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Q+A Stephen Marr

Reading Time: 6 Minutes

There is something about our crowning glory that we are increasingly obsessed with perfecting, often regarded as the most important beauty investment (with a strong argument for cost per wear). Stephen Marr is synonymous with exquisite hair, consistently setting the standard for the industry. We caught up with the creative powerhouse to learn more about the Marr journey.

NEWMARKET. What sparked your interest to get into the hair industry?

STEPHEN. I literally fell into it, I was intending on studying fine arts, had an opportunity to intern at a salon, loved it. After achieving my qualification I did end up going to University, gained a conduit BSocPsyBms honours – super fun, convinced me even more to pursue a career in owning my own business.

N. You’ve been in business for 30 years, which is a huge achievement. What has motivated you to keep going all these years?

S. Always pushing myself, upskilling, pursuing new opportunities, goals, collaborating with amazing people in new ventures in different industries like hospitality, hotels, property...

N. How do you approach creating looks for different events e.g. fashion shows, photoshoots, everyday clients?

S. Every brand and designer is different, every show is different. Collaboration is a collective process, a group working to achieve a desired result. The process can be simple, but can also be quite an involved, detailed, experimental process to achieve the final result. This reflects also with how we work with our clients, establishing a relationship, understanding who they are, their lifestyle, creating a style which is individual, modern and progressive (in many cases) without too much effort for the client - a less-is-more philosophy.

N. Your iconic Marr Factory fashion shows played a pivotal role in supporting up-and-coming designers. What was the inspiration behind starting them, and is it something you’d consider bringing back?

S. Time and place situation, a collaborative opportunity presented itself, it was a challenging time for fashion week post last GFC with many of the brands we worked with deciding not to show, I owned a bar in Ponsonby at the time 'The Golden Dawn', known for a wide range of entertainment. It took us four weeks to pull those shows together, including sponsorship. It was all about 'in season' fashion and party - rock and roll style. Designers loved the freedom! The shows had a lot of attitude, often wild, always fun! From memory we ran them for 4 years straight, they were massive, we had over 2500 people attend 5 shows each season - hectic! As for bringing it back.. never do the same thing twice – but wait and see.

N. If you could style one person’s hair, dead or alive, who would you choose?

S. Andy Warhol. He had loads of wigs (I enjoy working on wigs and hair pieces) all similar but slightly different, he would have a few interesting stories to tell, or maybe not... he was notorious for having strange interpersonal communication skills. A friend once had lunch with him in the mid 80's and he communicated through an interpreter – true pop culture style.

N. Can you tell us three of your favourite haircare brands or products you can't live without?

S. I love the brands below from three amazing women taking on the establishment:

1 Activator 7 or anything in the Sans Ceuticals range. Highly active, highly effective! The brand is blowing up around the world, soon to be stocked in the iconic Chelsea Hotel NY City – Killin' it!

2 O&M are our staple colour and hair care brand, FANTASTIC! Also blowing up around the world. It's been a privilege to be involved with Jose the founder from the brands inception. I believe they are the most effective ‘natural’ alternative to legacy brands which haven’t kept up in terms offering high performing, natural, sustainable products.

3 Natalie Anne, an incredible styling/care capsule brand by a dynamic Sydney-based session stylist...super unique!

Marr Factory

N. How has the rise of social media influenced your business and what role does this play in hair trends?

S. Social media has created both opportunities and challenges. It is interesting – fantastic on one hand, providing a vehicle to showcase and promote incredible work, on the negative side, there is a massive insincere 'fake' dimension which challenges many social norms.

N. How do you handle balancing your vision for a client with their expectations?

S. Always be honest and real!

N. What's one misconception about hair that you wish people understood better?

S. That it takes a load of time and effort to look good. With the right approach, attitude and product, most of the time a client can achieve a fantastic look. Often the more styling you do, the more aged it tends to make you look. We approach styling with simplicity to achieve a result which is beautiful and effortless.

N. How do you juggle the demands of running a business while also maintaining creativity?

S. Spending time with family, hiking, exploring with my beautiful partner, bow hunting with my sons, visiting the Central Plateau and Central Otago - Travel and family play a huge role in keeping me balanced and inspired - highlights being a recent winter trip to Japan, snow and culture - unparalleled!

N. What’s a lesson you learnt early on that you still remember today?

S. Zig while everyone Zags!

N. If Stephen Marr were a hairstyle, how would you describe it?

S. Beautiful and effortless.

N. What are some simple ways we can keep our hair healthy during the summer periods?

S. Use good quality products that contain UV protectants e.g. O&M Know Knot Conditioning Detangler.

N. Do you have any non-hair-related skills or hobbies that have surprisingly helped you grow your business?

S. I keep active, always trying to challenge myself with new things, I am learning how to wing foil at the moment – not as easy as it looks!

N. What has been the most rewarding part of your journey?

S. Having the opportunity to work and collaborate with many talented people. To have been an integral part of people’s lives, allowing them to go and achieve their ambitions, like owning their own businesses, achieving to the highest international level creatively.

N. What’s next for Stephen Marr?

S. I always have something on the go! ...Watch this space.

www.stephenmarr.co.nz

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This interview appears in NEWMARKET. magazine Summer 2024 edition. For more, click here.

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