Timeless, twenty years later
Julianne Liebeck opened the first Mods Hair Salon in Australasia on Aikmans Road in Merivale twenty years ago.
After working for Mods (started by Frédéric and Guillaume Bérard in the 1970s in Paris) while living in Greece, Julianne felt the call to come home, and with her, she brought a new dimension to hair styling in Christchurch and New Zealand.
“When we opened Mods, we wanted hairdressers to go to another level of professionalism, and I wanted them to earn good money with their craft.”
This meant training her staff in the French style, which focuses on the hair’s natural movement and its relatonship with fashion, meaning it remains timeless. Julianne began sending small groups of her staff to Paris to learn the techniques from French stylists.
“Back then, it was important that the people in the building had a sense of the French essence. They walked the streets of Paris to learn what that French style looked and felt like.”
She now brings a European trainer to her Merivale salon.
To Julianne, this is all about creating energy and originality – valuing the craft of hairdressing.
“If something’s executed and communicated well, you can see the difference. When I train hairdressers and other stylists, the results excite them.”
She says this energy is passed on to the client.
“When a customer comes into our building, they feel we’re in that zone and making sure we’re performing at the best level we can in everything we do within the building. That makes the customer loyal and excited. It makes our staff energised.”
Adding to client comfort is a touch of further European excellence – Mods was the first licensed champagne bar salon in New Zealand. “Guests can enjoy everything from a bottle of Belle Epoque Champagne to a $12 glass of rosé.”
This sense of pride in place is reinforced by the philanthropy the business has been a part of over the years.
This all started when they worked with WorldVision to help fund microfinancing for women in impoverished nations to help women get into work.
“World Vision set up a fund called Vision Fund. We donated funds, and then Vision Fund would go out to the women in these communities. These women would ask for a loan to set up a business. In a third-world country, this might have been something like a sewing machine; it might have been a loan for her first row of potatoes.”
“It basically was a way to give women the ability to use their entrepreneurial spirit to be able to feed their families.”
Currently, Mods is supporting vulnerable people in Greece, a place close to Julianne’s heart. They are working with a group based in the United States called Move 92, which is set up to use philanthropy funds to direct them to traceable international initiatives.
“We fund housing for homeless people on the street, asylum seekers, and refugees. These smaller, direct philanthropy facilitators mean we can really be having an impact.”
Over these two decades, one thing has stuck out for Julianne.
“One of the best things is training and teaching people and seeing young stylists become great at their craft and earn a great living from it. That’s always been one of the things that we wanted to achieve.”
Cheers to the next 20, Julianne and Mods!