SHAUN SETTLE

Coming from a very driven family, it came as no surprise to my family when I graduated high school one year early to start my career in the hair industry in 1981. “My dad could create anything with his hands, from an artistic piece to building a house!” He gave me my artistic side, whereas my mom instilled in me fantastic work ethics and the drive to be the best. I have 3 sisters, me being the youngest; they pushed me with fun competition. We always worked as a team, never letting anyone of us get down. I opened my first salon in 1985, wanting to make a difference in this industry. I really learned a lot about how not to run a salon. There really wasn’t a lot of help out there to guide salon owners to be successful. I just ran it by sheer luck and the seat of my pants. I began to devise systems to run a better business. I married Josef in 1989, and was blessed by God in 1991 to have a beautiful baby girl. Josef & I decided in 1992 to combine our knowledge & make a difference; we then opened Avant Gard. Knowing education was the key to a successful team, we sought out different styles of education & training systems. I was recruited by the industry leading educational company, Rusk, in 1992. Quickly being recognized for my talent & hard work, I gained the title “Master Educator (only 100 other designer’s across the country have achieved this status), which allowed me to travel the country and educate other designers doing platform work. This also allowed me to study under some of the most recognized individuals in our industry. I took this training and brought it back to the salon. This helped us grow our incredible team. I am honored that I could travel to educate & be educated in many different areas throughout the World, such as Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, Palm Springs, Chicago, New York, LA, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco, St. Louis, Italy (Milan, Venice, Bellagio, Desenzano, and Lake Como), London, England, Dubai, and Kuwait.

Sense of Style:

Fashion forward. I love to shop. I don’t get rid of anything; styles always come back around & you can mix & match. My favorite stores are Nordstrom’s, Bebe, & Specialty Boutiques. I pick up a lot of fashion sense traveling; most trends start 2-5 years before Indy gets them.

Artistic Motivation:

Louise Rusk, she is one of the best innovators in creativity I have ever met. The streets, Greenwich & SoHo in New York, and London. You can become very imaginative seeing what the young kids create on themselves. I also love our creative classes in the salon (Yes, that’s what all those mannequin heads in the back are for). Henri Mastey for his inventive mind and putting hair dressers back in the forefront of a caring environment.

Interests:

Running the salon, school, & creating the artwork we do on our guests every day is my most time consuming interest. I enjoy creative education & being a driving force in this industry. I strive to keep a family atmosphere with my team (of course, I’m the Mom, if you haven’t already calculated when I graduated until now). Being a wife & mother, watching my daughter grow up to become a beautiful adult, and living a very healthy lifestyle (those who know me think I’m crazy — I work out a lot and eat extremely healthy) is what I enjoy doing in my free time. Last but certainly not least, church & giving back for the blessings God has allowed us to receive, will always be important to me.

Favorite Charities:

Sheltering Wings, American Cancer Society, Multiple Sclerosis, & March of Dimes, Humane Society, H.E.A.R.T

Favorite Quote:

“It’s a funny thing about life, if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”

Organizations:

TSA, NCA, PBA, NCA, AACS