We are all on the same mission and we are going make as much noise about it as possible to get our message across.