They told me Cape Town was boiling hot. Then they told me that there were gale force winds. There was talk of rain and storms. But when the plane landed yesterday... well, it was absolutely perfect! The most beautiful still, calm, mild and sunny autumn day. Thank you, Cape Town.
First things first... I needed good hair, fast, so I booked into a Steenberg salon called The Hair Cafe. Mandy, who did my blow dry, was the most amazing, professional, skilled hairdresser and if I had been a "mystery shopper", I would have given her ten out of ten for everything. What a beautiful salon and what an awesome experience to start my trip.
From there, it was off to the incredible Bistro Sixteen 82 at Steenberg wine estate, for a wonderful meal, chat and catch-up with Maxine de Lima of Joico and Kevin Murphy. Not only is Maxine a passionate, knowledgeable and driven ambassador for the hair industry and the renowned professional brands she manages, she's also so much fun to have lunch with that I ended up leaving late for my next appointment! There was barely time for us to take a selfie!
From the sweeping vistas of the southern suburbs, I headed into the buzz of Kloof Street, where I met up with Eddie van Rensburg, who manages the American Crew brand in South Africa. Eddie singlehandedly looks after all aspects of this elite men's brand which is now in more than 100 salons countrywide, and this is due to Eddie's enthusiasm, hard work, marketing skill, and business experience.
The photo above was taken at Scar Hair, proud stockists of American Crew and other top professional brands, where we popped in for a surprise visit and to meet Andrew Guilfoyle, the owner. You simply have to love a salon where you arrive, and there's an impromptu photo shoot happening outside - but you're not even sure who's the model and who's the hairdresser because everyone looks so fabulously fashionable and funky.
The photo above features Varushka from Scar Hair with her model. And it was really awesome to say hello to another friend and hairdressing icon, Salome de Wet.
We even managed to get a sneaky action shot of Andrew himself, on his way to Scar Hair's upper level. This salon is simply gorgeous and its design, layout, decor and branding are world class. And Andrew has more plans in store... very exciting ones!
What a fantastic day it was. Stay tuned... more updates to come tomorrow!