Imagery courtesy of Lisa Weller
“Love is Beauty.” This concept is my anchor. Without love, it is impossible to create true beauty. Our mission at my salons is to make women better…inside and out. Love is the essential ingredient to this mission: love for what we do, for each other, for ourselves and for our clients.
–Lisa Weller
What was the defining moment in your past that set you on the career path you ended up following?
I was in a dead–end job…a job that was fitting to my college degree, but I was without a sense of purpose. I longed to be good at something and to do some good, so I prayed to God and specifically asked for a talent and a passion. Through circumstantial happenstance, my husband suggested hairdressing and the trajectory of my life miraculously changed. Of course, I had to learn and practice and seek out the best education, but my natural ability is truly a gift, and my passion for hairdressing has never wavered since.
Lisa Weller in her home
Lisa and Courtney Weller at Twirl’s 10 Year Anniversary Party
What makes you unique in your industry?
I am constantly striving to be uniquely excellent, connected and devoted. I have a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, which has given me an above–average working knowledge of chemistry as it relates to hair. This has helped me perform chemical services while keeping the integrity of the hair in its healthiest state, which is what our salons are now known for. I also worked in New York City at Bumble and bumble and was trained in the skills of editorial work. For twenty years I have sought out mutually beneficial relationships with the leaders of our industry – each year I work over two months behind the scenes in the fashion industry with the best of the best in New York, London, Milan and Paris. I have access to the brains of the best hairdressers in the world and I am on the front lines where trends are set at Fashion weeks. I bring that knowledge back to my salons in San Antonio and Austin and provide education to my staff and clients so that we can all benefit. I truly have single–minded devotion to the hair industry with a loyal support staff.
Lisa Weller styling supermodel Bella Hadid backstage at the Off-White fall 2019 show during Paris Fashion Week
What is one way you hope to impact your community in the future, either personally or professionally?
My hope is to give high school educated young women–my employees–much better than a minimum living wage, and to surmount the cycle of generational poverty which is sadly so prevalent in our society.
Lisa Weller (C) and her ‘Twirl Girls’
If you could sit down with any woman in the world–either from history or who is currently living–who would that be and what would you discuss with her?
Jen Atkin – for her transparency, for her access, for her love, for her goodness, for her business sense and for her professionalism. She is an inspiration. I can only hope to affect positive change in the hair industry on a small scale through my work, and I amazed at how she is able to do so globally.
Connect with Lisa Weller at TwirlHair.com, on Facebook and on Instagram @lolatwirls and @twirlsalon.
This profile was (Em)powered by S.H.E Media.
Edited from an interview by Eleanora Morrison.