COVER STAR - JOEY SCANDIZZO

We caught up with Australian stylist to the stars JOEY SCANDIZZO during his recent visit to Ireland to launch his haircare range, ELEVEN Australia.

Joey Scandizzo is one of Australia’s most awarded stylists with the AHFA Australian Hairdresser of the Year (twice), Hair Expo Australian Hairdresser of the Year (twice), AHFA Mens Hairdresser of the Year and AHFA Australian Masters Award to his credit. He is also the co-founder of haircare range, ELEVEN Australia, and we caught up with him at the brand’s recent Irish launch.

You were in Ireland recently to launch ELEVEN Australia, what’s your take on the Irish hair industry?

We got to chat with a lot of hairdressers on the night of our event, it was amazing to hear how passionate they are about the industry and how much they love what they do! It was inspiring to hear and also see how switched on they were to current trends and how much they gravitated towards ELEVEN Australia. It felt like the approach to the salon business was very similar to us in Australia and I also had some great conversations with people about the future of the industry. We realised we all face the same challenges like finding committed staff and keeping the next generation inspired. It was amazing to be in Dublin and meet so many talented and creative thinkers that love what they do.

How is the brand going?

ELEVEN Australia is going so well! We are so overwhelmed and humbled by the growth so far, in saying that though - it’s been a lot of hard work but it is exciting to see it all come to life and to be in a position now where we get to travel the world, it really is a dream come true. If you had told me a couple of years ago that one day we would be doing an event in Dublin to loads of like-minded hairdressers and media talking about our brand, I wouldn’t have believed you - but here we are! It’s incredible! We have a lot of exciting new products in the pipeline. We are about to bring out a Repair Shampoo and Conditioner which is going to be an absolute winner. It is cutting edge technology that rebuilds the structure of hair, has a heat protectant in it and adds incredible volume and shine. We have a Dry Texture Spray and a new version of our shine spray coming out soon as well - we have been working hard on making sure we fill any gaps we have in the range and not to just release a product for product’s sake, it has to be something our hairdressing friends and consumers have asked for, so it is exciting to be able to share that with everyone.

You have expanded hugely; did you expect this level of success?

I think you go in confident and you get to a point where you know you are onto something but you never really know until you jump in and see what happens. Like I said, it has been an incredible experience so far and we still have a long way to go. It might appear like it has happened quickly but it has taken a lot of hard work and dedication from our entire team and we are lucky to be surrounded by people who care as much as we do and push themselves and us everyday to be better and keep producing things we can all be proud of. It is an incredible feeling to see how well it has all been received and excited people are about the brand.

What are the unexpected learnings from going into product development?

For me, it is how fast things change and how the process can change from one product to the other. One product might take three months to get to the market and another one could take 18 months. You just don’t know, as different things need to be tweaked and workshopped, or technology changes and we need to adapt. It is so important to us to stay on top of the latest innovations and ingredients as we want to make sure we produce the best products we can. We won’t put a product to market unless it has gone through rigorous testing and we are happy to put our name to it. Sometimes that happens quickly and sometimes there is a lot of back and forth but we never falter, near enough just isn’t good enough.

What was the most formative moment in your career and why?

I would say winning Australian Hairdresser of the Year for the first time. Ot really was the stepping stone I needed to establish my own brand and start my own salon and set a benchmark for myself. It gave me the confidence and belief in myself I needed at that time to steer me in the right direction. Plus, it was voted by peers in the industry that I looked up to and admired so much, it was incredible feeling I will never forget.

Is there someone you would love to work with?

I would love to work with Angelo Seminara! He is an absolute legend of a person and hairdresser! He is such an innovator and creative thinker, I would love to see his processes and watch him work. To collaborate with him would be a dream come true, to spend a day in his head and see what makes him tick would be incredible.

Are you entering any competitions in the near future?

No, not at the moment - my focus is definitely on the team and mentoring them to get involved in the competitions and awards. We will always enter the salon team awards as that is a great way to bring the team together to work on a project and a great stepping stone for those that haven’t been a part of the award process before. I feel it is about the next generation now and helping them to achieve their goals.

What’s your favourite collaboration to date?

I would have to say launching ELEVEN Australia and having the opportunity to collaborate with distributors across the world to help grow the brand is incredible. I have had a lot of amazing experiences working with artists, celebrities and models and I am always going to love that but I have to say,I love sitting with a distributor and hearing about their business and coming up with ideas together to grow the brand from strength to strength.

If you could style anyone, who would it be and why?

That’s a tough question as there are loads of people I would love to work with but maybe Lady Gaga. She is so experimental and adventorous with her style, it would be an incredible experience to collaborate with her.

What was your most memorable work project and why?

I would say getting booked on an eight-day job to work with Anna Wintour when she was in Australia for the Australian Open tennis tournament. She is such an icon and it was such a pleasure looking after her, getting to do her hair twice a day and then to watch tennis and talk tennis non-stop was amazing! She was so lovely and warm and welcoming, I will never forget it. I am lucky, I haven’t had any really bad experiences in my career. I’m not saying I have loved every one of them as there have been some tough days and tough situations with particular people, but nothing I haven’t learnt from that makes the next one easier and better. I like to have fun and I feel you get the best out of people when you are relaxed and having a good time and enjoying what you do.

How do you balance the salon, the business and family?

This is definitely the hardest part! I am lucky that my wife Jane and I have amazing support from our families and the people we work with. And Jane really is incredible, she is capable of so much, she is such a beautiful mum to our three sons and a great support for me. For me to find balance I need to go on my run every day. While everyone in the house is asleep, I like to get up and run for an hour to clear my head. It is my way to meditate and make sense of the everyday busy-ness. I use this time to plan my day and how I am going to attack it - the projects I need to complete and what I need to achieve by the end of the day - both in business and for the family as well. Whenever we can we escape the city and go to the beach in summer or the snow in winter, my favourite thing in life is being in the outdoors with my family and spending quality time together.