Conversations with Jennifer Cunningham

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Cunningham.

Jennifer, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my career in beauty in 1992, my Senior year of high school. I went to school from 7AM to 12PM, then off to beauty school from 1-7pm through a California ROP trade school program. In 1993 I graduated with both diplomas and began assisting in a high end salon and figuring out the path to working as a hair and makeup artist. My love of transformation, personal style, fashion, music – all the things that allow people to decide how they want to present themselves – took me into a completely different side of the industry than salon work and across the country to NYC. Photo shoots, music videos, red carpets, weddings and editorial work gave me an incredible education in working with different faces, personalities, aesthetics and creative teams.

Eventually, I found myself more behind the chair. I realized that I loved the relationship you get to have with people in a salon. Editorial and freelance work can be exciting, and I love it, but there is something very special about taking care of someone over years, watching their life and style evolve, and becoming part of their community.

Gamine Beauty came out of that evolution. Established at a time when so much of LA’s high-end beauty industry was centered around Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. Gamine brought that talent to Silverlake so Eastsiders didn’t have to drive across town for exceptional hair, and talented hairdressers didn’t have to either. Silverlake has always been the home of innovators, creatives and icons, and it’s been ours for over 20 years. There is hairdressing JUJU in that space. It was photographed by the Iconic Edward Ruchka in his series, Sunset Boulevard, 1973 and the sign read, “Ruth’s Coiffures & Hair Fashions”.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I bought Gamine in 2016, I started with a business partner and hopes that I could escape the sole responsibility of running a business. Less than a year later, it became clear that the partnership wasn’t working, and I bought her out. Suddenly, it was all mine—the good, the bad, and everything I didn’t know yet. And there was a lot I didn’t know! I learned very quickly, and then I learned some more. Running my own business has been highly frustrating at times, but it has also become one of the accomplishments I’m most proud of.

By 2020, I was entering my 4th year as the sole owner, and it felt like we had really hit our stride. We re-established Gamine’s reputation, built a great team, and I felt like all that hard work was finally coming together. It was poised to be a golden year. Until COVID, the gigantic 7 month asterisk on every California salon’s P&L sheet.

For a small, service-based business, there is really no way to prepare for being told you simply cannot open your doors and do what you do. We survived and began finding our footing in a new version of normal, only to have our community deeply affected again by the entertainment industry strikes in 2023. Los Angeles is an interconnected city, and when a major industry stops working, the effects ripple through restaurants, salons, retail and countless other small businesses.

But I’m a fighter and it feels like there has been a recalibration at every turn since. If I have learned anything from owning a business through all of this, it’s that survival isn’t necessarily about having the perfect plan. Humans survive because of our ability to adapt.

I’ve had to adapt again and again—to changes in the beauty industry, the economy, my neighborhood, my team, technology, and even my own ideas about what success looks like. I’m still here, Gamine is still here, and I’m incredibly proud of that.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At Gamine Beauty, we’re known for exceptional haircuts and dimensional color, particularly brunettes, redheads and modern blonding. Our team can create everything from subtle, lived-in color to something much more transformative, including vivids shades and creative cuts. Technique and craftsmanship matter enormously to us, but so does wearability. Great hair shouldn’t only look good when you leave the salon; it needs to work in your actual life. We excel in pairing the right stylist with the guest to achieve desired outcome. We love when our stylists get to do the work they love doing!

We are not interested in making everyone look the same or simply reproducing whatever is trending on social media. You should understand the person sitting in front of you—how they live, what they want to communicate, how much time they actually want to spend on their hair—and create something that feels like them.

What I’m most proud of, though, is the culture we’ve built around the work.

Gamine is an employment-based salon rather than a rental salon, and that means we’re actually a team. We have experienced senior stylists working alongside junior stylists and apprentices who are developing their craft. You learn by watching and doing the work, being coached and doing it again and again (and again and again!!). We provide ongoing education and hands-on mentorship because I believe becoming an excellent hairdresser takes time and development.

Ultimately, what sets us apart isn’t one haircut, one technique or one trend. It’s the combination of serious craft and genuine human connection. We absolutely want to do some of the best hair in Los Angeles, but we also want people to feel 100% safe, welcome and comfortable walking through our door in Silverlake and leave feeling listened to while they’re here, feeling fresh, renewed and more like themselves.

That’s the work I’m proudest of.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I’ve never really approached mentorship as a transaction. If something about a person really resonates with me, I’ll learn more about them, reach out when it feels appropriate, and see how the interactions unfold. I think mentorship often develops by paying attention, asking a good question, showing genuine interest, or simply being willing to listen. One of the things I’m proudest of at Gamine is mentoring developing hairdressers and creating an environment where experienced artists share what they know.

As far as networking goes: be curious, be genuine. Show up and ask questions. Don’t approach every relationship thinking about what someone can do for you. Some of the most valuable relationships in my career have grown simply because there was mutual respect and an authentic connection.

I received tremendous value from people who were willing to invest their time and knowledge in me, and I strive to offer that same value to the people coming up behind me. To me, that’s one of the best prizes of having a long career: eventually, you get to become some of what you once went looking for.

Pricing:

• We have pricing for every budget.
• Senior stylists are 105-175 for a cut while junior stylists are $75
• We train every Monday and need appropriate models at $25 for cuts and $30 per hour for color models
• We have blow dry prices $45 and up!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gaminebeauty.com
• Instagram: @gamine_beauty
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gaminebeauty/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gamine-beauty/
• Twitter: https://x.com/gaminebeauty
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@gaminebeauty5053?si=yFSREPGQ4HxjgdaQ
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gamine-beauty-los-angeles-2