February Salon of the Month - Arte and Frank

Arte and Frank VIC

By Lis Szepsy February 2 2009

There's an energy about Arte and Frank that's contagious. Maybe it's the openness of the space and the flood of natural light, or maybe it's the enthusiasm of the staff. Or perhaps it's that sense of finding something lively and young in Melbourne's Carlisle Street, home to some of the city’s best coffee and quirky boutiques. We speak to Style Director Renae Preston about the Arte and Frank fashion factor and why it's evolved that way.

Where did Arte and Frank come from?

Franco originally started a salon in London in Soho. It's still there today. Then he teamed up with Nick (Arte) and they opened the salon in Melbourne. Since then, Franco has moved to Montreal to open a third salon which is called Franco's. They all have a similar look and philosophy.

What's special about Arte and Frank?

We have very long opening hours, especially on Sunday, and we're very big on customer service. We provide special teas and coffees, heated wheat packs for cold feet in winter, spring water spritzes and cold eye masks in summer. We try to make the best possible use of the client's time by giving beauty treatments while they're waiting for their colour. While we try hard to be honest with what we feel will suit a client, we're also focused on bringing catwalk looks to the them.

With everyone going for such elegant interiors these days, why did Arte And Franck opt for such a funky, strong look?

The space is long and narrow and we wanted to open it right up. There's a large reception area with no desk that's all about having no barrier. We wanted people to look into the salon and to feel they could come in and touch the products and get involved. The branding and design was done by Frost Designs (Sydney Dance Company rebranding, Sydney Opera House rebranding, Venice Biennale instillations, branding for Sydney Powerhouse Museum).

What's your signature look for clients?

Our thing is contemporary glamour, especially 'Princess' blow dries. We're big on colour that's done to match a complexion and we pride ourselves on using great products.

What's your great motivator?

There's a shared energy among the staff, we all get along really well and we're big on staying in touch with cutting edge trends. We work closely with Redken and Matrix and have styled their latest images for them for the Violet Smoke collection. I also did a shoot recently for a web site called Glass Magazine that I loved with pieces from Vivienne Westwood's latest collection.

Discover some other Salons of the Month.