Grande Maison

A Forces of Nature: Sabrina Michals’ Holistic Secrets of Styling

A TRILOGY OF HAIR IN AUSTRALIA

Our connection to the natural world is delicate, and so often we get swept up in the fast-paced working lifestyle that we lose sight of our roots to the earth we all come from. Sabrina Michals is a force of nature we can all learn from, taking a holistic approach to beauty, and weaving wellbeing into some of the most fast-paced and revered areas of the hair industry. From her reshaping of New York City’s infamous salon Bumble and Bumble.’s backstage team, to her editorials for GQ and Spanish Vogue; what makes Michals so impressive is her ability to see beneath the chaos of styling to the energies that guide her practice. This vision of holistic hairstyling has guided her to gain certificates in Yoga, Aromatherapy and, most recently, Energy Works. Today she one of the most impressive stylists, a secret-keeper, a coach for tricks of the trade and styling sorcery. Guess what, Australia. Soon, she’s on her way for our trilogy of styling masterclasses.

GMSabrina, you’ve worked in the industry for 27 years, with some of the biggest names in the biz. How do you keep up the New York City pace of life, and still find time for the holistic approach?
SMOur beauty service is healing work. If you think about it, we’re always working on a person, and particularly with their seventh chakra - the Crown. We have to be aware that anything we do in the chair will affect their mood, their energy. People ignore this, and just go at people’s hair to get the right “look”, but we need to realise that the beauty industry is about internal, not just external, beauty.

GMHow do you actively do that?
SMWell, with some hair industry giants, you would find people sometimes experienced allergies because the ingredients weren’t always made obvious, and many of them were toxic and caused reactions. This is not conducive for a beauty practice. I use very few toxic products, since integrating low toxicity is important in every aspect of our lives. It’s emotional wellness, more even than beauty wellness, which we should share with our client. That’s a simple thing you can do to re-engage the vitality in this art-form we’re a part of.

GMIt must make a difference to working in a high-energy environment like a cat-walk?
SMModels go through session after session. Hairdressers who care have a duty to not make them feel like animals. If you make them feel like they are cared for, you create a better environment for work. I always try to start with a scalp massage, some rose tonic - those five minutes extra make such a big difference to how you work together in the moment and in the future.

GMDo you see many other people adopting these methods?
SMA lot of people are using meditation and essential oils in their own lives, but only now is it becoming integrated in the world of beauty. We play hard, we don’t take care of ourselves, we don’t sleep long enough, so wellness is important - it let’s us do what we do longer. Even so, I don’t know too many hairdressers who are doing this, but I watched Battle of the Sexes recently, and there’s a scene where they were putting lavender oil on their wrists to calm the client down. I was like, yes! My roots right there, in the 70s.

GMWhat is it about Australia that speaks to you?
SMOne of my most memorable vacations was backpacking for a month through Australia. I went to Byron Bay, where all the hippies were, and got my Om tattoo. A lot of our holistic coaches, and those who are starting this wellness revolution in their industry, come from Australia. I think these classes will speak to the beauty world down under.

GMIt’s a very different energy to what you’re used to in the Big Apple, I’m sure.
SMYes. The New York City energy is like a magnet, it pulses through you 24/7 - it’s a vortex you get sucked into. And it never stops. You either burn out, or you fight to hold on to your rituals, your wellness - whatever those are. Many of us live in a concrete jungle, where there isn’t a lot of nature. Nature is our ally for emotional wellness - Francenscene, Sandalwood, for example. Australia is a natural haven - there’s ocean, desert, extreme weather and real wildlife. You can’t avoid it.

GM These masterclasses form a trilogy, the first of which is all about Razor Cutting. Tell us about that one.
SM It’s all bobs and long layers, and we’ll be introducing the straight-edge razor and how it softens the hair, texturises and gives that lived-in look. The thing about razors is you can work smoothly to take out thin slivers of hair, or big chunks; you can work with inversions, or bangs and bits. It’s that French-girl style, which is much easier to master once you nail the razor techniques.

GM And then you’ll do an entire class on Braiding?
SM Yes! I developed this braid class at Bumble and bumble. It’s all about training the eye to recognise what braids are out there so you can break them down and even invent your own. This is about experimentation, but then also making sure you don’t lose your head in a professional environment when working with complicated braiding techniques.

GM Finally, the Fundamentals of Styling class. Your best kept secrets, no?
SM I’ve been working for a long, long time, for editorial work, for catwalks, in Bumble and bumble. and over this time I’ve picked up some very important tricks that make styling easier, smoother and, honestly, made me a better stylist. I’ll be showing you how to tie a ponytail with an elastic thread on your own. We’ll be going into genuinely good backcombing technique, for real structure, so it’s brushable. Say goodbye to “pinning and praying”, we’ll be working with all different size U pins or hair pins to really nail placement, this allows you to control tension and move shape around. These are all things we teach ourselves, but rarely learn to master or develop.

GM Would you include blow-drying in this class?
SM Yes, but not with hairspray, since I’m into low-toxicity. I whirl these hairdos up with intention, because the products I use are so precise. We want to create signature hairstyles, rather than throwing all the hairspray and bobby pins in that we have, and hoping something sticks.
We want our clients to say “wow!” - because the impact is big, though the technique may be small and delicate.

