Guest Artists

Ana Karzis is the recipient of many prestigious industry awards, including Aveda Master of the Arts. Her reputation is well-known across North America, and she has more than 30 years of industry experience. As one of the first Aveda Hair Color pioneers, she played an integral part of the testing and development of Aveda Hair Color systems. Today, Ana continues to break traditional boundaries with hair color, and her love of artistry is not only seen through her creative hair coloring but also through her passion for education. As Senior Creative Technical Director for Aveda Canada and Civello Salon & Spa, Ana is instrumental in the development of future talent. She continues to be one of the most sought-after educators and platform artists with her unique approaches and beliefs.

Under the leadership and guidance of Global Creative Director Antoinette Beenders, the Aveda Global Artistic Team exemplifies top talent in the Aveda network. As leading experts in hair cut, hair color, hair styling, makeup and textured hair, they work around the globe as inspirational educators, mentors and creative visionaries. Together they collaborate on seasonal Aveda collections, receive countless industry awards and serve as Aveda brand ambassadors recognized for their exceptional talent and leadership.

A team of Aveda Institutes will take the stage under the direction of Heggy Gonzalez, Creative Director for the Inspire Greatness Aveda Institutes and an Aveda Purefessional™ who has been in the industry since 1999. Heggy has a great passion for education and believes that learning never ends. For the past nine years, she has worked as an Institute Educator and enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with future stylists to help them develop technical skills and discover their passions. Heggy is also an accomplished editorial stylist with work featured globally in Vogue Italia, FACEON, Féroce and Beauty Launchpad. In 2013, she won RAW Artist National Hairdresser of the Year, was nominated for the North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) Hairdresser of the Year in the Texture category and was showcased at Aveda Congress.

Masa Honda, leader of the Aveda Japan Creative Team, was born and raised in Japan and studied beauty, business and fashion in Paris, London and New York City before assisting legendary session stylist Peter Gray. As team director, he worked on hundreds of international fashion shows for esteemed designers like Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith and Hermès as well as photo shoots for top fashion magazines, including Dazed, Vogue, Women’s Wear Daily and Spur. As an Aveda Purefessional™ and owner of Honda Aveda Hair & Spa in Japan, Masa continues to educate and inspire upcoming talent while working on various personal editorial and creative projects. His impressive collection of work in the fashion industry includes a long list of notable clients such as Akris, Ben Sherman, Uniqlo, Levi’s and Puma. He is excited to lead the Aveda Japan Creative Team on stage and reveal their interpretation of the latest trends in fashion and beauty.

Rie Hirabayashi is a top hair stylist and makeup artist with vast international experience that includes editorial photo shoots, hair shows, education seminars and salon work. She has received countless industry awards throughout her career, including a win for 2006 Best Newcomer of the Year and a nomination for 2007 Hairdresser of the Year at the Japan Hairdressing Awards. In 2009, Rie moved to New York City to collaborate with top artists in the magazine, entertainment, fashion and music industries. She has created makeup looks for celebrities and worked backstage at Stella McCartney and Oscar de la Renta fashion shows. Rie also sees clients at the Aveda New York Lifestyle Salon on West Broadway and recently joined forces with the Aveda Global Artistic Team on the 2014 and 2015 seasonal collections as an editorial artist for hair cutting and styling.

Bastian Casaretto is responsible for the artistic direction, training and development of the Aveda Lifestyle Salon & Spa team in Berlin to provide guests with superior service. He often works with the Aveda European and Global Artistic Teams or backstage at industry shows, fashion weeks and events around the world. He has been a leader at multiple Berlin Fashion Weeks and participated in the Top Hair International Trend & Fashion Days in Düsseldorf.

