Katie Seguin left the Midwest for New York’s cutthroat salon world. So far, so good.
Etched on the inner left wrist of hairstylist Katie Seguin are two Japanese characters, one symbolizing hope, the other, striving.
The Duluth, Minn., native, who landed in Manhattan two-and-a-half years ago, unemployed, works at one of the hottest salons in Manhattan. She is only the second assistant to make it to the cutting-room floor since Sally Hershberger Downtown opened two years ago. And now she’s been hand-picked by her boss as one of the industry’s most talented, up-and-coming stylists.
Maybe the 23-year-old should consider getting another character, “One Lucky Chick,” drawn alongside the other tattoos.
Seguin hardly notices her early success, shrugging it off as maybe more than what some of her high school friends have achieved, but not much more.
“You don’t realize what you’re doing until you talk to someone in Minnesota still working in the grocery store they’ve been at since high school,” says Seguin, who has model looks.
Her career started after she graduated from an Aveda beauty school and, soon after, joined Urban Retreat, an upscale salon and spa in Minneapolis. There, Seguin was introduced to a whole new hair care philosophy: The salon used mainly Bumble and bumble products.
“You either really want to be involved in Aveda or you’re over it. I just wanted to know other products.”
After a year, Seguin joined Urban’s brother salon, Schmidty’s Retreat for Men, to hone her male cuts, an area where she knew she could improve. There, she turned her chair every halfhour and built a following from the men who returned every three weeks. She also learned a bit about the opposite sex.
“They’re pretty loyal clients; a little gossipy, too. They’re kind of like women, they just don’t realize it.”
Seguin’s laid-back style may be why she’s not easily ruffled, and it’s definitely why she didn’t rush to find work when she arrived in New York. Instead, she cut friends’ hair to pay the bills, and spent the rest of her time exploring the city’s different neighborhoods and salons. One expedition led to work on a photo shoot. Valuable advice from a new friend followed.
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“A woman I met said I needed to join a big salon and build on my book,” Seguin recalls. “I was like, ‘What book?'”
After visiting several popular salons, Seguin headed to the Meatpacking District and met with Sally Hershberger Downtown’s former manager, Lee Schwartz, who, as luck would have it, hailed from Minneapolis. She was practically hired on the spot.
“Katie is so unaffected by the whole scene,” says Hershberger. “I just see so much potential in her. I feel it is important to see talent in these young girls, as this industry is filled with top male stylists. We want to see more women at the top.”
That’s when Little Miss Luck’s first setback emerged: Her Minnesota styling license had expired. Determined not to let the opportunity to work at the salon slip away, Seguin became a receptionist for close to a year until her paperwork was in order.
A year ago, she began assisting Ryan Trygstad, also an Aveda-educated stylist. Trygstad taught her many things, from how to apply different blow-drying techniques to how to master hair extensions. This service is one she thinks will help build her clientele, seeing that those who want the shag “go to Sally.”
“You can change someone’s look and attitude with just a few inches of hair,” Seguin says.
These days, she’s also loving short styles, a departure from the long layers many clients ask for, and is beginning to take on some editorial shoots, working alongside her boss. Seguin still doesn’t have a book, something she’s not too worried about.
But there is one thing that drives her nuts: out-ofplace, errant hairs.
“I’m always looking at someone’s hair and thinking, ‘Should I cut that piece?’ It’s kind of annoying.”
This article appeared in WWD Salon, a special publication of WWD.