Her
eponymous salon is a well-known name in the City of Joy; now discover
June Tomkyns herself. While June studied with Toni&Guy in London,
her daughter, Priscilla, was with Schwarzkopf Professional in Hong
Kong and Keune in Holland. To keep abreast of the latest in hairstyling,
the ladies were also regulars at the annual sessions held by Wella
Professionals in Germany and France.
Hair ’n’ now…
June reminisces about hairstyling in the past, when no proper hair
colours existed other than True Tone and Godrej hair dyes, and there
were actually no hair colours for women. “They just stuck
to blacks and browns, and streaking was unheard of,” she says.
“Technology today has improved by leaps and bounds and the
hair cosmetic industry has realised that India is a huge market.
As a result, we as hairdressers are enjoying tremendous technical
support by way of products, expertise and an exchange of ideas all
over the globe.”
Meanwhile, Priscilla feels that an east-west synergy is happening.
“This by itself is a big change between today and the yesteryears,”
she says, going on to explain: “Today, the creativity of a
hairdresser is tested and, like any sporting activity, the knowledge
base is what determines the handicaps. The art and creativity of
the hairstylist is tested to the maximum.”
Trend-setting
Priscilla feels that it is important to be updated and to strike
a balance between setting a trend and keeping abreast of one—advice
she got from her mother and words that she values and respects.
Mamma Tomkyns finds that training in any sphere never goes wrong.
“Once you get a disciplinary aspect, you stand to benefit
and it is from here that all your creativity stems,” she says,
to which Priscilla agrees. “Creativity comes with a passion.
It is what formulae are to a mathematician; even Einstein started
from the base.”
In & out
There have been awkward moments in June’s career and she doesn’t
hesitate to share them with us. “Someone from a Consulate
came to me in the late ’80s and asked for blonde highlights.
She wanted to change from dark to light colour.” It was extremely
awkward for June at that point of time, for those colours could
only be imported and the salon did not have them. “The hairstyling
world was so bereft of colours and shades back then, that I was
in a fix,” she says with a laugh.
Mamma’s daughter
Asked if the duo has professional disagreements, Priscilla admits
that even though she thinks she knows the trade, there are times
when her mother’s advice cannot be ignored. “We all
discuss haircuts and skin tones with her. And, with time, I have
realised the value of experience and how important it is to consult
her. If experience comes in the form of a mother, it is great and
there is no match for it.”
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