Davines opens a flagship salon and atelier alongside long-time partners, celebrated editorial hairstylists, and owners of powerhouse New York City salon, ION Studio – Marco Santini and Leo Manetti.
The new collaboration – ION: Davines Salon and Atelier – offers a thoroughly distinctive experience with the Davines mission statement at its heart, a blending of beauty and ethics reflected through the environment in which the salon lives and works. “Beauty can be done sustainably, and we want to be a catalyst for that,” says Leo Manetti, ION owner.
“Davines has always been inspired by the work of Marco and Leo, as well as that of their highly specialized team at ION Studio,” remarked Anthony Molet, CEO of Davines North America. “We have developed a strong connection with ION as kindred Italians, as innovators of their craft and as educators for other stylists and colorists.”
The new ION Studio was designed by Brooklyn-based WRK, an architectural and design firm known for projects like Le Labo at The Ace Hotel, Rag & Bone, Rudy’s Barbershop and Brass Monkey, all of which are created by sustainably upcycling and renovating salvaged materials sourced from local craftsmen. Built to reflect the design of a home with three distinct floors and seventeen chairs, the salon is completely custom-done with the help of local craftsmen and largely reused materials, while still maintaining the level of sophistication that marks both ION and Davines.
The ground floor is comprised of custom features including brass lighting fixtures, an Italian marble reception desk infused with reclaimed wood, three oak wood styling stations hewn from fallen trees found on Mantetti and Santini’s upstate New York property, and a prominent reclaimed wood and brass rod retail display housing all of the Davines at-home products and a variety of plants. Retreating to the mezzanine, custom steel and glass trapezoidal stations serve as additional cut and styling stations.
The lower level is the color floor and functions as the “open kitchen” of the home. With the color bar as the focal point – above which “color your world” has been hand-painted – the space is complete with wood shelves, poured concrete, salvaged countertops, and steel and brass accents. The large reclaimed “farm” table is hand-made to provide four color stations, and adds to the notion of community. Additional elements including vintage doors and a series of windows and brick walls that were uncovered during the renovation process provide continuity to the space while remaining true to the balance of sustainability and high design.
In addition to the renowned services and breathtaking, light-flooded space, the salon will include a new education collective and professional salon academy branded Atelier, which offers continuing styling and color education led by Santini and Manetti, as well as top Davines educators. Each workshop will be tailored to its artists and will serve as a breeding ground for new ideas and superlative education.
The owners and salon staff at ION have been featured on the runways, in high fashion magazines, and in major advertising campaigns. Revered as a top salon in New York, ION can be found in the annual Allure Directory, and is frequently featured on the pages of ELLE, Vanity Fair, Vogue, V and their counterparts. Santini and Manetti also lead Fashion Week teams each season and host celebrity clientele, which include the likes of Greta Gerwig, Diane Kruger, Julianne Moore, Olivia Palermo and Hailee Steinfeld.
In the vein of sustainability and leadership, ION Studio has joined Green Circle Salons, an organization that provides a simple but powerful green strategy to reduce salons’ environmental footprint. As a member, ION Studio will begin a comprehensive recycling and reuse program of salon materials – including foils, color tubes, paper, plastics and excess liquid chemical waste – to significantly reduce their impact on the planet. This partnership allows the salon to be 100% traceable and accountable for how they handle wasted materials. Beyond this accountability, for every client that comes to the salon, $1-$3 (varied per service), will be donated to Green Circle for a cleaner more sustainable world.
