insideKENT Magazine Issue 96 - March 2020 | Page 82

FASHION+BEAUTY
BRINGING LONDON STYLE AND TECHNICAL HAIR SKILLS TO THE KENTISH COAST, LONG-TERM
FRIENDS AND HAIRDRESSING SUPERSTARS ROXANE ATTARD AND KEZIAH STILWELL HAVE
CREATED KENT’S NEXT DESTINATION SALON
Sister Joan,
MARGATE
The eye-patch wearing, quiff-donning, slightly 80s-esq monochrome Sister Joan
logo, heralded my arrival to the corner-shop location of Margate’s latest
buzz-creating salon. I was lured not only by the premise of its expertly trained
stylists and colourists, and the promise of a ‘hair experience journey’, but also
by the name, Joan was my grandmother’s name and it transpires Keziah’s
grandmother’s name too.
In fact, Joan not only lent her name to her granddaughter’s first entrepreneurial
venture but her tenacity, style and fierce passion have also clearly passed down
the family genes. Keziah (technically trained at Sassoon, stylist at Taylor Taylor
and founding team member at Bleach London) met the equally enthusiastic,
driven and talented Roxane (precision-cutting trained at HOB Salon, stylist at
New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion weeks, and a stylist for musicians,
celebrities and magazines including GQ) through their London hairstyling
journeys. Keen to escape the rat-race, to build their own futures and to inspire
a new generation of hairdressing talent, Sister Joan was born.
The salon itself is effortlessly cool and understatedly stylish; a bank of six black
leather chairs against a backdrop of mirrors decked with plants, backlit in bright
pink; black and white tiled and wood floors; with simple shelving, industrial
lighting and more of that iconic logo completing the look. In a bid to not only
manage their start-up budget but also to remain true to their eco-principles, they
sourced pre-loved and reclaimed items wherever possible; only blowing their
budget with the purchase of the simply wonderful reclining massage chairs for
the hair wash area - trust me they were worth the investment!
The duo, who despite their youthful age boast an astonishing 22 years combined
experience, wanted to create an environment where clients can feel inspired and
secure to experiment. The end result is a welcoming, comfortable salon that not
only offers high end colouring services but also contemporary cutting and styling
from a team who are at the forefront of style - oh and there is great coffee too!
For me as a busy, working, mum of three, I was looking forward to the
much needed me-time and hair update (and frankly the peace and quiet for a
couple of hours), the unique thing here of course is that by setting up how and
where they did, Keziah and Roxane have also created a unique ‘destination
salon’ concept. Not only do they draw city-dwellers who decamp to the buzz
of Margate for an overnight stay and new ‘do, they also draw us Kentish folk,
who like myself, recognise that the family are able to join the road trip to
the Thanet coast.
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So to my holistic hair experience -
expert colour consultation with
Keziah, which led to soft caramel
highlights and subtle balayage; an hour
to lose myself in a magazine with a
(shock horror) hot cuppa; thirty
minutes in that wonderful massage
chair, whilst enjoying a restoring
olaplex treatment and glorious scalp
massage; and a thorough cut and style
consultation with Roxane which saw
me waving goodbye to inches of split
ends and creating more shape to
harness my natural curls! - All whilst
hubby and kids went exploring
in Margate (Dreamland, Turner
Contemporary, fish n chips by the
beach) for the afternoon!
It’s incredible to see what Sister Joan
has achieved by its first anniversary.
Not only is it a thriving creative
hairstyling hub, the duo have invested
in developing local talent offering
apprenticeships to local students, one
of whom told me she’d learnt more
in three months with Sister Joan than
in two years at college; and there
are even plans to adda unique ‘hair
BnB concept’, combining styling
with a stay.
Here’s to their next year!
Sister Joan
270 Northdown Road
Margate
CT9 2PX
01843 298 177
www.sisterjoansalon.com
sisterjoansalon
sisterjoansalon