We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Fabio Scalia. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Fabio below.

Hi Fabio, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project that I have worked on is the development of our first retail product, our FS Collezione line of luxury hair brushes. The reason why it is so important is because it is attached to our work philosophy and mission – which is focused on empowering everyone to have the luxury of beautifully healthy hair. I realized that there is a big crack in the customer’s knowledge regarding what tools to use, how to use them and most importantly, the consequences. Because of my background and experience, I know that a brush must be made in a certain way with a certain material, to guarantee all those great advantages that it can bring to hairdressers and to customers as home care. We are very specific and decisive in high standards for everything we do, and the FS Collezione hair brushes are no exception. If you can make your hair look more luxurious and fashion forward, it is a victory. For me, this is the most meaningful because I now have the ability to help our customers while they’re here in the salons, but it is something that I can take with them and keep so that they can accomplish the maximum results with their hair. Due to the fact that I do this for my customers, I feel very joyful when I hear that they love the tools and their hair looks the best that ever looked.

Fabio, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My story is very different compared to others’. When I was eight years old, I realized that being a hairdresser would be my career. I was a kid, playing soccer and asking many questions, but I also had a neighbor who would always wear a nice suit and show up in a fantastic car with beautiful women. I was amused by this; he was a hairdresser. I had ambition, and realized this could be a great opportunity to be successful but also creative. I used to witness women coming to my house to have their hair done, and realized my friend’s mom was making a lot of money. I then convinced myself that I wanted to become a hairdresser. In the summer between 7th and 8th grades, I worked in a hair salon and loved it. Right after finishing mandatory school, I started as a full time apprentice at a salon where my cousin was doing the marketing. I quickly integrated myself and pushed myself trying to learn the fundamentals of the business, and to learn the skills that would enable me to become a successful hairdresser. I became involved with brands like Kerastase and Wella, which would help develop me technically and scientifically. That fascinated me the most. Now, I am not only an artisan but I am becoming an expert in marketing, management and more. To this day, I have never stopped educating myself and am never afraid to stay later and do one more training. When you start as a teenager to do this type of work at a professional level, you automatically learn how to develop the skills that this discipline requires, which in turn allowed me to understand what it takes to accomplish something. It’s the life of an artisan, of an entrepreneur of a creative mind. We all can have a tendency to become content and comfortable, and when that happens usually you stop growing. I never wanted to stop growing and even in the hardest time, I was working harder than before. I knew inside me that eventually I would catch up. Maintaining that motivation is very hard. I guess that starting young and approaching your job as a career makes you develop great skills and discipline. After I realized that I had developed enough knowledge, I had to build a sense of technique and craft – and at that point, the environment became too small for my vision, and I decided to leave Italy to develop new skills, techniques. This provided the ability to work with any type of hair, and I also was able to learn from different coworkers. All that traveling and curiosity helped me develop my knowledge, my devotion, my craft, my skills. After many years I was able to focus on what has risen to the forefront as my biggest skill: Knowledge about many different types of hair and scalp, and also client psychology when it comes to their hair and style. The service that I wanted to provide would be complete. And even now, if I don’t personally provide every single service myself, I make sure this focus and attention is provided in my salons. We always do a detailed consultation and analysis to create the best style or color for clients. I think the fact that I traveled and started so early allowed me to glean more skills and technical knowledge, which sets me apart from our competitors. When you come into the salons we focus on a unique and customized experience with a minimum amount of mistakes.
In terms of what I am most proud of, it was when I realized how important it is to pass on my skills and knowledge to those in a younger generation, who perhaps were not aware of their career potential. For my team, it is not just a job, but a career. I ask them to join me in the journey, and to be full of passion and devotion. It is not only about giving the customers the true freedom of having their best hair, but also to help young hairdressers develop and fulfill the dream they didn’t even know existed. It’s not just the monetary rewards, but also emotional ones, that make it fulfilling.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me the most rewarding part of being an artisan is being an artist. I am never tired. It is always exciting and you never finish learning. I hate being bored, and it’s so rewarding that each day brings a new chance to make someone feel amazing, especially yourself.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

What feeds my creative journey is in part monetary, to reach financial freedom and provide for my family without being greedy. In addition, the dream I have always had was to become a recognized hairdresser worldwide. My mission is to become an iconic hairdresser and encourage younger generations. Ours is one of the oldest professions – some say that it goes back 6,000 years. People always need someone to make them feel good, and look good for themselves and their family.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fabioscalia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fabioscaliasalons/
• Other: Brush website: https://fabioscalia.com/hair-brushes/

Image Credits
Riccardo Piazza