True to its mission, Aveda lands in South America by opening a new concept salon in partnership with LACES and Hair, an environmentally conscious hair salon and spa.
Aveda has recently joined forces with LACES and Hair, Brazil’s leading environmentally-conscious hair salon and spa, in a partnership that aims to launch the Minneapolis-based company on the South American market. Aveda settled on LACES and Hair as the salon-spa meets their demands concerning professional expertise and commitment to social causes and sustainability, which have long been a priority at Aveda.
Indeed, Aveda is recognized and loved worldwide for its high-performance, botanically-derived professional hair products and its mission of environmental responsibility. Aveda counts over 570 products, including professional hair care, color treatments and styling, skin and body care, Pure-Fume™ aromas, make-up and lifestyle accessories.
As the founder of LACES and Hair, Cris Dios, a cosmetologist, and trichologist instilled a “slow beauty” philosophy, believing that inner beauty reflects and impacts outer beauty – similar to Aveda founder Horst Rechelbacher’s philosophy of caring for the “whole being.” This is why the LACES and Hair team came up with the concept of “hair spa” in reference to the bespoken care and treatment offered to keep hair healthy and looking its best. Moreover, LACES and Hair have always focussed on applying sustainable technologies to salon management, including water recycling, solar energy and natural sunlight for lighting.
A creative collective that included plastic artists, designers, architects, as well as other specialists in art, design, and sustainability was recruited to come up with the concept of the Bioma Salon Aveda and make it come to life. The result is that an energy matrix enables the salon to self-produce 30% of its energy consumption, water used for shampooing is heated via solar panels that also generate electricity for the store. The water treatment system is based on inverse osmosis, making it possible to collect rainwater in a cistern that boasts a capacity of 20,000 Liters (5300 gallons) of water. Once cleaned, this same water is used to wash guests’ hair.
Even the walls evoke the cliffs from the Northeast region of Brazil and feature a color pallet that reflects Aveda’s naturally-derived colors. Taipal, a company that specializes in the construction of walls made out of “Taipa” or natural clay, used two different types of soil. These earthen walls create a spectacular focal point for the salon. “The purpose of modern construction is to perpetuate the location through its aesthetics and resistance. We utilize 97% clay and earth compounds in the wall of Bioma Salon Aveda. If one day these walls were to be demolished, they will have a net-zero effect on the ecosystem”, says Marcio Vieira Hoffman, Partner-founder of Taipal.
And of course, a full range of Aveda’s naturally-derived products and services including customized hair color, shine, and conditioning treatments will be available.
Daniel Rachmanis, The Estée Lauder Companies President, Latin America and Maria-Laura Santos Tarnow, The Estée Lauder Companies General Manager, Brazil agreed, “Aveda’s unique positioning – an offering of high-performance products developed with botanical ingredients and a mission of environmental responsibility — is directly in line with what the Brazilian market wants right now. Local consumers are increasingly connected with sustainable causes and are demanding responsibility from brands. Additionally, launching Aveda will expand the premium category of hair care in Brazil, which is a tremendous opportunity as it is one of the largest markets in the hair care category. We are thrilled to bring Aveda to the region in partnership with LACES and Hair!”
Barbara De Laere, Aveda’s SVP, and Global General Manager said, “We are so excited about our partnership with Itamar and Cris of LACES and Hair. They are innovators and trailblazers and renowned and recognized for their expertise in hair care. Together, we will set the standard for high-performance natural hair care with our launch of Aveda in Brazil.”
Amanda Le Roux, Aveda’s Vice President of International said, “Launching in Brazil marks a major milestone for Aveda, as it is our first point of entry in the South American market. Since inception, Aveda has provided discerning customers with prestige, high-performance products and services that harness the power of plants and give back to the environment. We are excited to make ourselves available in Brazil – a region known for setting global hair trends – and we couldn’t imagine a better counterpart to do it with. Cris Dios and Itamar Cechetto are not only aligned with our brand principles, but they have truly set the bar for salons in Brazil when it comes to professionalism and sustainability.”
Itamar Cechetto, CEO of LACES and Hair said, “We are honored to be part of Aveda´s family, a brand whose soul and purpose we deeply identify with. We will take the mission created by Aveda founder Horst Rechelbacher around Brazil with immense respect and commitment and we truly believe that Brazilians will be as enchanted with Aveda’s philosophy as they already are with LACES.”
