In celebration of Evo’s official launch with SalonCentric Canada, the Australian hair brand and Ontario-based distributor hosted an inspirational education event on September 24, 2024.
Held at Mascot Brewery in Etobicoke, Ont., the event hosted hairstylists, colourists and salon owners for a mix-and-mingle cocktail followed by a look-and-learn and product discovery session.
Justin Baker, director of sales for SalonCentric Canada, kicked off the event by welcoming the attendees.
“For us at SalonCentric, we’re a two-year-old distributor in Canada but our roots and our heartbeat go long before that,” he says. “We’re rooted in three pretty important things in this industry, one of which is building community.”
“Number two, we’re about empowering and educating the hairstylist,” he adds. “Since 2020, a lot has changed in our industry. For us, we’ve got to rely on what it is we’ve done so well as an industry, which is to get together, jam out, do some hair and have some fun. Number three for us is to have a lot of fun. For us as a distributor, we want to continue to bring the energy to this industry and continue to find ways to make you feel as though you can have a creative outlet and do some special things.”
Jan Patanao, brand manager and product specialist for Evo, also welcomed the audience.
“A lot of blood, sweat and tears have been put into making sure we execute this at the highest level to give you the best experience,” she says. “[Toronto is] my hometown, and I’m born and bred a hairdresser, so I’m really excited to showcase what the brand has to offer and the talent we have.”
Evo’s colour director Tom Smith and North American technical specialist Marie Kieffer led hair demos with models to showcase the brand’s colour and styling products.
Kieffer, who is also a U.S.-based salon owner, hairstylist and educator, has worked with the brand for more than nine years.
“This is something that truly resonates with me because everything you all do, I do on a daily basis as well,” she says. “[Evo] has not only helped push me creatively, but it has helped my business and my team’s business grow, too.”
Smith, who is based in London, U.K., and has worked with Evo for eight years, creates a lot of the brand’s imagery and works with their team on new product development.
We caught up with Smith for a one-on-one chat to learn more about the event and his role with Evo.
“Tonight is really about providing a snapshot of us now that we’re a full-concept brand,” he says. “Evo is almost 20 years old, so it’s been around a long time but we came at things in slightly non-traditional way. We launched direct dyes first, our Fab Pro custom colour mixing system, and then we moved on to care and styling. It was only much later that we worked on the Staino project, which is our vivid direct dyes, Bottle Blonde, which is our lightening portfolio and, most recently, Hue-Verse, which is our permanent and demi-permanent colour line. We’ve gone from being a little bit niche to now even more full concept than many of our competitors.”
As Evo has grown as a company, it has also expanded its messaging around the importance of being sustainable and inclusive.
“Salons really want a community to be part of and they really want to work with brands that share their messaging around sustainability, ethics, inclusivity and authenticity,” says Smith. “All of those things have always been our brand pillars, but as a niche, family-owned brand we’ve kind of been on the sidelines. When we launched our colour four years ago, that was kind of the beginning of now having everything that any colourist or any salon could possibly need.”
As for the event’s name, Perfect Match, Smith says it’s about matching stylists and salons with the right products for them within the Evo portfolio. In other words, helping them “swipe right” on what they’re truly looking for!
“We are really authentic and stand behind our messaging,” he says. “We know, for many people, sustainability and inclusivity are really important messages. We want to connect with those people to show not everyone is for everyone. The idea of events like this is to invite people in to see our hearts and what we’re about, share how the products work and what they can do, so they can decide whether that feels like the right fit for them and their talents.”
Browse our gallery of photos from the event:
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