Kristjan Hayden

What country are you from, and where do you reside? 

I’m from Canada – I grew up in Winnipeg but moved to Toronto in 2001, where I currently reside. 

Title of what you do and if you are aligned with a brand or company.

I have held so many different positions in the beauty industry – I started in hair and makeup in Winnipeg, where I worked at the most amazing salon, Edward Carriere- and at the same time, I worked at MAC in Winnipeg (fun fact: I was the first guy to work at MAC in Winnipeg). I moved to Toronto in 2001 and worked for Civello salons for 21 years, was creative director for Aveda Canada, marketing director for Collective Beauty Brands with two professional product lines, Back Of Bottle hair products and Color Space Hair colour and I’ve been a hair artist on sets/ shoots since 2007. Cadre Artist Management currently represents me. 

What is your educational background (school, salons, self-taught)? 

I went to hair school in Winnipeg and then attended the Aveda Academy in Toronto- I took makeup artistry at Complections in 1997.

What is the first creative project that you remember? 

My first job on set was as part of the shoot team on Canada’s Next Top Model season 2 in 2007- which I was super excited about for my first job- some of the most creative jobs were with Ray Civello and the Aveda Canada team for what I would describe as high production and very creative/ artistic shows that we would put together for some of the international Aveda shows from around 2012 until our last one in 2019 when I was still creative director. 

Over the years, I have done a lot of on-camera work for beauty segments on TV and enjoyed the performance aspect of that. It’s such a fun collaboration creating a segment with producers and models, and I always had the best time doing that. Working with teams to produce an awesome segment is a great feeling—over the years, I have done everything from pro tips and how-to segments to makeovers and trend reports.

I have done many fashion shows for international fashion weeks over the years. Still, I had a particularly great time leading hair and makeup for Tommy Ton on his shows for New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week when he was creative director for the fashion house Deveaux New York. I loved his aesthetic with the brand, and the shows he created were so beautiful. 

What is the signature style/artistic expression of your work?

I always aim to convey a mood by capturing and creating emotion and moments in shoots and shows. I love connecting with the viewer and creating an emotional reaction from the audience … 

What is the most fulfilling job you’ve worked on or someone you have worked with?

One of the most fun few months of work I’ve had was with Sarah Polley last year, ramping up to the Oscars. I love her and have lots of fun with her, but I also respect her so much, so it was a real honor to be there with her for such a big moment. I was literally shaking when she won the Oscar because I cared about her so much and because it had been such a long lead-up to many events leading up to the night of the Oscars. 

Do you have a career turning point, big break, or person who has helped your career? 

Working as a marketing director for Collective Beauty Brands was a completely different direction and an amazing opportunity—I definitely learned and grew during my time there. I didn’t know why I was asked at first, but I had faith in Ray Civello’s vision and the people who had recommended me for the position (who were actual marketing experts, so… I, of course, trusted them). I soon realized my experience and perspective in the industry gave me the insight to do the job- paired with an amazing and talented team across the brands that made magic happen. I was sad to leave the team eventually, but I felt I had to for the opportunity to go to LA for awards season and, ultimately, the Oscars. It was time to return to being a hairdresser and makeup artist full-time. 

What was the scariest and proudest moment in your career?

The scariest AND proudest moment was definitely when I worked on the creation of Back Of Bottle for Collective Beauty brands with the brand founder Ray Civello. I worked on that, from describing what products we would make through testing and development to the launch of 26 SKUs in September 2022. 

I directed the testing of each product to a team of hairstylists, got to work directly with labs and formulators, worked with the design team creating the branding and packaging, and then led the creative team through shooting our first images and branding which included all the product shots and model Images. Around that time, I moved into marketing and worked on the product launch for salons throughout North America. (That launch week was by far the busiest week of my life to this point!) 

I was incredibly proud to have worked on almost every aspect of the product line from inception to launch with Ray Civello. So, it was scary when it launched because I had made such an emotional and personal investment in each product. It felt very vulnerable to put all those products out to salons and to start hearing all their feedback! Thankfully, it was ultimately very well received all over.

What is next for your career goals?

I’m currently freelancing on set and loving it. My agents are amazing, and I love the teams I work with regularly on set. My favourite thing to do is collaborate with people on set and create images—whether that’s stills or motion—nothing beats it, and I’m so happy to have arrived at a place where I can do this full-time. 

What advice would you give to someone starting your business? 

Experience everything you can – this industry has so much to offer with so many positions and opportunities available, from behind the chair in a salon to teaching to shows and shoots, but also the corporate side, which is an amazing experience and learning opportunity. I feel like, at this point, I have experienced so much, which has given me the knowledge I’m extremely grateful for and a first-hand perspective on the industry from so many different perspectives. But mostly grateful for a whole career full of amazing memories, working with incredible people and a ton of fun along the way.

Instagram: @hairbykristjan