Pro Profile
Jen Kim
Toronto, Ontario | @anti.dote_studio
Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Jen Kim has always done her own thing. She is a first-generation Canadian who learned about hard work and perseverance from her mother and grandmother. Even from a young age, the confines of formal education and industries never really inspired her. What did spark her creativity, however, were the boundless experiences of fashion and traveling to experience different cultures in metropolitan cities. This drove her to leave art school and begin working as a receptionist at a salon she frequented as a client. At the request of her boss, she trained to become a stylist. “I always knew I wanted to be involved in a creative industry and to find a job that I could do in a metropolitan city. I realized that being a hairstylist would allow me to have that experience.”
Keep reading for more of her Hairstory.
Pro Profile: Jen Kim
Tell us about yourself, your family, and what life was like when you were growing up.
Jen: I was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. My parents came to Canada from Korea in the ‘70s with only $30 dollars. My dad found work as a welder while my mom worked in a factory as a seamstress. I have four older sisters and, because my parents had to work as much as they could to support us, we were mostly raised by my grandmother.
What mentors or role models inspired you?
Jen: My biggest role models were my mom and grandma. They taught me my work ethic and how to be tough. When it comes to hair, I mostly do my own thing. But I've always liked the conceptual work of Katsuya Kamo.
What drew you to hair styling?
Jen: I always knew I wanted to be involved in a creative industry and to find a job that I could do in a metropolitan city. I realized that being a hairstylist would allow me to have that experience.
How did you get your start in the industry?
Jen: I dropped out of art school because I didn't like the structure and restraints of formal education. I started working as a receptionist at the salon where I used to get my hair done, and my boss convinced me to go to hair school.
Pro Profile: Jen Kim
What made you decide to open your own salon?
Jen: After working in the industry for over 10 years for other people, I was ready to start my own salon with an environment and clientele that suited my taste that I didn't see anywhere else in Toronto.
Can you remember the first time you were inspired by something (film, art, fashion?)
Jen: For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with fashion. As a kid I would rush home from school to watch Fashion Television and read every magazine I could get my hands on. Coming from a small, industrial city, I was mesmerized by the glamor, creativity and excitement of the people and the places I saw in New York and Paris and I knew I wanted to live in and travel to those places as soon as I could.
What are some of the most rewarding aspects of being a hairstylist?
Jen: It's given me the opportunity to live all over the world and meet a ton of interesting people that I am still in touch with. I've done hair at Paris Fashion Week and was able to live and work in salons in Edinburgh, Berlin and New York.
Pro Profile: Jen Kim
What advice would you give to an aspiring or new hairstylist?
Jen: Travel as much as you can. It’s an endless source of inspiration and will keep you from burning out.
What are you listening to these days?
Jen: Jamiroquai, Serge Gainsbourg, Prince, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Nicolas Jaar, The Smiths, Pet Shop Boys, Erykah Badu, Chopin and Roy Orbison to name a few.
What are you watching?
Jen: I don’t really watch much TV. The last series I watched was The Righteous Gemstones. Otherwise I just re-watch episodes of Friends.