This Artistic Director's Advice for Stylists Just Starting Out

Looking just as glam in Mom Jeans as she does rocking pencil skirts and stilettos, Cassie Siskovic (@cassiskovic), National Artistic Director at AlfaParf Milano, was born into beauty. “My Mom, Mary Siskovic, owns Today’s Headline Salon in Strongsville, OH.  Growing up, the salon was a second home for me and seeing my mom constantly working in that environment taught me the fundamentals of not only the industry, but professionalism. She gave me the foundation I needed to progress in my career and has shown me through her footsteps that with hard work, passion, and perseverance you can do anything. She’s my best friend and has always been my favorite mentor.”

We asked this stylish stylist to talk about her other faves and give us a peek into her world.

Born, raised and currently reside: From Cleveland, OH. Living in West Hollywood, CA

Favorite item in my wardrobe: I have this fabulous vintage faux leather snake skin Prada jacket I found at Wasteland in LA. It’s one of those things I don’t get to wear often but I literally sigh every time I see it in my closet.

Favorite era in fashion: Probably the 80s. Big hair, bright colors, heavy accessories... so many good things.

My professional mentor:  My boss and the SVP of Alfaparf Milano in the US, Betsy Hamlett. My story with Betsy starts right at the beginning of my career. In 2012 I had the opportunity to interview for an internship opportunity with a brand in the industry to experience the corporate side of the beauty industry. She was the person to interview me and hire me. At the time I was just starting out as an intern, so I didn’t get to work directly with her too often. I did however get to observe her lead in the industry as a strong, confident, successful woman, setting an example of how to achieve balance in life with success. When she contacted me about an opportunity with Alfaparf Milano, the idea of working for her and learning from her directly was something I was beyond excited for. Since then, Betsy has given me all the mentorship I’ve been hungry for to continue to grow in the industry. She’s already completely changed my outlook on leadership and continues to teach me how to handle life as a corporate businesswoman through example and mentorship. I’m basically obsessed with her!

My first tattoo: My first tattoo was a pair of shears on my foot! It’s actually a matching tattoo I got with my best friend, Milena Ghattas, who is also a hairdresser. She’s a colorist in West Hollywood & is currently killing it at her salon, Alen M Coiffeur.

My guilty pleasure: I can easily hermit in my apartment for a whole weekend with my puppy, Chance, and barely leave. I love binging my favorite TV shows and doing a lot of nothing.

If I hadn't become a hairdresser: I probably would have gotten into marketing or product development in the industry. I studied marketing in college and focused in chemistry. Both of those aspects of our industry, and others, always fascinated me!

The superpower I would most like to have: Reading minds, mostly because I’m horrible at reading people.

Every beauty professional should…: EVERY beauty professional should take the time to truly learn HOW and WHY the products (especially in color) work on the hair. I think it’s imperative that as professionals we know our chemicals. I think we often forget that our profession is science, not magic and our clients sometime forget as well. If we know our tools inside and out and feel confident about the performance & ingredients being used it will truly allow us to be masters at our craft and arm us for any client situation.

Advice for stylists just starting out? Find a salon FULL of talented stylists you can learn from and take your time getting as much from that experience as you can. I was lucky enough to have my mom’s salon which is an incredible commission-based business model that has always had a staff full of amazing stylists to learn from and grow with. That experience alone gave me everything I needed to go off and be successful doing my thing. Social media is awesome but without that every day in person experience with other stylists, I’m confident I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Most people would be surprised to learn: That I completely geek out on things like Star Wars, Cleveland Sports, Rick and Morty, and the UFC. I grew up with brothers, so I had to adapt to hang out with them. All my learned interests stuck.

Person whose hair I would love to cut and why: I would die to get my hands on Lizzo’s gorgeous mane of hair. Or even color her a fabulous wig. She’s the muse of my dreams.