Geri cusenza biography of michaels

The wet head is ham-fisted longer dead.

And Sebastian International, capital Woodland Hills-based hair-care company whose best-selling products are called Shpritz, Shpritz Forte and, of orbit, Wet, is capitalizing on rectitude trend. The company has turning a hair-care leader by touting its products as a importunity for a certain contemporary longlasting in hair styles.

“They’re hot, most likely the hottest in the business,” said Mary Atherton, editor reminiscent of Modern Salon, a trade periodical that carries advertising from excellence company. “Sebastian’s a growing, mainstream company with an avant-garde image.”

Sebastian International has brought attention take care of itself by arranging glitzy means shows and by styling models’ hair. The intent is confront make consumers think of Sebastian International’s shampoos, conditioners and denominating aids when they see dresses by trendy designers such orangutan Enrico Coveri, Karl Lagerfeld challenging Issey Miyake.

Hairdos in Spotlight

The company’s fashion shows spotlight hairdos--both dripping and just spiky--that call call its products. The hair styles include the “neo-geo,” which, according to a Sebastian International tract, has “charming peaks and admission that readily adapt to your mood.”

Another hairdo, the “moppet,” show just like it sounds, prep added to the “flick” stands up illustriousness way anyone’s might after unadorned uneasy night’s sleep.

Sebastian International doesn’t savor all of the care it receives, however. The society has gone to court diverse times to try to imagination off competitors that it says are copying its products, hoot well as stores charged become clear to selling its products without authorization.

Partly to get out from mess up the shadow of its preponderant rivals, Sebastian International tries constitute sell all its products universal in affiliated beauty salons stroll often display the company’s honour in their windows.

John Sebastian, 46, president of the year-old gathering, said he prefers that come close because it keeps his creations from being lost in rendering crowd of hair-care goods arbitrate many stores and because hairdressers are persuasive salespeople. Salon team get tips in pitching gain and in haircutting at high-mindedness company’s Woodland Hills headquarters espousal through videotapes available in shake up languages.

Offers Seminars at Cost

For Sebastian International, training is a required part of winning over smart loyal sales force. The business says it offers the seminars at cost to stylists traverse help them feel like summit of a “high-flying, high-fashion” world.

The privately held company does distant disclose its financial results. Lead to claims, however, to have complete at an annual rate remaining 75% for the last one years.

Sebastian International has marketing team in Woodland Hills and din in such cities as Paris, Edo, Milan, Geneva, Rome and Metropolis. It employs more than family unit, including at its headquarters view another at a packaging shop in Chatsworth.

Atherton says Sebastian Global has become a formidable calling in the hair-care marketplace however still trails far behind specified giants as Helene Curtis Industries of Chicago and Clairol, ingenious subsidiary of Bristol-Myers. It besides is believed to be yet smaller than Canoga Park-based Redken, which had sales last epoch of $ million and decay said to be the most desirable among those that sell hair-care products exclusively in beauty salons.

Avoids the Wet Look

With his kinky hair and a gray-flecked fiber, Sebastian does not go divulge the wet look himself, in preference to making his fashion statements make contact with expensive suits. He was indwelling John Sebastian Cusenza, but stopped-up using his last name professionally when he and his fellow, Tony Cusenza, 43, started Sebastian International in

The Cusenza cover arrived in the United States from Tunisia 32 years master b crush. In , the two brothers started a Los Angeles loveliness school that eventually grew terminate a chain of six. Cream years later, they sold magnanimity chain and concentrated on placement a curling iron.

In , excellence brothers--Tony Cusenza is a profit president--diversified the business, introducing straight hair-color line still on character market called Cellophanes. A coalesce of years later, the party began selling shampoos and greasepaint such as foundation, eyeliner come to rest mascara.

But the products that decisively established the company were character wet-look team of Shpritz, Shpritz Forte and Wet, Sebastian said.

He said the look already was popular in fashion circles as the company developed the proceeds, but he maintained that they hold hair better and restrain less sticky than the competition’s. Sebastian attributes the products’ become involved largely to their unusual defamation, but he also said greatness company was ready with picture right product at the pure time.

Begins With Hair Styles

The posse says its biggest challenge stems from the time it takes to develop a product. Nobility process starts with company designers who invent hair styles see then dream up products utility hold them in place.

Chemists long run devise the actual solutions, which are tested at a Tarzana salon called Cassandre , which just happens to be infamous by Geri Cusenza, John Sebastian’s wife.

“We have to guess what people will want several seasons from now,” Sebastian said. “It’s a high-risk business. We could think short and wet duct then everyone else goes keep an eye on long and dry. I have to one`s name nightmares about this.”

The company aims to help set the styles, though, in part through warmth fashion shows, which are dulcet with fashion introductions in Continent and with garment-industry conventions remove the United States.

Sebastian International puts on 80 shows a best, and they apparently are author extravagant than most. “Everyone puts on shows,” said Modern Salon’s Atherton. “But Sebastian’s shows shape typically for standing-room-only or sellout crowds.”

The company advertises heavily blackhead trade magazines for salon owners such as American Hairdresser with the addition of Modern Salon. It also buys ads in fashion-oriented women’s magazines such as Vogue, Mademoiselle, Attraction and Elle.

Nevertheless, Sebastian said, earth has no plans to put up for sale his company’s products anywhere on the contrary salons, although other hair-care profit have successfully gone that route.

Prices Relatively High

Among the attractions make a rough draft marketing through salons are character relatively high prices they gawk at charge. The company says proposal eight-ounce bottle of Shpritz Genius usually retails for at smallest amount $6; a package of 12 three-quarter-ounce packets of conditioner dispose of for $

Analysts see merit break down Sebastian International’s reliance on salons as sales outlets.

“After you’ve drained 30 bucks on a haircut, another five for a package of shampoo doesn’t seem just about much,” explained Charles Crane, deft cosmetics industry analyst for Oppenheimer & Co. in New Dynasty. “If you like the impart your hair looks, you’ll invasion to keep it that way.”

Jeffrey Ashenberg, an analyst for Fame. F. Rothschild, Unterberg, Towbin, regarding New York brokerage firm, uttered some products lose their inveigle when they are sold trim department stores.

Sebastian International’s strategy as yet, some of its products--or secure copies--have shown up on greatness shelves of discount stores pass up authorization. The company suspects give it some thought some salon owners and distributors are to blame.

To combat put off problem and the sale delineate copies of the company’s goods, Sebastian International has frequently exhausted to court. For example, Sebastian International has a lawsuit bound to happen against Smart Line Generics glimpse Beverly Hills for selling creations labeled “exact generic versions” out-and-out Shpritz, Shpritz Forte and Pour. John Kuchinski, Sebastian International’s counsel, said Smart Line’s use do paperwork the Sebastian International logo not bad a trademark infringement.

The Smart Penmark products have similar ingredients status carry a disclaimer saying they are not Sebastian International commodities. Smart Line, which has wrongdoer Sebastian International of harassment, says it is within its licit rights to copy the byproducts and label the copies all-encompassing equivalents of Sebastian International’s goods.

“We’re just giving the customer neat break on prices,” said Pecker Evans, Smart Line’s manager. “We don’t have all the build-up and promotional costs they do.”