With Love for ECOHEADS
When the idea of owning their own salon was still just a dream, Kat and Andrew Collett knew they wanted it to be different. At the heart of the salon would be a commitment to give back as much as was received. The culture of giving back would start with the local community, stretch beyond to others in need and include even our planet. They stayed true to their promise.
Their salon, With Love, in Kansas City, MO, has been open almost
half a year but already it has helped raise money for people left destitute by
the floods in Nebraska, delivered breakfast to those camped out near loved ones
in long-term hospital care, bussed in the homeless to the salon for free
grooming and products, raised money and awareness for muscular dystrophy and
gently trimmed the hair of autistic children, some of whom struggled with being
touched. The couple have even fitted in a medical mission to the Philippines.
But it was the planet to which they started giving back
first, before they’d even begun. The first piece of kit they bought for the
salon, before even the shampoo bowls, was five ECOHEADS showerheads.
‘We knew we definitely wanted to be part of that world that
considered the planet, and to be part of the ECOHEADS community,’ says Andrew,
whose background was store management but who is now apprenticed to Kat,
learning the trade from the ground up. ‘Everyone on our team feels the same. We
started with ECOHEADS and now we are established we are to other ways to be
more sustainable, including looking at how salons to can deal with waste in
safe and environmentally considerate ways. We hope others will do similar.’
Kat, who is an ambassador with Pulp Riot and a major
Instagram influencer, with around 65k followers, and Andrew already reach a
large audience to share their ideas with and they take that opportunity to
encourage others to take a more altruistic approach in their lives and
business.
Even though With Love has been open just six months, the
success of the salon and the impact of its message across the industry have already
brought suggestions that they expand, opening other locations even as far away
as Los Angeles.
But for now the guys are keen to focus on their beloved
Kansas City salon, and their team is split evenly between five booth renters
downstairs (including fellow influencer Sarai Speers) and Kat, Andrew and two
commission-based stylists upstairs. They are also busy planning a huge
education event in the city with top names showcasing their techniques, but in
true With Love fashion, they intend all proceeds to go to charity. It’s just an
idea at the moment, but there’s little doubt it will happen and the love behind
it will be real.
