Creativity is something that internationally acclaimed hairstylist Michael Haase has mastered and specified as an element of his immeasurable success. The dedication to make his dreams a reality has lead him to become both a renowned educator and a celebrity stylist, working with Wella Professionals.
Don’t pass up the chance to meet Haase on MAY 9th & 10th at the launch of his new Wella Professionals course ‘The Art of Making’ A JOURNEY INTO THE CREATIVE MIND! Click here for more information!
Also a business owner and head stylist at his own Salon Platinum Black in L.A. Haase credits his success to education, and he still holds to the integrity of his teachers –the legendary Vidal Sassoon, Annie Humphreys and Alexandre de Paris– even while incorporating the latest technology into his craft. Haase now believes that by passing his knowledge to other professionals they will continue their path to become ‘the New Elite’ in the fashionable world of hair artistry.
Can you recall a special moment with someone you mentored that gave you joy when you saw how you affected his or her career?
“There’s a few, it’s mostly about guiding them. What do you want, where do you want to be and what are you willing to do to get there? I have had a couple that have gotten into beautiful high-end salons, I have a couple that have gone to Trend Vision and even NAHA and I am mentoring four in my salon that are going to Trend Vision this year, which is really exciting. Every day they come into the salon with more stuff, they want to use everything! There have been a few people that have gotten global jobs, one of them went to Paris to work with Alexandre’s team. It allows you to be seen and appreciated differently than just behind the chair. I have been very fortunate. Before the machinery came into our lives, it was all about shaking the hand and making sure you show up early and give thanks. That was the way we were brought up in the industry… Vidal, Jacques Dessange, Alexandre, Trevor Sorbie, Annie Humphreys, really so many.“
You did have very many mentors, but do you really remember one single advice from each of them that really resonate with you today?
“I would say Vidal always said, ‘take care of your hands.’ He told me I had good hands. Alexandre told me to always stand up straight. I remember Trevor telling me to always stay hungry, to never be full. When you’re most tired, that is where you are needed the most. So at the end of the day, I’ll walk into my studio and I’ll sketch because something comes to mind and without looking at a clock it’ll be 2 or 3 in the morning and I’m doing something. And when I look at it today, it’s almost more exciting than it was back then because today there are no rules. You can break everything and drive as fast as you want.“
Tell me about your relationship with Wella?
“Wella and I met about four and a half years ago. Although I had been using Wella color for about thirty years. It was a necessary relationship, and I was invited to come in at the highest level. I remember when I did my audition, and Fabio saying, ‘On a scale from one to ten, where is your cutting?’ And I looked at him and said: ‘Fabio, if I wasn’t a ten in cutting, color and styling, then we shouldn’t even be here right now. Because the position should be filled.’ So the relationship has been very exciting. As I changed myself to grow in with the necessity of the company, which includes also my salon, we grow, we learn, and I had to be more approachable and make more friends. You have to open up your heart and mind a little bit. The relationship was very good. I think Wella, when we started, was not as strong in the educational platform as it is now. So they were in a transition period, which I found very exciting because my work is very transitional. And you know how they always had that young kind coming in and saying oh, my grandma used to use Wella. Those days are over. Now they’re using Wella. So it’s nice to see the blossoming of a new young company again.
It’s exciting. I enjoy it.“
What do you most admire about Wella Professionals?
“From the onset, the direction Wella Professionals introduced to me was one of success and inspirational support for me as an artist. The teams share constantly and the color portfolio is second to none. I have been an educator for many years and finding integrity in the industry at this level is quite rare whether you are a new stylist or a seasoned one – Wella does bring me that and much more. In the last 4 years the young artists that we are able to help grow are extremely talented and the competition platforms help guide them in their endeavors. For me, it never ends, mentor or enter, run my business, photoshoots, and do great hair, Wella has always stood behind me.“
How do you envision your future with the company?
“I want to keep going! I actually have a class coming, it’s called ‘The Art of Making – A Journey into the Creative Mind’ – it’s going to be very exciting, there’s going to be a lot of people who’s going to need medical help! There’s some things that have never been done in the company, that I am going to be incorporating… I have been doing it with my team and salon, they are very scared when we do them, but when they are finished they feel that strength. So I want to do more classes for them, in-house to guide the new and the old. You get to a point when you have done hair for 20-30 years and you think, you know it all. It’s those people that I target mostly when I get on stage and somebody is sitting like ‘oh…‘ So I know that I’m going to fix that attitude, no problem. We all feel like we have something to contribute, and as long as we keep having that mindset, we will be successful. I have youngsters that come in wanting to assist at the salon, and I ask them, ‘where do you see yourself in a year?’ And they say ‘well, I want to have a chair, I want to have a salon, I want to do photoshoots and fashion work…’ so it’s like… good luck!“