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Frank Cini - Canadian Hairdresser of The Year 2006

Canadian Hairdresser Magazine
Hairdresser of The Year winner Frank Cini credits taking classes, following trends, watching Fashion Television, observing designer John Galliano’s collections and reading European magazines as his inspirations. “But my biggest inspiration is my wife. It’s nice to be married to another hairdresser because we bounce ideas off each other. We’re able to offer suggestions without changing each other’s visions.” Winning Hairdresser of The Year is something Cini has been striving for since he began competing 16 years ago. “I always feel great about what we’re doing in the salon, but to be recognized nationally is an incredible honour. I hope it’s just the beginning. I love to compete because it keeps the creative juices flowing,” says Cini. “Being too comfortable is not always a good thing, it’s nice to push yourself.”

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Daniel Naumovski - The Contender

Salon Magazine Jan./Feb. 2001
Ontario Hairstylist 2001
Daniel Naumovski, stylist/co-owner Taz Hair Co., Toronto, ON
Years in the industry: 11

This former Laurentian University student shocked his Marvel teachers when he completed the 10-month hairstyling program. “Nobody thought I was serious about hair when I enrolled at Marvel, but I was very serious,” says Daniel Naumovski, flashing a devilish grin. “What people didn’t know about me was I spent many afternoons with a clipper in my hand, giving cuts to my buddies and sharpening my skills.” A former Junior B hockey ace, Daniel says his big Contessa win wouldn’t have happened without the rest of the Taz team. “I rely on them to help me pick out my photos.” According to his mates, it’s a miracle if Daniel gets around to prepping his models before a shoot. “I usually need my models in front of me before I get inspired. I’m very spontaneous and it’s gotten me in trouble more than a few times in my life!”

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Shampoop - Chatelaine Living

Who would have thought the way to a six-figure income is a patient ear and a gift for every woman’s crowning obsession – her hair? That’s what Gina Mallet proves in this behind-the-scenes look at some of Canada’s sharpest scissorhands.

Our tress fixation isn’t about the need to look good – it goes deeper. When a stylist compares himself to a therapist, he’s not kidding.

The name Taz dances whimsically across the plate-glass window that sparkles with reflected halogens in the dusk. It is a busy Saturday in Yorkville – the hub of the hair industry in Toronto – and Taz in packed. It’s like stumbling onto the set of Friends: there’s a purple sway-backed sofa full of attractive patrons waiting to enhance their sex appeal.

One of the guest stars on the sofa is Elizabeth, a chiropractor approaching her 30th birthday. She makes the 45 minute drive to Toronto to see master stylist Frank Cini. She’s finally found someone, she says, who can tame her long curly hair. The taming doesn’t come cheap, but Elizabeth isn’t fazed by the $65 price tag that comes attached to Cini’s services. She figures a professional needs to look good, after all.
Plus, the taming of her mane is no easy task. Today, she has specific instructions for Cini: “No ironing.” Last time, it took two hours to have her naturally curly hair ironed sleek. Byron, her boyfriend and business partner (who’s now having his black hair cropped and frothed by Eva, another of Taz’s headliners), got tired of waiting.

Cini, the creator charged with Elizabeth’s look, is a cherubic stylist who comes from a family of Maltese barbers. He’s all toothy smile and curly hair and, at 32, he’s on top of his game. “We do fun flippy haircuts,” he says.
Flippy dos aren’t all the magicians at Taz can conjure up. Around these parts, streaking is the norm and the colours are limitless – the Pergo floor is littered with caramel, tangerine and ruby clips of hair. But the main style du jour seems to be a broom-bottom straight blanket of blond streaks, à la Jennifer Aniston.

While Cini and Elizabeth’s relationship looks pretty cozy today, it’s hard to say how long they’ll stay together – loyalty is a sometime thing in the fickle world of hair. For a stylist like Cini to keep “heads” (that’s industry-speak for clients) coming back, he’s gotta keep his ahead of the competition, tend to his website, keep up a high profile. He’s also got to have a killer team, which includes Carol (who’s also Cini’s fiancée), Daniel, Roberto and Eva.

This is the new world of hairstyling: young, sexy, competitive and above all, lucrative. At top salons across Canada, a cut and a colour can add up to $240. And the big names of Canadian hair (Johnny, Christian, Jason, Jennifer, to toss off a few) are estimated to pull in revenues between $150,000 and $200,000 a year for their companies – not bad considering many stylists don’t have much education beyond high school. But hair is experience and passion and these stylists are the architects of women’s dreams.

Yes, we’re obsessed with our hair. It’s not unheard of for women to drop a hundred on a treatment and return not just monthly, not just weekly, but daily. We’re always looking for the most face-flattering cut, the ultimate honey highlight. But the tress fixation isn’t just about the need to look good. It goes much deeper than that.

When a stylist compares himself to a therapist, he’s not kidding. “It’s something to do with the fact that we touch the women,” says one. “We reach right down into their souls.” Bingo.

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In the national categories, Ontario salons outshone the competition, scooping nine of the 15 awards.

Canadian hairstylist of the year was Reynaldo Spook of Envirotrends in St. Thomas, Ont., and Salon Team of the Year went to Enthrones Hair and Beauty in London. Taz Hair Co. in Toronto scored a hat trick with salon owners Frank Cini and Carol Brodzinski winning top spot in the Avant Garde and Multicultural categories, and Daniel Naumovski capturing Ontario Hairstylist of the Year.

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