My father and grandfather, two of the people I look up to the most in life, dress like anything but your average blue-collar office-goer. They adhere to a company-wide policy of wearing all black to work, which they attribute to allowing for less fuss and more energy dedicated to expressing themselves through a pair of shears. With their office being a hair salon and their desk a station to hold tools and products, it’s no surprise that they chose such a minimal yet powerful color as a defining part of their brand image. They’re in the hair industry, after all.

One of my favorite things to do whenever I visit the salon is to observe how each person still manages to show off their personal style despite the color constraint. My mom, who is a colorist at the salon, has a sick pair of black, white, and gold Nikes that she’ll wear. My dad has also experimented with different sneakers, like black and white checkered Van’s, and sometimes even showing up wearing a pair of chrome Pradas. One of the ladies who shampoos peoples’ hair can almost always be found wearing a flower accessory tucked into her hair. And my grandpa loves a well-tailored shirt with large buttons running down the middle.

Through the years I found myself gravitating towards the same all-black uniform to piece together outfits to wear to class, dinner, running errands, or even going out. I see it as an extension of my family every time I wear the color, and it makes me wonder what everyone at the salon showed up to work on that day.

💘 Hanna