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Meet Aika Flores of Project The Studio or AFxGrooming in Beverly Hills

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Aika Flores.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in Tarlac City, Philippines until immigrated with my family in 1999. From there, we settled in Las Vegas, where I went through middle and high school and entered college to pursue a career in nursing. Although I was in school to be a nurse, I had always had a dream of doing hair. My grandmother was a hairdresser for most of her life, which inspired me to follow her path. Becoming a nurse then was going to be my way to finance my hair dreams, but I eventually felt like I wasn’t moving fast enough. In 2013 I dropped out of nursing school and made my way to Los Angeles where I attended Vidal Sassoon Academy. After that, I spent the next 5 1/2 years finishing hair school, interning at a salon in Hollywood, growing my clientele, and making as many creative connections as I could. Eventually, I began to feel like I needed something new again; I found myself longing to realize my true passion of Men’s hair which then became Celebrity Men’s Grooming. I reached out to a celebrity stylist that I looked up to and was fortunate to be offered an assistant position that allowed me to leave the salon that I had been calling home. This position allowed me to explore the world of freelance and set work, where I’ve since been able to work with some of the biggest names in the music industry right now.

After a year and a half of traveling and working with different artists both on my own, and as an assistant, I felt that I needed a home base. I opened my first hair studio in Salon Republic Beverly Hills this past June 2020 along with my best friend and business partner, Justin Le. Although COVID-19 has temporarily closed our doors again, I am still busy learning and growing in whatever ways I can. Currently, I am represented by Brandon Louis Management Company, an agency that promotes manages and helps propel my career as an artist.

Has it been a smooth road?
I’m not sure if anyone, at least no one that I’ve met along the way, have claimed the “road to success” as “smooth.” If there is no struggle, at least even a little bit, there is no growing from those experiences. I’ve taken every bump, fork, and whatever might’ve stood in my way as best I could and carry them with me as life lessons. I’ve found that overanalyzing what I could’ve done differently in order to get a different result is a pit stop I never want to linger in. As I previously mentioned, my road to being a hairstylist could’ve gone completely another direction had I not taken the giant step of leaving everything behind and moving myself to Los Angeles. I struggled financially during my first years in LA, as most could probably relate as a LA transplant. I was grateful enough to have such an amazing family as a support system both mentally and financially, but I still held serving jobs while I was in hair school.

Envisioning myself in a successful career in hair was pretty difficult in such a competitive town. Everyone wanted what I wanted and it was up to me to stand out. A huge part of getting noticed or “standing out” was to find a salon that would help me do that. Unfortunately, I found myself becoming complacent in the salon world and struggled with my identity as a hairstylist. I started to question if this path was for me. I needed to try to find something that would put me on the map, but I had no idea how to even get my foot in the door. Eventually, a huge part of my success now has been me pushing myself to be “uncomfortable.” Innovation stops where comfortability and complacency starts. I did whatever I could. Whether it be working for free or assisting, I had to accept the possibility of creating something without reward; I just wanted enough creative content with my name on it out there. Currently, the biggest struggle in many paths is Covid-19, so we’ve all have had to find ways to be creative to keep ourselves going.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Project The Studio or AFxGrooming story. Tell us more about the business.
I co-own a private hair studio out of Salon Republic Beverly Hills. Salon Republic is collection of individualized leased studios where freelance service providers/artists such as hairstylists, nail technicians, estheticians, lash/brow technicians, etc. can operate out of. My official title in my studio is Cutting Specialist. I service both men and women, and I specialize in women’s short hair and men’s hair. On set, I specialize in Men’s Grooming which entails men’s hairstyling, men’s facial grooming, and makeup.

For as long as I could remember, I’ve always had a “boss” or someone that I worked under. Once I got into freelancing, I became my own boss. I set my own schedule and what I make financially is all up to me and my productivity. Opening a studio in the midst of a pandemic was tough and stressful, but I am so glad we did. We were able to create a studio that represented us as individuals and creatives.

While cosmetologists and barbers have to go through at least 1,600 hours of training, a licensing exam, which is both hands-on and a written theoretical, tests disinfection protocol and knowledge, we were unfortunately not exempt from the recent closures. However, in the short time we were able to open, our clients raved about how much safer they felt being in a private studio setting. Check in, service, and check out are all handled by us and the clients, which helps reduce the amount of people they come in contact with.

As far as me working in production, ie: music videos, interviews, and photoshoots, I pride myself in being a one stop shop. I’ve met so many talented Men’s Groomers that also do men’s makeup and style hair, but don’t cut hair. A lot of the time, they have to outsource and find someone to cut the talent’s hair, which can be a struggle in itself. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to men’s makeup since it isn’t something I’ve studied through the years, but I am glad to be confident in every other aspect of Men’s Grooming.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Right now, more than ever, it is so hard to tell. Covid-19 was and is a hard hit for the world and it has definitely taken a tremendous toll in the hair and makeup industry. My only hope is that we can all work together not only as a community within our city but nationwide to support everyone that is struggling in their businesses. Bringing awareness and attention to various petitions about opening salons again can be so impactful. This year has brought so much attention towards many flaws we have as humanity. I have hope that the hair industry will flourish again and opportunities arise. I think my industry has a whole will have to find some creative ways to keep our momentum going.

Ultimately, life is full of surprises. You can carefully plan out your next 5-10 years down to what pants you’re going to wear that day, and still, everything is subject to some kind of change. The best way we can all continue towards our path is to adapt and remain flexible as the world around us changes.

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Image Credit:
Photographers: Gabe Medina, Jimmy Fontaine, Tommy Flanagan, David Slijper, Bazza J

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