“The key word is ‘global,’” says Sandra Humphries, vice president of education for Kao USA Salon Division, describing the new KMS Global Style Council (GSC) education team. Indeed, the talented group of award-winning stylists hails from all over the world. “Each council member brings to the creative process their individual style and what is current and trending in their particular country,” Humphries notes. In this way, the GSC represents a key KMS tenet: to celebrate the way style unites everyone on the planet.
“We’re inspired by style and our style community around the world,” affirms Humphries, who reveals that every GSC member contributed tips and techniques to each model in the KMS 2017 Campaign. “We curate style from urban fashion districts and bring it to our community to create an environment of mutual inspiration.”
The mutuality plays out in the KMS educational approach, which is heavily centered on a “give and take” process. “For us, it’s about a creative session—some might call them ‘classes’—that work through collaboration or coaching versus ‘teaching,’” Humphries explains. “It isn’t about what we know; it’s about sharing what we have learned from other stylists around the world and letting the stylists create from that point forward. Stylists love to share and learn from each other!” Among the intriguing creative session titles are Techniques of Style, Fashion Meets Hair and Intuitive Retailing.
When the stylists aren’t exchanging ideas in creative sessions, they’re viewing inspirational videos taken from global hot spots, which help place the hair trends into the greater context of their surrounding fashion, culture, art and music. “It’s fashion meets hair!” declares Humphries.
Interested stylists have the option to participate in sessions taking place at one of the KMS Academies or in salons (contact your KMS distributor for more information). Humphries says, “We like the sessions to be of a size that allows for coaching and inspiration, so we keep them intimate and personal.”
