By Abby Bielagus By Abby Bielagus | September 27, 2023 | People, Style & Beauty, Feature,
For more than a decade, the owners of Salon Eva Michelle (salonevamichelle.com), Eva Mustafai and Michelle Lee, have been taming the tresses of Boston’s stylish sect. We sat down to discuss their shared history, the changing industry and the trends they’re seeing for fall.Eva Mustafai and Michelle Lee have been leading the team at Salon Eva Michelle on Newbury Street for over a decade.
Remind me of your origin story - how did you two meet and when did you decide to open a salon together?
We met over 20 years ago, working together on Newbury Street and connected over our shared love of travel and education. We decided in March 2011, actually in Chicago on one of our class trips, to open a salon. Two months later we found the perfect spot and opened at 118 Newbury Street on the second fl oor.
How have you seen the industry change? Social media has changed the hair industry a lot - it’s the new resume for businesses and hairdressers.
How have you pivoted and adjusted to stay relevant all these years? We believe education is important to stay relevant. We invite guest artists a few times a year from across the country to do specialized classes. We continue to have an in-house training program for our apprentices and our designers. Sure, you can watch videos online, but hands-on training is where you really learn. We also do photoshoots, fashion shows and events. We’ve worked New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week for Cristian Siriano, Legris Lebrum and Thom Browne, just to name a few. We continue to give back to the community by doing charitable events, like HairRaising for Boston Children’s Hospital. We have raised over $65,000 since 2011.
How have you kept your partnership so solid? We really have a wonderful relationship as we know what our strengths and weaknesses are and we support each other in everything that we do. We are the perfect balance. We’re family, we’ve seen each other’s kids grow up.
What are some challenges you see in the industry these days? Finding motivated, next-generation stylists who want to be part of a team is a challenge. After the pandemic, a lot of stylists wanted to be on their own, but working in a salon team environment is about relationships, learning from each other, growing and family. I think we’ll see the shift again soon.
What are your plans for the next ten years? Where do you see your business going? The sky’s the limit. We are building, growing and looking into what’s next! We want to continue training and creating the best designers in our industry.
What’s trending now in haircuts and color? I feel like everyone was sporting mermaid waves for a while and now it seems like everyone is getting a bob. After the summer ponytails, we are going to see more classic cuts and more styling. Sharp bobs, stronger lines. For styling, less of the lived-in and more of the big blowouts. Fringes will be new for fall - from heavy and sharp to full, soft and face-framing. Colors are also shift ing to be more intentional. Guests want people to know they got their hair done. Warm, rich tones for fall, and that goes for the blondes and the brunettes. Vibrant reds in shades of deep copper to rich burgundies. It will be a fun time for hair!
Photography by: ANTHONY GRASSETTI