Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Berryhill.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ashley. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My work is all about you, and kind of me, but mostly you. I love to work with natural texture, and movement to give you that lived-in-tousled feel that’ll be effortless for you, and stand-out cool to your world. And cutting it in a way that can emphasize its natural personality. I use a few different techniques to achieve killer results (scissors, razors, dry cutting, and wet cutting)
I started my career with Toni&Guy Hairdressing in Orange County CA, a decade and some change ago, specializing in cutting and styling. Being raised in and around surf/skate culture influenced me then, and continues to influence who I am as a hairdresser today. Think salty beach hair, meets 80’s skater, meets queer LA street style, meets high fashion and you’re beginning to see a glimpse of my lens.
I made the move to LA years back to become the Academy Director for TONI&GUY Los Angeles. I had been educator in our salons, academies and on the road for almost my entire career and full-time education has always been a passion of mine.
My current passion project is a brand that I created alongside my best bud Debbie Pina called Us X Them Creative. As for now Us X Them is an artist collaboration brand that focuses on building community within the fashion industry through street style editorial shoots. We tend to work with newer artists who may not know where to begin. We help them learn how to work together to make a team’s vision come to life. Major focus on working with the queer and latinx communities since both Debbie and I are a part of those.
Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not smooth lol. Getting to work with such an industry leader in the beginning of my career was great. It’s allowed me to always work with really talented artists who lead with their work instead of ego. Being around that kind of energy really pushes you out of your comfort zone. Sometimes things turn out great or sometimes you fall on your face (done that many times) but either way you’re growing.
I think one of the biggest struggles along the way we can face in any industry is leaving somewhere where you have put down roots and is comfortable but not feeding you creatively. Having the guts to step out and start something new can be downright terrifying. My current mantra is no risk no reward.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
This is a tough one because I have my hands in so many pots.
First and foremost, I specialize in hairdressing, cutting, and styling specifically. I am known for my loose, messy lived in cuts. I’m a big fan of letting the hair do what it wants to do and making it look amazing as is. Everything I do has a bit of a shaggy surfer vibe at the core because those are my roots.
I also specialize in education and have been training other hairdressers for most of my career. I’m really trying to instill in the next generation of hairdressers that they have the power to change the industry and do not have to accept it as is. My goal is to create very technical hairdressers that can go on to become educators and industry leaders themselves. I’m really excited to see what they do.
Then there is my passion project Us X Them Creative. This is a project that I put together with one of my long time teammates Debbie Pina. Us X Them focuses on artist collaborations and building community within the industry. We put together street style editorial shoots and always try to feature lesser-known artists. Specifically in the Queer and Latinx communities since those are communities that we are both part of. We are always looking for new folx to collaborate with so please feel free to reach out to us. Eventually, we will be offering education through this brand as well.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Hmmm yes and no.
Yes in that this is one of the best cities in the world for hair. We tend to be the trendsetters for the rest of the country and people are really on top of getting their hair done here. There are also so many options for what type of work hairdressers can do here so we really are spoiled for choice. Also generally salon prices are quite a bit higher then in other regions which means we can make a solid living in L.A.
With all that being said there are a lot of hairdressers in L.A. A lot! So naturally things can get a bit competitive. You really have to know how to brand and market yourself and make sure you do your research before you commit yourself to a salon (and there are a lot of salons!) Is the salon doing as much work on branding and marketing their salon and staff as you are? If not that tells you everything. Find a salon who puts work into growing their team creatively and you will find a successful happy team to push you further.
Pricing:
- Haircuts range from $120-$150
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @voyagerhair and @us_x_them_creative
Image Credit:
Bradley Blackburn, Cameron Paris Cloud, Amanda Pedroza
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
