The team at SalonOtter recently sat down with Shannon King of Hair & Co BKLYN to chat about all things hair, beauty, and fashion.

We cover his storied career, his top hair and beauty tips, and how to build a trusted brand that is one of the best hair salons in Brooklyn.

Enjoy!

Shannon King, tell us more about yourself

I’ve been an ambassador for many years for some of the biggest manufacturers in the beauty industry, taking the stage all over the globe. It’s been an incredible journey, inspiring fellow stylists to push their creative boundaries and sharpen their technical skills.

I’ve also had the privilege of selecting and developing top-notch international artistic teams. Crafting curriculums for classes is another part of my work, and I train the trainers who go out there and implement these programs. I’m a firm believer that learning should be fun—that’s my philosophy, and it’s what makes my hair and beauty programs so effective.

When I’m not teaching, you can find me consulting on video and photo shoots. I’ve been a company spokesperson, educating others about the latest hair and fashion trends and techniques. My classes might be as intimate as 15 people or as grand as main stage events for 10,000, and I’ve been part of trade shows that draw crowds of over 90,000.

I like to think I was born to do this as both my parents were stylists in Baltimore, and I grew up in this industry. Right out of beauty school, I started working locally while studying business at Towson University.

I’m a stylist as well as an educator

Early on, I became an educator, and that’s where I found my calling. I was recognized for my talents and became a National Educator in 1998. Then, as an International Artistic Leader, I developed curriculums for classes in the US and Europe and trained over 100 educators for Ratner Companies, which is one of the largest privately owned salon chains in the US. I’ve worked with brands like Paul Mitchell, Clairol, and Arosci, and I’ve been passionate about men’s grooming, which led me to work with American Crew and as an academy trainer in Colorado.

I was also part of an elite group of facilitators for Redken at their academy in New York City. There, I trained up-and-coming stylists from all over the world. My work has taken me to countries like Canada, England, Portugal, Italy, Spain, and even as far as Korea and Australia, co-creating educational materials and leading stage shows. I’ve even had the opportunity to work at New York Fashion Week and on the Oprah Show doing makeovers.

I still love being in the salon chair

I led the education team for Soft-Sheen Carson, and then as the Global Director of education and training for Matrix, I delivered training to educators in 57 countries. Now, at ERGO Research, I oversee the development of educational curriculum for North America and lead the ERGO Artistic Team for creative and technical presentations. I was the Creative Design Lead for Keune North America, and currently, as the President and Founder of Beauty 360 Consulting LLC, I work with organizations like Goldwell & KMS as a National Artist and Creative Development Consultant.

In all the hustle of travel, training, and performing, I always find my way back to the salon chair. I’m the Owner and Director of Hair & Co BKLYN salon, and I love it. It’s where everything starts and comes together for me. And just recently, I was thrilled to become a finalist in the 2023 North American Hairstyling Awards for the Texture category. It’s been quite the ride, and I’m just getting started!

So tell us more about Hair & Co BKLYN

Hair & Co BKLYN is all about hair—that’s what we do.

But the “CO’s” are who we are and represent our core values: COllaboration, COmmunity, COmmitment, COnfidence, and COmmunication. Our driving force is inclusivity, particularly because with having a bi-racial child, it was imperative for us to create a salon she could go to, as opposed to a “Black or white” salon.

We are utterly customer-obsessed. Our clients are our passion. It’s our job to deliver WOW service and hair, helping everyone to look their absolute best. We’re committed to Building a positive team and family spirit, always using higher-quality products/ingredients and techniques to create stunning hair.

The culture at our hair and beauty salon is all about being adventurous, creative, and open-minded, aiming to think big, hire, and develop the best.

Plus, we give ourselves the autonomy to be awesome and practice radical and uncomfortable transparency.

We also believe it’s best to do one thing really, really well and that really works for us.

Our customers are our inspiration and helping everyone be their best self is our mission. We’re dedicated to perfecting the craft of self-care. That’s why we hire and train the world’s best hair and beauty technicians and focus on the finest details every time.

We have 3 immaculate hair and beauty salons in Brooklyn, NY, and have made sure we’ve created a comfortable space for you to press pause. We have been featured in the top 200 Salons in the country twice, along with many local accolades.

What specialties does Hair & Co BKLYN offer?

We offer a full range of hair and beauty salon services including hair color, hair design, barbering, re-texturizing services, smoothing treatments, creative design and color, highlights, curls (perming), and relaxing. Our mission is to provide comprehensive services to serve everyone in the community.

What is your number one tip for a happy, healthy hair and beauty routine?

DO NOT CUT YOUR OWN HAIR please, and don’t believe everything on the internet!

If you have a new style, schedule a styling session so that your stylist can coach you on how to do your hair the way we do every day.

What hair, beauty, and fashion trends are you seeing in New York right now?

Curl Curl Curl! Enjoy it and embrace it. show it off.

All kinds of Bob’s are in right now. Shattered, geometric, French, angled, long, and short.

Copper is the tone of today with so many variables and options. Warm, cool, multi-dimensional, mono-chromatic, and color-blocking.

What hair and beauty products do you think should be in everyone’s day-to-day routine?

We are a salon that proudly uses Goldwell Haircolor, Oribe styling and treatments, KMS products, k-18, and Maria Nila for our vegan and cruelty-free fans.

Beyond Hair & Co BKLYN, who else would you like to give some love to?

KITH is a killer store that I love – check it out!

Who is your all-time hair, beauty, and style icon?

Sam Villa, Chris Baran, Martin Parsons, Anthony Mascolo, and Robert Labetta. All of them either created or crushed boundaries

In the modern day, which celebrity or public figure is getting it so right with their hair, beauty, and styling?

Barry Keoghan from Saltburn

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our SalonOtter readers?

I just want to give a shout out to the team at all 3 Hair & Co BKLYN salons… They really are the best in the biz!

Where can people find Hair & Co BKLYN ?

We have 3 locations across Brooklyn, including: 477 Bergen St, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Check out our website to make a booking and we’re also on Insta

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Thanks so much Shannon, we can’t wait to visit you at Hair & Co BKLYN again soon!