Bea Watson has worked for more than 20 years as a hair stylist in the United Kingdom, beginning her career in London salons. Throughout her accomplished career, she has worked as a lead stylist at fashion weeks across Europe and in New York City, been an educator and curriculum developer at the Aveda Advanced Academy London and published editorial work in ELLE, Vogue UK, Dazed and Women’s Health. In her current role as Aveda Global Educator, Hair Styling, Bea enjoys teaching and passing on her knowledge in a way that motivates and inspires others. She believes that by sharing techniques and skills of the craft with each other, Aveda can push the boundaries of hair together.

Bruno Elorrioroz has always found inspiration in the colorful world that surrounds him. He constantly challenges himself to create new and innovative hair color combinations while emphasizing the business of hair color. Bruno works in the salon, as an Aveda Purefessional™ across Europe and as a frequent assistant to Aveda Global Creative Director Antoinette Beenders at shows, seminars, editorial shoots and education programs. The combination of his industry achievements and enthusiasm for Aveda makes him a unique educator and true brand ambassador. Bruno enjoys spending time on the salon floor in order to stay ahead of trends and maintain his understanding of the challenges faced by today’s hair colorists.

As reigning 2014 British Afro Hairdresser of the Year and 2014 Black Beauty Stylist of the Year, Charlotte Mensah is a name synonymous with leading the creativity of textured hairdressing in the United Kingdom. Famed for her flair for embracing natural hair textures, Charlotte is an internationally renowned celebrity hairdresser and the owner and artistic director of the critically acclaimed and award-winning Hair Lounge salon on trendy West London’s Portobello Road. She recently joined the elite team of Specialist Business Mentors with the Prince’s Trust and has been mentoring young entrepreneurs trying to start up or expand their businesses in the hair and beauty industry.

Claude Marcel is an internationally renowned hair designer and owner of Claude Marcel Salon de Coiffure and Spa, a luxury Aveda salon and spa in Washington D.C that combines creativity and quality. Throughout his career, Claude has worked in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Paris and the United States. In Paris, he worked as a stylist to a vast number of international celebrities and dignitaries as well as backstage at haute couture fashion shows and award shows, including the Cannes Film Festival. In the United States, Claude's clientele includes senators, ambassadors, celebrities and the U.S. Open tennis players for two consecutive years. In addition to being a salon owner, he also serves as artistic director and takes great pride in teaching French hair cutting techniques to his team. His greatest pride is watching his team grow and achieve their dreams.

Gila Rūt Salons, led by co-owners Keri Davis, Carol Davis and Karla Lopez-Martinez, boasts three Aveda Lifestyle Salon locations in California and more than 80 employees. Gila Rūt was named one of the fastest-growing salons in North America by Salon Today for six years and nominated in 2011 and 2012 for the prestigious NAHA Salon Master of Business Award, which they won in 2012. Inspired by the Hebrew meaning of Gila Rūt (happiness and freedom), the team’s goal is to make sure every guest feels the happiness and freedom to express themselves while providing them with the highest quality salon experience and products. In addition to working for local television stations and backstage at fashion weeks in New York City, Los Angeles and San Diego, Gila Rūt is also renowned for its salon culture, philanthropy and cutting-edge styles in hair and makeup, which have been featured in numerous trade magazines, including DAYSPA, Salon News, American Salon, Estetica and Salon Today.

Jo McKay has been part of the Aveda European Education team for 12 years. She is a dynamic artist who travels the world teaching classes, publishing editorial work and working backstage at photo shoots, film sets and fashion shows. She also assists Aveda Global Creative Director Antoinette Beenders on Aveda seasonal collections and plays an important role in Aveda’s expansion strategy by being active in new markets and developing coaching programs.

