Sophie is an educator with Sassoon in their Seattle Based Academy. She has been with Sassoon since 2007 and started off in their Scottsdale location as an apprentice under David Goodwin and her bother, Kristopher Agbayani. After life happening for so long, she finally made the move to the Seattle location and has found herself teaching in the Academy, something she wasn’t sure was going to happen, but is now getting to share her passion and education with like-minded #hairnerds.

Describe a day in the life of Sophie

I am a full-time stylist at Sassoon Salon in downtown Seattle. My days are spent with a wonderful team and really great clients. Getting to work with some of the most talented people in the industry makes every day a learning experience.

Nights are spent with my husband and two dogs. We are new to Seattle from Scottsdale, AZ, so we are constantly exploring and learning our new surroundings.

Tell us everything we should know about Sassoon Academy Seattle

We have a beautiful and modern salon here in Seattle that doubles as our Academy.

We offer 2-day Classic and Creative Cutting courses, which include lectures, demonstrations and hands-on work sessions with live models.

Our 2-day courses tend to be popular because they are offered on Sunday and Monday. They are an easy way for stylists to take advanced courses without having to miss days in their salon.

Something most people don’t know about you

I am a hockey fanatic. Go Oilers!

What was your journey like becoming a Senior Stylist with Sassoon?

It was tough, but incredibly rewarding.

I joined Sassoon in Scottsdale as an apprentice in 2007.

I did my apprenticeship under David Goodwin, who started in our Manchester salon and has been with Sassoon for 37 years, and Kristopher Agbayani who is currently a senior stylist in our Costa Mesa salon. The mix of having 2 different generations of hairstylists mold me in my early days was the greatest thing. I felt like I got “old school” Sassoon with David: very classic, very disciplined. And with Kristopher, I got that plus some newer, more modern balances.

I qualified after 2 years and stayed in Scottsdale as a stylist for the next 9 years.

In 2015 I became the Assistant Salon Director. Working on the operations side of hair was a real eye opener. Understanding the business side and what goes into running a successful salon changes the way you work, day in and day out.

I built a great clientele and met some wonderful people. I had some really great opportunities to move to the Beverly Hills and Chicago salons, but the timing just wasn’t right.

Then, after 11 years, life happened and BAM! I’m in Seattle starting over!

Instead of working on the operations side of Sassoon again, I get to teach in our Academy, which has been a trip. I never thought I would, or could, but I’m glad I am. Sharing what we do with other hairdressers is super rewarding. Even if they get just one “ah-ha” moment where something finally clicks, I’m psyched!

So that’s where I am today. Rebuilding a clientele, sharing hair and building new relationships in a brand new city.

What advice would Sophie today tell Little Sophie on her graduation day from beauty school?

I’d tell myself that I am good enough. Insecurity is a mean old lady.

Top 3 reasons everyone should take at least one Sassoon class in their career

Sassoon revolutionized our industry. I like to think we are still the ‘Gold Standard” in hair education. Sharing hair is such a huge part of our identity and culture. We’ve had thousands of hairdressers in our academies all over the world. They are all a part of the Sassoon family!
Our courses really give you the time and space to focus on learning. Beyond our in-depth lectures, we have live models for both demonstrations and our hands-on work sessions.
We cut hair in the salon for our clients. We run on a schedule and a time frame. We do the best we can with the time we have. When you come to the Academy, you are able to take a step back and come back to the fundamentals of precision haircutting. You have time to pay attention to body position, to hand position, to your elevation, to the details. They are things we take for granted in the salon. It’s like putting the missing puzzles pieces back into the puzzle. It allows you to reset and come back to the salon re-energized!

What do you think the biggest struggle stylists are experiencing in the industry today?

Getting caught up in trends. Hair, like fashion, is constantly changing. If all you have in your hair repertoire is this one thing, you’re out when that trend is out. Don’t get me wrong, you need to stay up to date and learn new hair trends. But, when I think of long-term success, as stylists, we need to continually work on and advance our technique, our fundamentals. Going back to what we do at Sassoon, classic technique is the foundation for everything. With the ABC’s, we can really apply those techniques and shapes to everything a client could throw our way. It keeps us versatile but also timeless. Classics never go out of style.

Who is your Hair-Hero?

So cheese-ball, but it’s my brother, Kristopher. He inspired me to do hair, to do better, to be brave, to be purposeful and to stay motivated! He’s the glue in any salon he’s in. He’s the motivator, the example. One of the best haircutters I know. He loves Sassoon and everything that we stand for. He sees hair differently than I do; in some crazy 3 dimensional, exploded diagram. It’s impressive. I hope that one day, I can be as good as him.

What is your doughnut and/or taco of choice?

Krispy Kreme glazed donut.

Fish tacos from Gallo Blanco in Phoenix. Drool.

Best advice you’ve ever been given

“Be kind to people.”

I knew I was a Hair Nerd when…

Mark Hayes, who is the International Creative Director for Sassoon, used me as a hair model for the AW 2006 Collection ‘Spiral.’ I had just started hair school and had no idea about anything but watching him cut hair was memorizing. Every section was cut so deliberately. Every motion had a purpose. He spoke about hair like an organic matter that could be formed. I had to know more. I had to be a part of Sassoon.

Where can people stalk you?

You can find me on Instagram @sophie.sassoon and @sassoonseattle

Stalk me at Pike’s Market. You can catch me in between the donut and samosas stand.

Sophie Agbayani