Passion over fame

MANILA, Philippines - For Salon de Manila, hairstyling is not just an art.

Salon de Manila owner and creative director Pin Antonio says they espouse kalokagathia, a concept that marries physical beauty and moral value believing that these two are deeply linked.

Salon de Manila is known for bringing elegance and style and boasts of an unmatched pool of artists with mastery of beauty despite their diverse sense of style.

Their line-up includes Antonio’s son, Adlai, an expert in coloring; Gary Lumapas, known for his magical spontaneity; Salve Ones, a favorite for her effortless and natural styling techniques and Joemar Miranda for his sophisticated cuts.

Antonio says the Salon de Manila team puts premium on passion over fame.

“We teach our team how to be in touch with their own strengths as stylists so they could find growth in the business. It’s not only a way to boost their career but also integral in the development of the beauty industry in general,” she says.

Adlai took after his mom’s example and is now making a name for himself in hair coloring. He was recently chosen to represent the Philippines as one of the best hairstylists in Asia for Best of Asia World Tour conducted by a world famous brand in hairstyling in Macau last May. With his trend-setting hair coloring and precision haircutting techniques, Adlai is now one of the most promising trendsetters in the industry.

 For Lumapas it is the client’s confidence that he passionately works on.

“When I achieve a look that brings out the client’s confidence then that’s the perfect beauty,” Lumapas says.

The furniture and architectural enthusiast says he could only do so much as styling new looks is concerned because people normally appreciate beauty the longer they get exposed to it because they get more comfortable with the style.

Ones, on the other hand, revels in her signature simplicity in styling so she could bring out the genuine glamour of a person saying her collaboration with the client makes beauty done in harmony.

The same is true with stylist Miranda who is the prim and proper and the seemingly reserved stylist of Salon de Manila. 

“The person’s beauty is defined not only by the façade but by the X-factor,” Miranda says.  His style is sophistication, glamour and elegance all rolled into one.  He is also about augmenting looks. 

“Enhance beauty by enhancing the person’s factor,” adds Miranda.

The diversity of perspectives of their stylists makes Salon De Manila a solid and progressive industry leader. 

Antonio continues to consistently upgrade her skills and techniques by regularly taking courses at Vidal Sassoon in London at least once a year and passing on these knowledge to her team of stylists.