People of the OCQ: Kevin
With his baller hat, hand tattoos and oversized black jacket, Kevin strikes a certain effortless style about him.
“I wanted to be a fashion designer,” he explains. “I always wanted to do something that gave me more freedom to be creative.”
Having worked in the culinary field for a number of years, Kevin was ready for a change. He applied to George Brown College on the east coast to pursue fashion, but the director of the program suggested he enroll in hairdressing school.
“I had never picked up a pair of scissors in my life or even thought about cutting someone’s hair before.”
Kevin applied to the hairdressing program at Vancouver Island University, and twenty-seven years later continues to follow his passion of cutting hair. Kevin has travelled worldwide to pursue editorial and television styling projects and be an educator for major hair brands.
While working for Britain’s Next Top Model, he connected with Christopher Bissell, who gave Kevin his shot of becoming an accredited clothing stylist. Coming full circle of his dream in fashion, he’s now able to style hair and also select the wardrobe.
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Locally, it has always been Kevin’s dream to open up a hair salon that focuses on having an inclusive environment that’s fueled with out of the box thinking.
“I have worked out a few different salons renting chairs, then we rebranded the business in 2022 to Noble Common,” he says. “We’ve been in our location on Wentworth now for a year and a half. I have two stylists that work with me, Marichelle and Kenzie.”
As you walk through the yard, a cascading tree with string lights leads the way up to a vibrant yellow door and wrap around porch of a heritage building in the Old City Quarter. Once inside, you’re greeted with greenery and homey vibes.
“As much as I liked working in bigger salons, it felt too in the box for creativity. Everyone that works here kind of has had that experience,” explains Kevin. “We just wanted something that was more personable, so we could really give a unique experience.”
The cozy atmosphere of getting a hair cut in a heritage home isn’t the only thing different Kevin is doing with Noble Common; they also have an operations manager, something you don’t often see in salons.
“We are so fortunate because we have an operations manager, Lisa, who looks after the whole entire backend of the business, so that we can do our thing out front and service our clients through various elevated services.”
Having an operations manager means more focus on clients and creativity, and more stability in the business.
“Salons, I find they run really close to their bottom line. We've been able to mitigate a lot of that, and have a budget that we're able to work with. I've never heard of a forecast in hairdressing for the year ahead,” says Kevin.
Along with the financial success of the salon is the atmosphere Kevin has worked hard to create. The aim isn’t to leave clients with a great haircut that looks and feels great day of, but educate them how to take care of their hair long term. The salon offers cultivated colour services, scalp health treatments, extensions and education.
“My goal is to transform how we connect with our clients, creating memorable moments that make them reflect and think, ‘that was special.’ Whether it’s a unique touch at the sink or personalized information shared during their visit, those small details matter. In a world that feels increasingly closed off, I’m committed to fostering connection and making every interaction meaningful for our clients,” says Kevin.
Noble Common Hair Co. is located at 711 Wentworth Street and is open Tuesday to Saturdays.