If there’s one piece of advice Aubrey Bonnah-Vink would pass on to aspiring hair professionals, it’s aim high. Hailing from the tiny town of Beaumont, Alberta, Aubrey’s refusal to settle for second best has taken her from Canada’s #1 Hair School to Avant Garde Hair Studios, one of Vancouver’s leading salons, which in turn has led to her being named as one of the country’s Top Ten New Hair Talents at the prestigious Contessa Awards.
Her philosophy is simple. If you’re going to pursue something, why not pursue it to the very best of your abilities?
“Nearing the end of high school I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go in,” she explains. “I took hair and cosmetology in high school. I also took welding, which I wasn’t very good at. But I was good at hair styling! When our cosmetology teacher Miss Summers started bringing in beauty industry guest speakers I realized that I could see myself doing this professionally. I really liked the idea of travelling and meeting people”
Having already learned the basics, Aubrey was eager to ensure that her next step would take her straight into the heart of the hair industry.
“I’d started doing hair for friends and family while I was still at high school, but I knew that if I was going to do this as a career I wouldn’t just want to work in my little town. I wanted to be really good. I Googled ‘Top Hair School in Canada’ and Blanche Macdonald came up. I thought, ‘That’s where I’m going,’ even though I had never been to Vancouver before.”
Fresh out of high school but eager to write the next chapter in her life, Aubrey soon discovered that Blanche Macdonald’s high-end hair training was exactly what she’d been hoping for.
“The first couple of levels were more detailed and theory-based than what I’d learned in high school, which was exactly what I was looking for in terms of becoming a professional. And I really liked when we got into the TV and Film module and the photo shoots. Of course I like being behind the chair, but I wanted the extras too. Blanche Macdonald gives you a broad spectrum of what you can do. It’s real life education. The instructors did a really good job of making sure everyone would keep an eye on their clients and be professional the entire time. I was totally out of my comfort zone coming to Vancouver from Alberta. I didn’t know anyone. My classmates became my friends and family but I still had to branch out on my own to get clients and models to practice on. That helped me once I graduated. I learned how to communicate with strangers and persuade them to sit in my chair.”
Looking for a salon to begin the work experience section of the program, Aubrey was again searching for the very best.
“I was looking through the list of salons and talking to one of the instructors. I said, ‘On this list, which is number one?’ He said, ‘You have to go to Avant Garde and work with Jon Paul Holt. You’ll love it.’ So I called Avant Garde right away and they asked me in for four days. It was the craziest time. Tuesday through Saturday it’s packed. It was survival mode. ‘Can you shampoo my client?’ ‘Can you do a blow dry?’ They knew how good Blanche Macdonald is and they trusted me to do whatever they asked even though I was still a student. I loved it!”
Aubrey had discovered her dream salon at her first stop. Her next task was winning a job there.
“I knew I needed to get on Jon Paul’s team of stylists that worked on all the photo shoot and fashion jobs. So I volunteered like crazy for five months, Every time they had a shoot, I was there. It was like, ‘Remember me? I’m here helping again!’ Students should volunteer for as many projects as they can. It will pay off in the future.
“One day Jon Paul asked me to go for coffee. I didn’t even think he knew my name. He said, ‘Do you want the position helping me or what?’ and I started at Avant Garde as his assistant right after I graduated. I’d shampoo and blow-dry every client for him, then graduated into doing the colour applications. I got involved with the front desk managing, choosing and ordering our products, and planning with photographers and designers for our creative projects. It was teaching me to build relationships and manage a shop. Jon Paul has done so much for me in my career, from constantly pushing me to think outside the box, never letting me settle for anything less than what he knows is my best and teaching me what it means to be a business owner. I’m so grateful and lucky to have him supporting me.”
That was two years ago. Now Aubrey’s one of Avant Garde’s team of Stylists with a full schedule of clients and keeping beyond busy exploring every avenue of the hair industry.
“It sounds cliché but I love my job. We’re an eclectic bunch but we’re also a family. I want to keep moving forward and be involved in as many projects as I can get my hands on.”
At Avant Garde that means a steady stream of fashion shows and creative photo shoots.
“We work with a lot of local designers and stores, like Nancy Perreault, Leone and Roxanne Nikki. People ask Jon Paul because he’s so well known for his fashion work. He’ll send a team from the salon. At first I was really nervous. But often designers give us a lot of creative freedom. They give us the clothes and we get to do our thing! It can be hectic but I like the time restraints. I can be pretty quick. You learn to be fast when you do weddings. I like the pressure.
“We do creative shoots here every couple of months too. There are at least ten of us involved, and we always learn new techniques. Each time we have a shoot we pick one or two looks that we want to do. Jon Paul gets together a group of amazing models, photographers and Makeup Artists like the incredible [Blanche Macdonald Makeup Instructor] Jennifer Little. Music is blasting. Champagne is flowing. It’s a lot of creative people getting together, having fun and inspiring each other.”
Aubrey’s artistry is going beyond shoots and the salon. She’s also helping the community.
“We work with the Artist for Kids Foundation every year prepping professional models for the student photographers to use for their projects. This past year I also organized a charity event with my co-worker Heather Reinbolt called ‘Styles by Donation’ where we cut and styled hair with some of our fellow stylists at the salon all day. All the proceeds went to the MS Society and BC Cancer Foundation. These charities are close to our hearts because we both have family members that have struggled with these diseases. It was such a success we’re hoping to make it an annual affair.”
Still only 21, Aubrey is already inspiring her fellow stylists. Internationally renowned hair line Scruples have just selected her to be one of their Canadian education and platform team.
“Scruples were looking to build a team in Canada so they flew me and co-worker Jeffery Hudson to Minneapolis for a week. They showed us a great time and we were able to learn about these great products and try them on models. Now we’re travelling across BC teaching stylists about the brand.”
Shows and shoots. Fashion and education. Aubrey is becoming one of Canada’s rising hair superstars. Still, at the heart of her work is the art of leaving clients delighted.
“It’s nice to meet new people and find out what they’re all about and why they’re in my chair. It’s a relationship you have to build if you want to keep them as clients. You have to make them feel special and enjoy your company.
“I love being busy. I’m always searching and never say no to a project. For me everything is an opportunity!”
Aubrey Bonnah-Vink on Facebook and Instagram @hairbyaubreybv
