Sustainable Salons

It’s quite possible that Nicola Le Lievre is the beauty industry’s Energiser bunny. Not only does she have unwavering passion for her craft, but she relishes every chance to say ‘yes’ to an opportunity, event idea or charity that calls for her flair.

Of course all of this happens over and above the running of her two busy Brisbane beauty clinics, In Therapy. Over the last four years, Nicola has honed an impressive business with eight staff and a supreme line-up of treatments, products and client experiences. But when Nicola discovered Sustainable Salons, a new passion was ignited; one that she believes has delivered extra value to her brand and the hope of a brighter future for her daughter’s generation.

SSA chatted to Nicola about her business, the beauty industry and what makes going green so attractive.

We’ve reached an exciting new milestone here at SSA… we’ve been named a finalist in the 2017 Victorian Premiers Sustainability Awards in the category of Innovative Products or Services! This is the first nomination for SSA in an awards platform outside of the salon industry, and we’re so honoured to have this opportunity to spread the message of what our awesome salon members are doing for the future of our planet!

There’s been quite the debate around Australia’s obsession with perfection when it comes to our fruit and veggies recently, with ABC’s The War on Waste program blowing the lid on how much produce is dumped due to cosmetic standards. Well, you might be interested to know that there’s also a salon out there challenging our perfect standards when it comes to ‘beautiful’ hair… and the result is more impacting than just ‘undone’ for the sake of fashion.

When you meet Kelly Kent, you just know she’s a woman with purpose. Whether it’s making her clients feel amazing in her Manly-based salon Cranium, building an online education empire or getting her sustainability nerd on, Kelly is dead-set on making a difference.

It’s the European duo that’s taking the Australian industry by storm. Uros Mikic and Mojca Bizjak-Mikic are at the helm of Adelaide powerhouse salon Kinky Curly Straight (KCS) – 12 dedicated staff, a bevy of awards sparkling at the reception desk and a salon ethos declaring ‘the sky is not the limit’ already makes for a formidable brand. And when you add an unshakable foundation in sustainability, you know this salon means business for a long time, not just a good time.

The Zucci Hairdressing brand has been in existence for an impressive 33 years, and with four salons and more than 40 staff, it stands firm as a Melbourne salon icon.

Monique McMahon has an insatiable passion for education – colour, specifically – and this year she added green to the program.

Brett McKinnon is a change-maker. Not content with watching the world go by as it is, Brett sees opportunity to build better outcomes in areas that most would simply gloss over.