How an at-home color kit became a lifeline for
a South Brooklyn salon during lockdown.
Sara June
role
Design, Strategy, Illustration
sara gilmoreStrategy
For Sara June, a woman-owned salon in the heart of Gowanus, lockdown looked like coaching husbands on how to give their wife a bob over Facetime and walking clients through a bang trim using blunt kitchen shears. Like many small businesses, lockdown also looked like furloughs, confusing loans, and financial uncertainty.
In 2020 we witnessed the role of stylists as salon confidants enter the digital realm, altering the landscape of client care. Clients began messaging us ways to maintain their haircuts and color at home. The most common concern was covering grown-out roots. Box dye is always an option; however, it often misses the dimensions in color maintained and crafted by a professional. I worked alongside the owner to launch a short-term initative that offered our clients an at-home color kit, personalized by their stylist. Formulas were based from their profiles, photos and videos submitted, as well as socially-distanced color consulations. We were met with an overwhelming wave of support from our clients and community— a powerful reminder of what happens when New Yorkers band together. During the three-month closure, we raised over $20,000.
In 2020 we witnessed the role of stylists as salon confidants enter the digital realm, altering the landscape of client care. Clients began messaging us ways to maintain their haircuts and color at home. The most common concern was covering grown-out roots. Box dye is always an option; however, it often misses the dimensions in color maintained and crafted by a professional. I worked alongside the owner to launch a short-term initative that offered our clients an at-home color kit, personalized by their stylist. Formulas were based from their profiles, photos and videos submitted, as well as socially-distanced color consulations. We were met with an overwhelming wave of support from our clients and community— a powerful reminder of what happens when New Yorkers band together. During the three-month closure, we raised over $20,000.