As the lead hair stylist for more than 30 shows every New York Fashion Week, Jon Reyman is a seasoned hair director and collaborative partner with relevant and influential fashion designers, including Carolina Herrera, Betsey Johnson and Nautica. His editorial work has been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, Vanity Fair, WWD, Cosmopolitan and ELLE, and he has made appearances on Project Runway, The Apprentice, Access Hollywood and Good Morning America. Behind the chair, Jon works with many celebrities, including Lana Del Rey, Paris Hilton, Christina Milian and Sienna Miller. Jon is known for his custom, progressive hair cutting and styling techniques and has a reputation for instinctively challenging old philosophies, rules and systems he finds claustrophobic. What drives Jon further into his own work is using his technical and creative skills to empower other stylists on an individual level. As co-founder of Spoke and Weal salons, you can find Jon working in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Kurt Kueffner is a master barber, stylist, educator and entrepreneur in the prestige salon industry. He began his career in the discipline of classic barbering, moving on to study cosmetology and apprenticing under Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda. Kurt has spent the last 20 years educating and inspiring hair professionals around the world on the unique design, service and technical considerations involved with modern men’s grooming. Kurt continues to work on a global level, focusing on technical and business education, curriculum development and editorial work.

Lupe Voss is an educator, mentor and training consultant for Aveda with a reputation for excellence that spans the globe. Her enthusiasm and unparalleled technical abilities are responsible for her successful career as one of the most sought-after educators and hair colorists in the Aveda network. She has participated in numerous shows and events for Aveda, including Aveda Congress and Master Jams in the United States and Europe. Lupe is responsible for creating the inspirational Hair Color Magic education program, which teaches creative placements and the art of formulation for customized hair color. Lupe and her husband Manuel founded and co-own Julian August Salon in Redlands, California. Owning and working in a successful Aveda Concept Salon allows Lupe to fully understand the everyday challenges and successes that salon owners and hairdressers face and gives her true-to-life relevance in the professional salon education field.

Michael Baker has served as Creative Director for Neill-TSP and Art Director for Serious Business® for the past seven years. As a hair stylist for 34 years and five-time NAHA nominee, he has previously worked as a salon owner, editorial hair stylist in New York City and Los Angeles and Creative Director for Van Michael Salons. As founder of the Second Hand Scissor Project, Michael is motivated to energize and elevate the future of the industry by passing along inspiration from the current masters of hair design.

Steven Laudat began his career in cosmetics formulation, and his passion for fashion, art and design naturally led him to a career in hair styling. Steven first discovered Aveda at a photo shoot for Harper's Bazaar UK and loved how the brand met both his vision of hair styling and commitment to the environment. He joined Aveda in 2014 when the brand launched in France, and he currently works as an educator throughout the country. Steven has collaborated with photographers and talented French editorial artists for magazines such as Marie Claire Russia, Grazia, Shoes Up and ELLE. Although his focus at Aveda is hair color training, he stays inspired by continuing to work as a session stylist and participating in Aveda events.

Team Canada is committed to inspiring the beauty industry under the leadership of Collega Inc & Civello Salon Spas President, Ray Civello—a leader and visionary in the fashion, beauty and wellness industries for more than three decades. The team is comprised of global masters and educators who represent a variety of training backgrounds and contribute their distinctive approach and unique style to hair cutting, hair styling, hair color and makeup. Together they are passionately devoted to inspiring their students, which is reflected in their creativity on stage, in the classroom and on the salon floor. The team’s work has been featured globally in print and on television, and they have presented original collections at Aveda events, including Aveda Congress 2013 and London Master Jam 2014. The team continues to raise the bar on creativity and strives to incorporate the Aveda mission into their work both on and off the stage.

In 1984, two brothers named Van and Michael Council partnered to build a salon that would offer the finest hair services available in the world. Their initial vision led to a salon in the Buckhead area of Atlanta with just seven chairs, which is now one of the most successful salons in history. With several locations in Atlanta and Japan, Van Michael Salons provide beauty and hair services to more than 1,000 people every day. Their complete dedication to guest satisfaction has earned them frequent accolades from global fashion and beauty leaders and a guest base of more than 100,000 men and women. Every Van Michael Salon is a full-service Aveda Concept Salon that features top hair professionals from around the world offering the latest in hair cut, color and styling. The team has won countless awards and was most recently named Salon Team of the Year at NAHA 2014.