On Tuesday, December 12th, the owner of Marquin Salon and one of their stylists came into Tricoci University’s Chicago NE campus to tell us their story of how they became stylists. The owner, Mr. Marquin, studied hair overseas in Europe before coming back to the states and it was very interesting to hear about how other cultures study and practice hair. In Europe, you must study hair for five years before you can style in a salon. However, they do not have to obtain any further education in order to maintain their license. I like that here in the states we have to take more classes every two years, and we are able to stay current on the trends and techniques. Mr. Marquin stayed current throughout his 16+ year career by studying under a few different mentors and competing in competitions and he even helped represent the states on a team at a worldwide competition!
Miss Dee, a stylist at Marquin, also had a unique story about how she started out after graduating from beauty school. When she first entered the industry, she found that since she didn’t have salon experience, she needed to do something to stand out to potential employers. She decided to make a portfolio of her work and to style for fashion shows and editorial photo shoots and was able to earn her chair at Marquin that way. I was encouraged by her story because I have a strong interest in fashion and editorial area of the industry.
As a soon-to-be graduate, I love to hear about how stylists got their start. All it takes is determination and passion to go out and make a name for yourself!