We recently connected with Clint Dunlap and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Clint, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I worked closely with someone very experienced in Branding and Design who’s done some work for very close friends and businesses in the Tampa area. When brainstorming a name, I wanted something classic, yet classy and possibly one word. We came up with MATERIAL. When using MATERIAL as an adjective, the dictionary defines it as: important; essential; relevant. I think those 3 things encompass exactly what I was going for with our quality of work, brand, salon and just hair in general.

Clint, 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 name is Clint Dunlap and I’m originally from the Tampa, FL area. Being a hair colorist/stylist was not something I had ever planned. I had a few friends in the hair industry and was around it a little bit. I had some interest in it enough to attend hair school in Tampa, where I really got into the creative side of things. I knew if I was going to do hair as a career I needed to go to NYC or LA, so I could learn from the best and work in the best salons.

I moved to NYC directly out of hair school and landed a job assisting at Marie Robinson Salon on 5th Ave. There I was able to really hone in my skills as a colorist. I was fortunate enough to train with celebrity colorist Marie, herself, as well as some of the other talented, trend setting colorists at her flagship salon. From there I grew my own clientele and have done hair for tv, film, editorials and events.

My plan was always to move back to Tampa after a period of time and open my own salon space while still being able to travel back to NYC for my clients there. In January 2022 MATERIAL Tampa was born.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

It has and will always be word of mouth and referrals. Our clients are our walking advertisement. When you provide a quality of service that makes the client happy when they leave, they will always be willing to refer our services to anyone who asks. Social media is a very good marketing tool, but referrals are king.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

The stylists we currently have working at our salon come from similar backgrounds when it comes to training and experience. We have lived and worked in New York City and Los Angeles, which are basically the hair capitals of the country/world. Our exposure to celebrity clients whether it be for tv, film, red carpet or editorial is something that sets us apart from a lot of other salons in our market.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.materialtampa.com
• Instagram: @materialtampa
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/materialtampa