SPACE. OBLADI, OBLADA, LIFE GOES ON.
DESMOND & MOLLY JONES HAIRDRESSING.
When Leonard Newton and partner Jasmin Lethbridge opened their Surry Hills salon Desmond & Molly Jones Hairdressing almost five years ago, that infamous tune by The Beatles was buzzing around many a hair afficianado’s head for months on end. The whimsical nature of the song perfectly reflected the vibe of the quirky new salon and still does today, but now is underpinned by a super renovation, bespoke education academy and marketing campaign that takes the business to a whole new level. By Jenny Burns
Inner city Surry Hills is without a doubt one of Sydney’s most vibrant postcodes, home to a bevy of unique businesses including fashion designers, interiors and art galleries, pubs and cafes and one of the largest melting pots of hair salons in Sydney. Desmond & Molly Jones Hairdressing is one of the brightest, spanning three floors of an Albion Street terrace house that epitomises the style and lifestyle of its owners to a tee.
“I am a massive Smiths fan and initially searched through their catalogue to find a suitable name or reference,” Leonard responds when quizzed about the origins of the salon name, “but nothing clicked, so I moved onto my next favourite band, The Beatles. As with most great ideas the pub was involved and after a couple of liveners I read through the lyrics of ‘Desmond & Molly Jones’. The story of people getting together and having fun sounded amazing and connected with both Jasmin and myself. So Desmond & Molly Jones Hairdressing was born.”
When it came to the vision for their salon renovation, both Leonard and Jasmin were very specific about the look and feel of the space – that of a friendly, eccentric’s home with an extended warm welcome to all of their guests – and a great environment for staff to work in.
“When it comes to the vibe at Desmond & Molly Jones, we want clients to feel like they are hanging out at a friend’s house, checking out cool international mags, listening to new tunes, being pampered with high tea and gelato, all while getting their ‘do done,” explains Leonard. “We also wanted to keep it a multi-functional space that could easily transform to host sophisticated events in the salon, such as art exhibitions; our Transient Dining event, (a sort of pop-up dinner party); and our GladRags Extravaganza, where we invite clients to a special designer clothes sale of Marni, Chloe and Marc Jacobs. So having clean uncluttered space was key.”
The salon renovations took a little longer than Jasmin and Leonard expected, thanks to the basement of their terrace flooding following some inclement weather. Not thrilled about acquiring a free swimming pool, building work was put on hold until repairs were completed and the musty aroma finally left the building. However, what resulted from those haunting wet memories is an eclectic treasure trove of diverse styling, and beloved objects from the duo’s life journey that really tell a story. There’s plenty of quirky one-off unique pieces, such as Leonard’s favourite Sex Pistols poster, a gold piggy bank and a rare 1970’s Lego hair salon. There’s also a wall of mirrors (inspired by Leonard’s Aunt Dot), sleek white chairs imported from Germany and playful pen and ink decals by Dylan Morenti that were specially shipped over from Colette in Paris. Upstairs are Jasmin’s perfect side tables that house magazines and client’s handbags – she designed them herself and had them custom-made locally.
In addition to the salon renovations, Desmond & Molly Jones now houses its own hairdressing academy, a long-time vision of Leonard and Jasmin that was galvanised when renowned colourist and experienced educator Simon Bright joined the team.
“When it came to education, I looked around at other courses available to prospective attendees and really felt there was a big gap in the market for hairdressing education that was strongly rooted in the real world,” Leonard says. “Considering Simon’s depth of experience and talent, it was clear that with the two of us at the helm of the Academy we could offer something that people were crying out for.
“Simon and I came up with five bespoke classes for the Surry Hills Academy – Classic Cutting; Creative Cutting & Colouring; Brunettes, Blondes and Redheads; Barbering and Sunday Social. I strongly feel that we have created courses that combine in-salon needs with what the clients want, working on shapes, textures and colour that can be easily translated into ordinary salons. I believe it’s a new take on the way we share knowledge in an environment that encourages the acceptance of information in a positive and challenging way – all with the Desmond & Molly Jones signature spirit of fun and humour.”
Education is one thing, but when it comes to keeping up to date, hairdressers as a breed aren’t really renowned for being technologically forward from a business perspective. But here’s one salon that breaks those rules – in fact team DMJ is going all the way promotionally with a unique spin on their own salon and social marketing that’s got everyone talking. Some of their fresh promo collateral includes a new loyalty program called Little Black Book, as well as a hip and happening website with cool little touches to give prospective and current clients more reasons to be in contact with Desmond & Molly Jones. Some of these include recipes by clients, blogs about cool music (with a link to Blip FM for what is being played in the salon), DMJ TV with how-to’s, a Twitter link with giveaways, blogs with new events, cool photo shoots and links to other great blogs and websites.
But the crème de la crème is the Little Black Book – whereby all money spent by clients of Desmond & Molly Jones goes to earning points that can be redeemed at 14 of Surry Hills funkiest shopping, beauty and restaurant icons including Assiette, Chee Soon & Fitzgerald, Sparkle Cupcakery and David Met Nicole. It’s not only a fun break from the norm to say thanks to clients for their patronage, it’s also a way of highlighting the spirited Surry Hills community vibe.
“At work, hair is our first love and developing our business is obviously important to us, but both Jasmin and myself decided if we were going to market the salon, then everything had to be a true extension of our overall ethos, aesthetic and personality,” Leonard clarifies. “In this day and age, you have to embrace all the avenues open to you to help make the most of your salon’s potential, but it’s not marketing for marketing’s sake and it was crucial that every word written reflected our sense of humour, that the design, graphics and illustrations were true to our personalities and that the website, rewards program, social media strategy and events all gave an insight into the whole Desmond & Molly Jones Hairdressing picture, including the individuals that make up our unique team and the other things we are passionate about.
“We really wanted to have fun with it all and create something that might not be expected. The ideas that we put into our marketing incorporate the ethos of everything that we do within the salon and the brand. We feel that there is a total uniqueness to our salon and the Desmond & Molly Jones Hairdressing family – and this is our way of sharing it.”