Martin began his journey as a hairdresser in 2006 when he completed his training course. He joined a hairdresser on the outskirts of Prague where he met colleagues who were trainers. Being amongst this group of trainers gave him great happiness; he learned so much working with them. A breakthrough moment occurred when Martin met Robert Stary during a training event with members of the European Union. Robert became an excellent inspiration, colleague and mentor for eight years. During this period, Martin traveled the world gathering experience at the world famous London Academy Vidal Sassoon and in the surrounding salons. For a few months he worked in restaurants as a waiter to earn a living. He always looked at everything as an experience that would develop him. He spent a year in Valencia at Toni & Guy’s where he graduated in styling and basic techniques for colorists, both under the guidance of two amazing hairdressers, Amparo Carratala and José Boix. Martin was very lucky as he also managed to work in a salon on the Japanese island of Shikoku, where he worked for two months alongside Japanese hairdressers and learned about both their culture and their style of work.

Today, he happily owns & runs Hairmates Salon in Prague’s Vinohrady, learning and developing both his business and his personal skills. Martin likes to meet new people, travel, inspire, and create space for the creative expression of his colleagues and artists from other fields. He likes to connect and support people on their path to happiness.

After studying hairdressing, Alexandra began her career in 2009 working as an assistant at KO Hairgods, located in Prague’s City Center. After two years, she was offered an opportunity to work in the Bomton Salon where she spent the next seven years. She believes it was a fantastic experience as she received wonderful training and the great experience of working in two different salons within their company- first at Brumlovka and then at Florentinum.

Alexandra was drawn to Hairmates because of her desire to further develop and hone her skills and to be her own boss! In her free time, Saša likes to travel, practice her skills, and loves to hang out with four-legged pets. Saša is very reliable and kind, and very skillful in her craft.

Koko is originally from Japan, but she has lived and worked in various places around the world. She now has nearly 30 years of experience and still loves her work! She learned the basics of hairdressing and customer care in Osaka, and later fully utilized this experience when she moved to London to pursue her dream. In the punk district of Camden, she worked in a creative environment among stylists, with rock and punk music playing in the background. Here, Koko enjoyed freedom and creativity in her craft. In London she also completed a few makeup courses at the London College of Fashion and worked in backstage of Fashion weeks and on photoshoot collections. Later Koko moved and settled in Tokyo, working in a gallery space in the fashionable Daikanyama district, where she would listen to chill music and chansons while working.

Her move to Prague was unexpected, but thirteen years have flown by, and now she feels truly at home here. She loves the Czech Republic more and more with each passing year. As a little girl, Koko loved playing with the hair of everyone around her. As she grew older, she developed insecurities about her own hair, which led her into the hairdressing industry and ultimately made her a hair expert. Thanks to her travels around the world, she has gained experience working with various hair types. She has developed her own philosophy and, through experience, created a method of cutting hair to make it easy to style — ensuring the haircut lasts longer and looks good with minimal effort.

She especially enjoys helping those who struggle with unruly hair, lack of volume, or anyone who simply doesn’t want to spend too much time styling their hair in the morning. Koko also loves dramatic transformations, such as going from long hair to short, from black to blonde, or creating avant-garde styles. She loves talking about food, movies, and music.

Mel has been close to the hairdressing trade since she was a child thanks to her family. However, her interest was broader and included health care. It was through this that she began her life's journey by attending medical school. Immediately after successfully completing her degree, she threw herself into the hairdressing industry and joined the renowned James Hair as an assistant. Soon after joining, she was so fascinated by hairdressing that she decided to take a retraining course and become a hairdresser.

From the very beginning she worked with KEVIN.MURPHY hair products, which she immediately fell in love with. For more than 4 years she gained experience in the salon environment and underwent countless COLOR.ME by KEVIN.MURPHY colour training and haircuts according to the latest trends. Her interest in human health has not waned, and when she is not at the hairdresser's chair, Mel pursues a career in psychology.

2022 has been a year of growth for Melanie, becoming independent within the hairdressing industry and you can now experience her creativity and attention to detail here at Hairmates.