January 8, 2017

Meet Jennifer Cunningham

Local Stories

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

Owners Jennifer Cunningham and Sonny Han’s revelationship was forged over 15 years ago when Sonny first sat in Jennifer’s chair. Mutual admiration commenced. Sonny was in the Air Force at the time and was dressed in fatigues for the first few appointments. Stylists often navigate their perceptions of client’s style by their dress. Imagine her surprise when Jennifer finally saw Sonny dressed for Ladies night! The wheels came off and it was a full beauty excursion with talk of products, models, fashion, and culture. Conversation was also of politics, philanthropy, and a general attitude of service. Clients become friends. That’s the beauty of the beauty biz. The two, being natural entrepreneurs, would discuss each others endeavors. Jennifer’s career as a freelance makeup and hair artist in LA and NYC was a favorite topic. Jennifer was equally interested in Sonny’s transition from military life by finishing a graduate degree in merchandising and consumer behavior and starting a successful beauty brand in the nail industry. Throughout the years, Sonny always recognized Jen’s unique talent, work ethic, and creativity. When the opportunity arose for Jennifer to continue the legacy of Gamine, Sonny jumped on board!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Buying a long-standing business and making it your own presents special challenges. How to build trust? How to bring in new ideas and get everyone on board? The road to creating a team with the right personalities and skill sets has been bumpy at times but also rewarding. Balancing the perspectives of new team members with an established team while motivating them to achieve a common vision was the most difficult challenge. However, after learning how to harness and integrate the unique talents of everyone on our staff, we’ve created a culture of collaboration, service, and teamwork that has elevated our game.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Gamine Beauty – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Gamine Beauty aims to deliver joy through a unique combination of excellent craftsmanship, exceptional service and access to mindful beauty products. We do this in a way that is warm, friendly and without the pretension that pervades other Los Angeles salons. We value skill over hype. Nothing is more important to us than our clients and taking care of them. We know that in a city where the best of the best reside, people have choices. We are honored every time we are the choice and strive to offer an experience that embodies service, expertise, and connection unparalleled.

For over 25 years Gamine has been known for beautifully executed tailored haircuts and gorgeous color. Jennifer brings a fresh perspective to our repertoire of services. Bringing her years of fashion/celebrity hair and makeup experience to Gamine Beauty, the artistry of dressing hair and the polish of perfect makeup application is now accessible to our clients. We all have “red carpet” moments when we want to look and feel our best. Jennifer and her team live to bring out your confident individual style for your big moment or simply your next haircut.

It is our aim to support a work environment that fosters a real sense of team. We aid in the development the creative individual as well as incentivize teamwork. We share our skills with an ongoing education program. The culture within the salon is as important as how we exist within our community. Building relationships and making real connections is a way we measure success. We have started on our mission to give back to the community through fundraising for both the Midnight Mission and the Downtown Women’s Shelter. We will be putting “Boots on the Ground” so to speak by taking out a team to the shelter. We have the power to transform and to be the person to let someone know that people really do care. We intend to use that power!!

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
So many plans!! We are in the process of structuring the look and feel of our content. There will be knowledge and inspiration in our content. Using imagery and social forums in new ways that contribute to a greater conversation. We want to inspire people to emulate some of the iconoclasts that have shaped female perspective over the years. An example would be Audrey Hepburn not as Holly Golightly, but as the fierce activist she spent most of her life as. Not forgetting how fabulously fashionable she was while doing it. More than fashionable, she had a personal that transcends trend while breaking boundaries.

We have plans for an extended e-commerce aspect to our site so we can provide performance meets mindfulness in our retail offerings to customers everywhere. Additionally, we would like to offer an enhanced retail experience by offering education and demonstrations of each product to maximize its value.

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