DATE: February 11th | LOCATION: Denver Colorado

AUDIENCE: evo West Coast educators x 45.

KEY OBJECTIVE: Train the team on the 2019 evo education program across cut, colour and styling.

SOMETHING I LEARNED TODAY … That Jules is shit at throwing snowballs.

THERE’S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING, AND TODAY IT WAS … Hitting Jules in the head with a snowball – a real lifetime achievement.

I WAS SURPRISED MOST PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW … Just how intermixable evo is as a line, it was really exciting to go deep with every product and how innovative it all is. I want hairdressers to essentially be able to build their own product line (inside of our product line), then simplify that creativity for evo clients’ use at home.

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DID KNOW IS ... That our core mission of ‘saving ordinary humans from themselves’ is really about shifting and evolving the way the hair/beauty industry psychologically impacts on people. We want to do this by being honest about all our practices and products while creating conversation and having fun.

IF I COULD RELIVE ONE MOMENT FROM TODAY, IT WOULD BE … Listening to our teams’ presentations on ‘why evo’ for them. As an educator it is always so amazing to hear how and why hairstylists connect with the core mission of evo. For me it means we are helping to evolve the industry by empowering one stylist at a time to take real control of their creative arsenal.

TONIGHT, I’M GOING TO … Throw at least 20 more snowballs at Jules Tognini.

DATE: February 14th | LOCATION: Denver, Colorado

AUDIENCE: Matthew Morris salon.

KEY OBJECTIVE: Cutting class with Jules Tognini.

SOMETHING I LEARNED TODAY … That it’s always fun hanging out and learning from our key ambassadors. Watching my best mate teach 70+ stylists at Matthew Morris salon (one of the best salons in the US) was a highlight. Jules has a unique methodology behind how he cuts, and I always enjoy learning from him and seeing stylists have their minds blown by his innovative but fun approach to what we do.

THERE’S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING, AND TODAY IT WAS … Partaking on a mental rush through Broadway St, Denver, for some mad vintage t-shirt shopping with Jules pre-cutting session. We managed to nab a great haul of t-shirts and the best cowboy hat going around. Shopping nailed in 30 minutes.

I WAS SURPRISED MOST PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW … How important it is to understand your scissors (and different) blades in order to be versatile in your craft. We both use Excellent Edges and I love how those scissors have supported and evolved my cutting work. It’s really interesting taking that concept all over the world and seeing peoples’ minds open to how important the right set of tools is.

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DID KNOW IS THAT … While we have way too much fun at evo, the craft and culture of hairdressing is at the core of everything we do. We take what we do very seriously, we just don’t take ourselves seriously  … and it’s always so heart-warming to see hairdressers really open up and have fun while learning.

IF I COULD RELIVE ONE MOMENT FROM TODAY, IT WOULD BE … Kerb parking an SUV so we could RUN into a vintage store. The haul of shirts we got was worth the potential parking ticket and towage.

TONIGHT I’M GOING TO … Go dive bar hopping with the evo team to celebrate a great week so far and explore Denver. Also, Valentine’s day.

DATE: February 17th | LOCATION: Brooklyn, New York City

AUDIENCE: evo East Coast Educators x 50.

KEY OBJECTIVE: Train the team on the 2019 evo education program across cut, colour and styling.

SOMETHING I LEARNED TODAY … As an educator, every event is an opportunity to re-learn and finesse. Today I learnt a way to get our team to apply their skillsets in an interdisciplinary way. This involved taking their understanding of the areas they are most confident in and transferring that across to the areas of hairdressing they are less comfortable in. This makes a big difference in the way they learn but also in the way they teach those learnings to others.

THERE’S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING, AND TODAY IT WAS … I lost a dare to the evo team and had to do a ‘Tough Man Shot’. Which meant instead of licking salt, taking a tequila hot and sucking on lime – you snort salt, take the shot and squeeze a lime in your eye. Not the best day of my life but a dare is a dare.

