16 | February 2012 | woman this month Interview Bold and Beautiful Bahrain's It was back in the 70s when brothers Elie and Jean took Bahrain by storm with their innovative, chic and internationally inspired hairdressing. Now their successors, the next generation of the family, are ready to step it up a level further. Since 1976, when Lebanon born Jean flew to Bahrain to join his brother Elie in establishing a hairdressing salon, the Elie & Jean brand has gone from strength to strength. They now possess five star salons in the Ritz Carlton, the Regency InterContinental, the Movenpick, another in Lebanon and have opened salon supply stores in Bahrain and Dubai. The original concept for the Elie & Jean brand was to bring international knowledge, as well as unique and individual talent, to the Middle Eastern region. The dream was to have people perceive hairdressing as an art form rather than just a cultural formality. With training from some of the most prestigious hairdressing empires, including the Vidal Sassoon academy, Elie and Jean soon made a name for themselves. As we look down the lens of 2012, we can see changes afoot for Elie & Jean. Although Elie and Jean themselves are still very much involved in the brand and the day-today running of the company, their offspring John Luke and Elias have taken responsibility for its forward propulsion into hairdressing superstardom. John Luke heads up the artistic team, in charge of making sure that the boldest, most beautiful hair styles are introduced to the Bahrain market. “I worked for Toni & Guy’s main company from 1995 to 2000, when it really was in its heyday”, he says of his formal training. “We did loads of really big shows. I trained with their artistic team, which is about as cutting edge as you can get. Then, I went on to work with Anthony Mascolo, who has been at the very
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