GM And you’ll be integrating your holistic approach to beauty throughout?
SM Everyone who comes to these classes will benefit from working with Hair Mantras, essential oils. How to use products In a intentional way to keep toxicity low and some may even learn how to make their own tonic.

RAZOR CUTTING MASTERCLASS

Overview

Sabrina Michals takes us deep into the intricacies of working with razors. We will focus on precision weight removal, and thinning out sliver by sliver - this is one of the most versatile instruments in a hairdresser’s arsenal.

Objectives

To understand the power of the razor.
To become equally versed in heavy razor use as delicate thinning techniques.
To learn about how the razor softens hair, creates long layers, and crafts striking bangs and bits.

Workshop Day Ticket
tba AUD excl. VAT.

BRAIDING MASTERCLASS

Overview

Braiding can be confusing, intimidating and down-right scary sometimes. That’s why Sabrina Michals leads this masterclass, which will untangle true technique from guesswork, and develop skills you can rely on when life gets intense.

Objectives

To unravel the fundamentals of braiding, understand simple braids, and build up to the more complex.
To identify braids by looking, and understand how they are constructed.
To learn to create our own braids.
To master our prefered braiding techniques, and apply these across the board.

Workshop Day Ticket tba
tba AUD excl. VAT.

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF STYLING

Overview

Sabrina Michals has years of styling under her belt and has worked with some of the industry’s brightest and best. She’s collected some of the best kept secrets and tricks of the trade, things that you don’t get taught, and that only time can teach - the fundamentals of styling.

Objectives

To master the elastic string ponytail, solo.
To work with low-toxicity products which really perform, rather than working with hairspray.
No more pinning and praying, learn where to pin and why it matters.
To learn how to create backcombed styles you can brush and hold real structure

Workshop Day Ticket
tba AUD excl. VAT.

TICKET SHOP

Masterclass Craft Workshop

The Trilogy by Sabrina Michals

tba, Australia

The road to wisdom is never-ending. Even the most ordained professional still has something to learn. In the world of hairdressing, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily-grind, the intense magic of the catwalk and the glare of the camera lens. Sometimes we have to go back to our roots, take a moment and realise that that spark you get when you learn something new, ignites the fire of passion inside us once more. That is why at Grande Maison we’ve developed a programme of enlightenment, carefully curated journeys to the foundation of the thing that unites us all - hairdressing.

Students will:
• Gain a strong foundation for growth through repetition
• Engage in daily hands-on sessions with many models
• Master to work with less products
• Master techniques of editorial backstage styling to extend salon business
• Experience interactive scissor and razor cutting and backstage styling demos
• Review the evolution of each cut and explore visual and cultural references
• Receive detailed feedback on your performance and a customised plan
for future development
• Leave with significant technical education and creative inspiration

Submission Deadline

tba

Limited seats are available : 10 Tickets per class
Registration via Email to
education@grandemaison.de

Ticket Shop open soon
Pay - via Pay Pal
Pay Later - via Invoice Balance due 60 days prior class
SplitPay- Pay by 3 installments

Send your application to
education@grandemaison.de
Application includes following information:
One or two paragraphs about yourself and your reason for wanting to join
a short written presentation of your work
A selection of 5-10 images JPG, 72DPI, 1024 large maximum
For any inquiries please
Contact su@grandemaison.de or whats app +49(0) 17622672715

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The Mad Max of Masterclasses: Grande Maison

“It’s time to create the first global, totally independent production house” - Grande Maison

We’ve come to call Europe our home. Germany, France and Switzerland have acted as beautiful bases for launching international artists to the European market. Grande Maison marks eight years in education, beauty and the arts, but it’s time to say farewell to Europe. We’re taking our independent educational hub to Australia, to dig deep Down Under, and find the most creative and committed clients it has to offer. . Today, we’ve got creatives, crafts-people and artists of all disciplines flocking to Grande Maison from Iowa, London, Belgrade, Budapest, Stockholm, Paris, Lyon, Zurich, Basel, Lausanne, Milano, and most recently: Melbourne. Now that really caught our eyes. Besides the waterfalls, rainforests, mountains and breathtaking beaches, Melbourne is a cultural hub for Australia. With a rich array of salons, dedicated studios, theatre, comedy, film and television, oh, and a coffee culture to die for, Melbourne has the fuel that keeps the Grande Maison fire burning. So gear up, get in, and let’s drive this furious and fiery production house to one of the hottest spots on the planet (literally!), for the first stop in Grande Maison’s global tour.
Get your tickets now. It’s time to get onboard, before we set off on the road trip of a lifetime.

“Grande Maison is Made in Germany, but just like the country’s famous automobiles, we were built to drive forward, and fast. We are International.”- Grande Maison.

When Grande Maison was born, it was our mission to lead in the fashion and arts market with our lead educator and amazing mentor Philippe Mensah of Bumble and bumble. University. During this time we learnt lot from the cocktail of the Bb.U and the world’s most creative educational content. How do we tackle the leading issues in communicating new lessons to creatives? How do we not only craft an inspirational masterclass, but put that same inspiration more international? Our testing ground was Berlin, Düsseldorf, Zurich and Paris. Our work was so successful. That’s a success, in any language. Grande Maison’s doors were officially open.