I WAS SURPRISED MOST PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW … How much time we spend on continually improving our sustainability practices across evo’s product development, ingredient offering, packaging and carbon footprint. Sustainability and being an honest, responsible company has always been important for us, but it is exciting to share that information with stylists as it becomes more and more essential to people all over the world.

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DID KNOW IS THAT … evo education is a collaborative platform based on specific techniques, simplified. Hairstylists then individualise these teachings to suit their own skillset and creative style. We’re not about dictating. We want hairdressers to walk away with new skills and techniques that feel like theirs.

IF I COULD RELIVE ONE MOMENT FROM TODAY, IT WOULD BE … Looking at everyone’s work and seeing the techniques understood but interpreted in different styles. We want a room of individuals not a bunch of clones trying to look the same.

TONIGHT, I’M GOING TO … Play darts, shuffleboard and bowls with our team at Brooklyn Bowl. The best kind of teambuilding. Lots of fun and the chance to connect with our team as people not just in an education environment.

DATE: February 25th | LOCATION: London, United Kingdom

AUDIENCE: DAY OFF!!

KEY OBJECTIVE: Creative exploration

SOMETHING I LEARNED TODAY … I’m not fantastic at balancing work and carving out time for my own personal creative growth. Even though it is something I strive to teach other people to do, I am still learning the regular practice of fitting my own oxygen mask before helping to really inspire others. We had one day off in London after back-to-back 5-day educator trainings, so I took the time to relax and really explore Shoreditch and absorb some of the creative energy in that part of London.

THERE’S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING, AND TODAY IT WAS … Not having anything planned other than an amazing lunch at Dishoom which pays loving homage to the Irani cafés that were once part of the fabric of life in Bombay. One of the best meals I’ve ever had. Then I just wandered around the area, looking at vintage stores, street art and the people that make up Shoreditch. I get my inspiration from art, music, history and culture so it was a great chance to stop and recalibrate after such an intense couple of weeks of education.

IF I COULD RELIVE ONE MOMENT FROM TODAY, IT WOULD BE … The whole thing, more often than once ie: every couple of months.

TONIGHT, I’M GOING TO … Plot-in more creative days over the year. It is important that we are building ourselves as creatives in order to offer the best to our clients. Like the old adage says, ‘you can’t truly love someone if you don’t love yourself first.’

DATE: February 28th | LOCATION: Birmingham, United Kingdom

AUDIENCE: EU and UK evo educators x 30.

KEY OBJECTIVE: Bring multiple regions of educators together to spread the evo education message while bridging language barriers.

SOMETHING I LEARNED TODAY … Hairdressing has a universal language. When our artists come together they work and learn collaboratively. It was phenomenal to see them all support each other, regardless of origin.

THERE’S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING, AND TODAY IT WAS … Learning some colourful words in Russian, German, Lithuanian and Swedish. But I can’t repeat them.

I WAS SURPRISED MOST PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW THAT … All evo product development happens in a lab under a team of 6 people. These testings then get fed back to our collaborative manufacturers. We are very involved in how every product is made to ensure we are bringing out the very best in performance, innovation, ease of use and fun for both hairdresser and consumer.

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DID KNOW IS THAT … Fun and creativity can be easily understood in any language. Everything we do at evo is very carefully considered to engage people, create open and honest conversations and have fun. This industry is built on the connection between hairdresser and client and we aim to protect that by giving stylists the tools to celebrate and understand this relationship … while having an amazing time doing it! That’s how you evolve and change the beauty industry and its psychological impact on both professional and consumer.

IF I COULD RELIVE ONE MOMENT FROM TODAY, IT WOULD BE … Seeing our team get hands-on and excited by Staino (which is our new release of intense direct dyes with a customised retail aspect). The brightest of brights that can be integrated with Fab Pro and also customised to ensure your clients can maintain vibrant colour at home. Actually having the ability to maintain said colours with customised retail is a huge win for the industry, so the team is very excited.

TONIGHT, I’M GOING TO … Be very glad I didn’t lose a bet to turn my hair Neon Yellow by Staino (which glows in the dark) and enjoy some well deserved wine with our European team … and continue my language lessons with them.