Vickie LavantyOwner, Master Stylist, Master Colorist, Hair Designer

Vickie Lavanty A Life That Has Only Just Begun –

Past, Present, Future

“You are the client, and as our guest deserve the very best hair-care services and products.

When visiting our salon, you are the focus of our attention, please feel welcome and appreciated.

Listen and make suggestions that you feel comfortable with.

We will create an artistically innovative haircut especially designed to compliment your facial features, as well as fit your busy lifestyle.”

This is the mission statement of Vickie Lavanty, master hair designer, and master colorist. Vickie coined the term, “Hair Designer” as opposed to hair dresser or cutter because “I believe we are designing each hair style for the individual”.

Training in London

As a young hair designer, Vickie received a trip to San Francisco where she first saw her future mentor in a hotel classroom, on a riser styling hair. Vidal Sassoon fascinated Vickie, and from the first moment she saw how he cut in a very precise and clean manner she knew she had to train with him.

“When I saw his technique, skill and final results, I said to myself, I want to do that. I returned to my home in San Diego and found Sassoon’s advanced hair cutting school in London. Within six months I was in London to train with the best in the world,” Vickie explains. Vidal Sassoon’s advanced hair cutting school, now known as Sassoon Academy, was “very structured, disciplined, creative, and tough, but not competitive. Vidal created a supportive environment where we’d work in a high intensity learning environment with other hairdressers. He taught us to compete with ourselves, not each other.”

Vidal was one of most influential and inspirational persons in Vickie’s development as a hair designer, and to this day she integrates those core foundations of hair design and the artistic technique of cutting hair. “As the client, you are not just getting a haircut.” Vickie says with a glowing smile on her face. “It’s a hair design for that particular person, his or her lifestyle, and particular facial features.”

Vickie the Educator in San Diego

Vidal encouraged Vickie to open her own salon, and when she returned to San Diego she did just that, and so began a lifelong love affair with teaching and educating. In the 1980s Vickie opened V-Avanti International Academy in La Jolla to fill the gap in San Diego, a community vacant of advanced hair design education. “I wanted everyone in my salon to put out an impeccable high quality product. I required the highest standards and quality in my protégés. Through this training students built their own clientele and quickly learned that if they provided great haircuts there were more than enough clients available” said Vickie.

During the 1980s Vickie created the distinctive advanced hair-cutting technique, Hairmetrics 360°™; educating over 2000 designers in this technique. “It’s a system of cutting hair designed to provide my students with a solid foundation and the confidence to become the best hair designers possible. It’s the knowledge, techniques and creativity of Hairmetrics 360°™ that provides this success. And I only align myself with highly skilled hair cutters and designers and to this day train the up and coming visionaries.”

Vickie the International Educator

In the late 1980s Vickie took her teaching on the road. She traveled both domestically and internationally educating thousands of up and coming hair designers.

Vickie Lavanty’s Team

Vickie and her International Hair Design Team, her “hub”, presented their techniques at Look and Learns. “A Look and Learn is where you educate a large audience of salon professionals and hair designers through on stage demonstrations. We entertained as we educated.” Vickie was a producer in these shows. Entertainment didn’t only include a haircut on the stage. Vickie and her team integrated demonstrations by models in fashion and then created the hair design to go with the attire.

As a hair designer and educator, Vickie, was a leader in her field. Her educational productions reflected this leadership in their attention to detail and professionalism. Vickie believes in the “total look” and her stage productions encompassed this philosophy. “My productions included music, sound, props and backdrops to complete any of my productions. For example, in my first hair show, the Third Annual San Diego Hair Show, I won the Best Theatrical Award because I created tie-dye costumes out of sheets and t-shirts. I stayed up for one week straight designing the costumes for 30 models, and doing the tie-dye myself. It was my first hair show, and my first award.” Vickie explains with a look of pride in her eyes. That was not the last award for Vickie.

] 46th Annual Long Beach Hair show award for best theatrical.[/caption]

Vickie’s Philanthropy

Vickie has always had a strong passion for giving back. In her hometown of San Diego she has paired with Zandra Rhodes to raise money for various foundations including the American Heart Association and The American Friends of the Zandra Rhodes Museum.

Go RED!!!

One such fundraiser is “Go Red”. Vickie and Zandra collaborated on the hair designs to compliment the vintage and innovative fashion designs by Dame Rhodes.

Vickie has also shared her philanthropic passions with organizations such as Miracle Makers Rady Children’s Hospital.

The Future

One can only imagine the next market, industry or passion Vickie will take on. But whatever and whenever it is one thing is certain it will be with her trademark heartfelt intensity, dedication and innovation.

Vickie continues to educate new and upcoming hairdressers in Salon training, domestically and internationally, teaching her lifelong philosophy of creating an artistically innovative haircut especially designed to complement the client’s facial features, and busy lifestyle.

“At this time in my life it is my intention to bring the richness and knowledge of the past into the present, now having the freedom and space to do it in”, she explains.

Presently you will find Vickie at her cottage beach salon in Solana Beach, or teaching at “The Ranch”, Rancho La Puerta, in Baja California, Mexico, or styling clients in the Bay Area.