Where: The University at Luxury Brand Partners, the Wynwood section of Miami, Florida. 331 NW 26^th Street.

What to bring: Each class requires a unique tool set. Marketing materials will let you know.

What to wear: Dress To Impress

Maximum class size: 40

Ratio: 1 educator to 6 - 12 students (based on brand and intensity of the class)

Cost: range: $850 for the one-day Design Class to $2350 for a two day master class (includes food and cocktail hour.)

More info:  www.LuxuryBrandPartners.com

Looking for some great education in a great location? The University at Luxury Brand Partners (LBP) in Miami, Florida is the educational facility for all of the LBP brands, including Oribe, R+Co, V76 and Smith & Cult. The 7000 square foot former warehouse includes a café, a design studio, a business center and prep rooms. It is situated in the heart of the Wynwood section of Miami, just minutes from the city center. Noted as Miami’s artist community, the university is surrounded by buildings celebrating color and life through graffiti, urban art, colorful drawings, murals, wall paintings and galleries. “It’s a fun place to be,” says Dean Of The School, Tom Seeberger.  “The area alone sparks creativity.”

Seeberger has a lot of creativity to spark. For 2016 there will be 140 classes in the Business and Design Studios including Master Classes that will feature key editorial artists such as the R+Co Collective (Garren, Thom Priano, Howard McLaren), Vaughn Accord of V76, and Oribe Global Ambassador James Pecis. Additional classes from the R+Co Creative Council, V76 men’s grooming experts and the talented team of Oribe educators (Ronnie Stam, Kien Hoang, Coby Alcantar) will also be offered. On the business end, 2016 offerings include Fierce Conversations and a highly anticipated new business class.

One of the highlights of attendance at any LBP educational event is the attention to detail, from curriculum to environment. The facility is comfortable and spacious. The chairs in the business studio are designed for attendees of all sizes and shapes while offering high function and maximum productivity. The café offers a range of cocktails and the on-site chef creates a thoughtful, health conscious, super food centric menu designed to stimulate and keep students happy, awake and motived for a long day of class. At a recent class Kale, organic sunflower sprouts, home-made granolas, fresh jams, spaghetti squash zucchini and pickled cherry tomato sauté was served and devoured.

“Our goal is to disrupt the industry by education and further develop our network of salons through the discipline of discontinuous innovation,” add Seeberger, sharing the mission statement of the University. “It is all about facilitating a high touch, white glove experience, while offering world class content and cutting edge technology.” Seeberger points out that the goal is to “drive sales of product in salon, deepen our relationships with the salon and to reinvigorate the industry.”

MODERN attended 2 classes recently. The 36 licensed hairdressers in attendance were from as far away as California and Canada and just about everyone was dressed to impress. R+Co’s Garren led a master class teaching the importance of inspiration from classic looks. After an overview and step-by-step demo, each attendee worked on a live model in the afternoon utilizing some of the techniques to transform the hair based on that inspiration and reference. The day ended with a photoshootl to both document the finished look and to give each student the experience of on-set practices under the guidance of a master.  According to Seeberger, the photoshoot is part of the program and finalizes each class.

These programs are not limited to women’s beauty. The Garren session was followed by a master class led by Thom Priano, the men’s grooming expert who has more men’s magazine covers than any other hairdresser. After a morning demo and instruction, attendees transformed male models, making them GQ ready for their own photosession. “The goal with these classes,” adds Seeberger, “is to develop technical skills and further develop the esthetic eye.”

For more information go to: www.LuxuryBrandPartners.com