My Space: Sixx Hair Studio, Bristol

SIXX HAIR STUDIO, BRISTOL – OPENED FEBRUARY 2022

 

Quirky and compact, the newly-opened Sixx Hair Studio is located just off the legendary Bearpit plaza (the sunken St James Barton roundabout) in Bristol. A local haven for skateboarders, the area has been spruced up by the city council in recent years, with new businesses and urban wildflower meadows both springing up along its borders.

Tucked away in the buzzing Art Club collective space, Sixx is surrounded by independent coffee shops, a vinyl store, vintage clothing boutiques, rare plant shops, and an art gallery that shows and sells work from up and coming local artists. Founders Luke Castillo and Liam Wiseman moved to the area at the height of the Covid pandemic and wanted to channel the creative vibe into their salon project. “We wanted a young, brand-neutral space were we could create truly customisable appointments with each of our clients,” said Luke. “We knew that we didn’t want a shop-fronted studio and wanted to be part of a hub. The community feeling in Bristol is so strong, so being a part of a multi-space collective was the perfect fit.”

When it came to decor decisions, the choice was made to combine both Liam and Luke’s views on design. “Sixx Hair Studio is a complete mash up of both our styles,” they explained. “We had spoken to our clients for a long time about how our aesthetics would actually merge together and how we were going to approach the collaboration.” This resulted in a gradual and organic assimilation of talking point accessories, salvaged parts and carefully-chosen furniture.

“After having most of the salon sitting in our living room for weeks, it was almost like an explosion when we finally had the floor laid and everything went inside,” Luke added. “We wanted an impactful flooring that was bold and very nostalgic – harking back to salons that you may have come across in the ’60s. Building on that black and white foundation, there were so many juxtapositions of texture and material, but they all merged together to create the perfect eclectic blend of both our classic and modern style preferences.”

“As a textured hair specialist, the chairs were actually the most important aspect for me,” Luke continued. “I wanted my clients to be comfortable when getting their hair dried rather than feeling like they had been at the gym for an hour! The ingenious, modernist-style reclining chairs we went for allow my clients to relax and enjoy the luxury of soft tan leather.”

Sixx has two stations and just one basin, so retains an intimate feel despite its bold stylings. In contrast to the graphic checkerboard floor tiles, each style station is fitted with a simple circular mirror and slim counters perched on retro hairpin legs. “We offset the sharp, linear feeling of the flooring with handmade oak station tables, which we in fact crafted ourselves,” said Luke. “You can surprise yourself with what you manage to pull out of your hat when you want to be budget savvy!” 

The sustainability doesn’t stop there – Luke and Liam sourced an up-cycled metal colour station before they came up with the salon name, which ended up being pretty fitting. “The piece has the numbers ‘7,8,9’ on the front across the cabinet doors, so when we settled on ‘Sixx’, it was like the the stars aligned,” said Luke.

And as for the signature accessories; the Sixx dolls who dance across the shelves and marketing materials? “Luke has always had an obsession with dolls since he was young,” Liam explained, “and I came up with the idea to shoot our branding with them.” Luke continued: “We introduced them into the salon and they’ve become a bit of a branding sensation alongside the glowing neon logo by Angry Branding. Both are playful, light-hearted, sexy and fun – everything we want Sixx to be! “