Exclusive Interview with The Hair Icon!

Shiree"The Hair Icon" Mcclendon

Award winning celebrity stylist and owner of Hair Icon Beauty Bar, Shiree Mcclendon, started her career in 2004. It didn't take long for her to build a following of clients including Erica Dixon of Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, Coko of SWV, and Gospel Singer, Tamiya Carter who appreciate her attention to detail. Her unmatched expertise in lace closures, microlinks and more have prompted her to enter and win a host of hair competitions. Shiree has been published in international magazines such as Salon Digest and Hair in Motion and has lead the styling teams on various photo shoots. A native of Memphis Tennessee, Shiree relocated to Virginia after her high school graduation and shortly after, received her cosmetology license.Within five years of working as a booth rental stylist she became a salon owner.

UHC: For those that may not know, tell us how did you get the name “The Hair Icon?

A: I came up the name Hair Icon when I was opening up my first salon and I was thinking of so many names. My husband, my kids and I were sitting on the living room floor, watching tv, and we were throwing out every name we could think of. We were on google, watching commercials, thinking of names of salons that were already created, cutting off the first or the last name and replacing them with something else. Then a commercial came on with Beyonce and it said “Beyonce: the music icon, the entertainment icon, and it began to say she was so great, because she was an icon. So I just kind of said, “Hair Icon”, and it just stuck. It felt like it was something that would be innovative. It was something that I’ve never personally heard of, and there you have it. It was "The Hair Icon”.

UHC: You’ve worked with many celebrities such as CoCo of SWV, Erica Dixon of Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, and Gospel Singer Tamiya Carter. Tell us how did you begin securing celebrity clients?

A: I began securing celebrity clients by simply being hungry. I knew that I wanted to expand my brand, and the only way I could think of expansion was to reach out to people who were reaching hundreds of thousands of people already. I felt like if  I could put my work on someone that is seen by thousands of people, then it's just automatic expansion. So still, til this day, I still reach out to so many celebrities. Not only people in the entertainment business, but also bloggers, radio people, anybody that can say my name and it would reach thousands of people. I reach out to them to simply display my work on their heads, and that's going to maximize my exposure. That's what I’m all about, maximizing exposure and getting my name out there in order to make a household name. That's my ultimate goal.

UHC: How is it different working with celebrity clients opposed to your everyday clients?

A: Its definitely a difference working with celebrity clients versus working with everyday clients. My regular clients have a lot more patience. When you're doing a celebrity, they're in a time crunch most of the time. You're doing their hair because they most likely have some type of event to go to, so they're always pressed for time. Especially if they’re doing some type of camera or video shoot. They want it to be perfect. So, you may not have a lot of time for error, so it needs to be perfect. You have to be time effective in order to get them to where they need to be and successfully accomplished.

UHC: This summer you were apart of Kontrol Magazine’s Celebrity Beauty Expert Panel. Tell us about the experience and what did the event consist of?

A: This summer I was apart of the Kontrol Magazine beauty expert panel. I had an awesome time in Atlanta. It's always nice to go to Atlanta and do things in the beauty industry, but this particular one was very special to me. I was able to reach out to so many young people that are striving to get to where I am. I was able to tell them a little bit about how I started, how to get to the level that you strive to be at, and how to sustain a successful career. The experience was awesome, and that's where I’m trying to go in my career. I am really wanting to be an expert and reach out to so many young people that’s trying to expose themselves, to be a broader stylist or makeup artist, that’s not trying to be behind a chair everyday, but be behind a bigger panel. So, that was my experience working with Kontrol Magazine. I really enjoyed that event. 

For Full Interview Get Your Copy of Unrivaled Hair Creations Magazine Vol 2. Issue 2!!