crown X community

Looking back on our first year, we accomplished so much. We've supported causes close to us since our opening month. So far, we've donated to and/or worked with: Roswell Park's Teens Living with Cancer Prom, Music Is Art, the Pride Center of WNY, Planned Parenthood, Journey's End, Veteran's One Stop, Roswell Park, Pads & Pints for women's health, Share Our Strength, Camp Good Days, the Mental Health Association of WNY, Hospice, Voodoo + Burnt Rubber's charity auction, and the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research.

This Holiday season, keep an eye out for what we have planned... Here's to many more years of supporting our hometown + paying it forward.

 

one.

Today, we turn one. Thank you all, even more than you know. It's crazy how fast a year can pass by, so come celebrate this Saturday, November 11! 

Looking through some pictures on our phones, here's some favorite moments of the year. Here's to many more.

crown X surface

After almost a year of trial, error on brands' part, and missing our old faves, we have decided to say goodbye to Unite + Hello to Surface Haircare. This may have come out of left field, and we were surprised too, but our professional ethics made this an easy decision.

Surface.jpg

Surface is a Canadian-born company which focuses on care, whole health, sustainable quality ingredients + earth-consciousness. Erin had worked with this company for quite a while in the past, going to seminars with their founder as well as bringing it in to a past salon. The OG crown ladies who worked together in the past all agreed how much we missed it. Surface will be a perfect addition to our mostly vegan products used + retailed at crown.

Say farewell to parabens, sulfates, heavy metals, coating plastics + unnecessary ingredients. Surface ingredients are organically derived, have natural preservatives, are gluten-free, vegan + based on your biology. This line is all about health, hair + art.

We'll still, of course, have everyone's faves Bona Fide, Pravana, Olaplex, B3, and Gemlights... but our main take-home + in-salon care will primarily switch over to Surface this week!

crown X Music is Art

Saturday, September 9th, the 15th annual Music is Art festival took over Buffalo Riverworks. The Music is Art Festival has always been a free event highlighting the artistic talents of individuals + groups from within our Western New York community.  The Festival has become Buffalo’s most extensive exhibition of local art, dance, and music, drawing over 20,000 throughout the day. This multi-sensory event is part concert, part bazaar, street fair + art gallery. MIA is an amazing organization which mentors artists young + old, holds instrument drives, and exposes people from every walk of life to the freedom of art. Check them out!

This year, when founder Robby Takac told us we could do whatever type of performance we wanted, we brought some crown flair to MIA. Almost anyone who's been in crown has seen our "wall of inspiration" in the restroom- a rotating collection showcasing some of the hair that has shaped our craft the most. Chelsey had a genius idea that we should recreate some of the looks, and MIA was the perfect setting for this! We cast models which are our salon guests + friends. Photographer Kelsey Jelowski captured our final looks, styled and posed similar to our original inspirations. It was awesome having so many models (and crown team) volunteer, come bare-faced in plain clothes, then get transformed live as Festival-goers looked on.

Here's what happened...

David Bowie, Cher, Cyndi Lauper, Janis Joplin, June Carter + Johnny Cash, Kid Rock, Lemmy, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Shirley Manson, the Spice Girls, and Willie Nelson.

(The inspiration shots are included below to compare to our reproductions.)

wardrobe - models' own

hair - Erin, Grace, Chelsey, Julia

makeup - Katie, Courtney

photography - Kelsey Jelowski

reference images - Google

...til next year, MIA!