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| Photo: Lee Clapson |
After 28 years of professional experience and a diehard clientele, Patty Gibbons could have easily rested on her professional laurels, but instead decided to challenge herself ( and her fans) by joining the HeaD AreA team. Of course, we couldn't be happier.
A love of theatrical makeup brought Patty to Maison De Paris, but an underlying passion for hair kept her coming back. An apprenticeship under Don Merlino is where she began to understand the fundamentals of hair styling. Merlino was her first great teacher and gave her not only an unprecedented understanding of classical techniques but also that education would be the backbone of her career."He taught me the core principles of precision hair cutting."
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| Photo: Lee Clapson |
Making to most of every opportunity, Patty continues to set herself apart from her peers by instilling a vast array of influences and experiences into her work. Early on in her career, she had the chance to work with Horst Rechelbacher, of Aveda fame, when he was launching Aveda to the Phildelphia area."He taught me to do prep work for him to his specifications, which were very high, he pushed me to go out of my comfort zone in order to get to the next level of quality work. I maintain that level of perfectionism in my work to this day. I found him to be a very influential force in my early years, and I carry those principles with me."
Gibbons honed her skills at top salons in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Miami. After some time, she began to feel like the day to day was getting in the way of her quest to better her own talents,"I wanted to get back to the craft of hair and did extensive research online to find a salon that shared my passion for hair cutting as an art form."
Her search led her to HeaD AreA in June of this year. A risky move, but one that seems to be paying off for all involved. ," I enjoy working for HeaD AreA because everyone is uniquely talented and has their own way of expressing themselves through the work that they do. I am truly in the artist's workshop/studio atmosphere that I had hoped to find. I have been re-energized to do my best possible work everyday."
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| Photo: Lee Clapson |
The clientele she established over that time is nothing if not loyal and with good reason. Patty is fully committed to her clients, constantly evolving her process to attain even better results for those who affectionately call her "my Patty". They have absolute trust in her ability to deliver flawless hair every single time. "I am inspired by my clients' personalities, the feelings I get from them and how I see them at their best, I try to create that ideal for them."
The admiration works both ways, Following a recent haircut, a curly haired client (who's had more than her fair share of terrible cuts elsewhere) shared with me "I would never go to anyone else. Her cuts are perfection"
