Hair stylist Xeneb Allen has taken one quintessentially Melbourne place, the Nicholas Building on Swanston Street, and done perhaps the most quintessentially Melbourne thing one can think of: turned it into a family-owned-and-operated hair studio, home to a collective of freelance session cutters and stylists.
Three stories up in the same building, you’ll find a second studio space for photoshoots, managed by Xeneb and her sons. Both community-driven spaces offer endless opportunities for local creatives in the fashion industry to collaborate.
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In the illusive, not-yet-named studio on level three, Xeneb and an evolving roster of cutters, colourists and stylists are disregarding the conventional salon status-quo, instead embracing a freelance lifestyle. Each person operates on their own schedule and manages their own bookings, with a maximum of six stylists working in the studio on any given day.
For their clientele, many of whom are creatives themselves, the freelance modus operandi is familiar and favourable. “I think people are really steering away from wanting to work for and put their money into massive companies, so community is so important,” says Dan Collins, a long-time colleague of Xeneb’s.
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Adam Anthonisz, who’s been cutting in the studio for over a year now, says the salon set-up “takes all the bits you love about hairdressing – the craft, clients and working with friends – without any rigid structure… I’m a bit of a princess now I can have things the way I want!”
For Steph Yanon, a full-time artist in the studio, the freedom of freelancing was what she needed to juggle new mum life and work life. Helen Manolakis operates out of the studio on a part-time basis. And although artists operate individually, the ethos is around family, community, and learning from one another to produce the best quality of work.
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“It’s not a ‘chair for rent’ situation. We know each other’s strengths and we help out where we can,” says Xeneb. “There’s no expectation, we do it because that’s what community is.” Dan adds, “We take what we do really seriously but have so much fun doing it. We’re all about making people feel special and feel their best selves.”
Currently under the working name ‘Studio’, the space is yet to be officially christened. “The studio has no name. It’s almost an act of rebellion, like ‘um sorry guys but we’re going to leave you confused’,” laughs Xeneb.
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Cutting hair out of the Nicholas Building for a total of four years, Xeneb took over the lease on the sprawling double studio salon on level three in January 2024. It was the realisation of a pipe-dream, supported tirelessly by her sons and husband. “I owe all the making to my husband… this guy has moved mountains for me. My sons, our family, all of us have poured every bit of our love into this.”
With the business ever-evolving, Xeneb and her sons are launching a photography studio for hire on level six, to generate exciting collaborations between industries and artists, offering not just an inner-city space with plenty of natural light, but also video production upon request.
The studio’s modernist design has come together slowly, over many years. The open-floor-plan includes numerous multi-purpose work stations, a kitchen and areas to relax, with chrome coffee tables and aluminium light fixtures. Touches of brutalism come from custom metalwork by Billie Civello from local design studio It’s Nice Inside, including stainless-steel workbenches and shelves. Original heritage windows let in stunning natural light and offer a wall-to-wall view of the city.
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With finishing pieces by artists like Jedda Clay and Polspotten, and vintage Kartell, Eames and Guzzini, the space is part salon, part studio, part gallery. Beneath a Warhol-esque polaroid wall featuring hundreds of happy clients, a cobalt blue couch (vintage Erik Jørgensen) punctuates the monochrome and invites people to sit and talk.
Fresh flowers and lotus pods arranged by Xeneb pop up in corners. Modern meets heritage, movement meets stillness, organic meets geometric, people meet people. “I want people to feel like it’s a place they want to be for longer than the duration of a haircut,” she says.
At a glance, the studio is already incredibly expressive and inviting – a call to come as you are and to stay a while, no matter who you are. But it’s perhaps the elements unseen but felt which gives the space its unique harmony.
Plumbing is masterfully concealed inside bespoke steel shelves. Each of the metals featured across the studio has a corresponding surface: the high-shine chrome corresponds with reflective mirrors, while matte steel corresponds with matte wall-hangings. Modular furniture can be configured to suit the many different purposes of the space. Every seat has curved edges: comfortable, nurturing. Even the paint on the floor, inspired by abstract artist Piet Mondrian, has been considered to evoke a sense of movement.
Intentionality is a tangible force in the studio space, from the architecture to the design to the haircuts, inspiring for the studio artists and clients alike. It’s no wonder the standard of work, and the time spent in the studio are of the highest quality. And while it’s aesthetically beautiful, Xeneb maintains that “without the people it’s just the space. It’s about the energy and the conversations were having… we create the space but it’s the people that create the culture.”
Over her four-year tenancy, the network of creatives within the Nicholas Building has flourished, and the studio residents love the burgeoning symbiosis between businesses. Emily mentions that, “the Nicholas building in general is such an inspiring building… it really does have a massive sense of community, which I think people talk about a lot, but it really does, whether you’re getting a coffee downstairs or staying for a wine afterwards, or just bumping into people.”
Always looking forward, Xeneb wants the studio to become a place where hairdressers can share ideas and workshop what they do best so others can learn by observation. “Industry helping industry, for the love of the craft, to compete less and support each other more.”
So, how does this unstructured salon work? Since the enigmatic Studio doesn’t have a website or dedicated Instagram, to book in, you contact the artists directly via their Instagrams:
@curlysiouxsie (Xeneb) is the director of Studio and specialises in dry-cutting and session styling.
@dancollins_hair specialises in natural, raw and sun-kissed colour and customised dry cuts.
@visit_versa is a cutter and specialises in curls and dry cutting, working with the natural texture of hair.
@stephyanon_hair specialises in all things colour.
@addysnips specialises in cuts and colours that work with the natural fall of the hair and don’t expire after eight weeks.
@__helenahair specialises in cutting, shaping thick hair, keratin smoothing treatments, blondes and face framing fringes.
At the Nicholas Building, follow the @curlysiouxsie signs at the lift and level three.
This article ‘Good hair comes from good community’: Meet the Melbourne studio turning the traditional salon structure on its head appeared first on Fashion Journal.
2025-02-12 08:17:00
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