Bios :: Ben Mollin Hair Education

Ben Mollin

Owner

Ben Mollin was born November 29th 1974 on the South Side of Chicago. Raised with teacher, musicians and theater performers for parents Ben recognized his passion for the arts early in his life. A born entertainer Ben picked up a saxophone at age 8. With the support of his family he began Jazz lessons at age 10 and was privately taught by Tenor sax player Kent Lemon. His passion for beauty began around that time as he was intrigued by Vidal Sassoon commercials of the early ‘80’s. At age 14 Ben gave his first permanent wave to a classmate and the rest is history.

Immediately going to study cosmetology after High School, Ben has always pursued his passion for music, learning how to play 10 different instruments. “Hair was always something which allowed me to work in three dimension and allowed me to develop an understanding of anatomy” he recalls. At 21 he owned and operated his first salon and has been a gypsy of sorts playing in different bands and working on photo shoots, movies and runways along the way.

In 2007, the debut of “Shear Genius,” Bravo - TV’s reality competition for hairdressers, one of the genuine surprises was Ben Mollin. The tattooed, music - loving stylist was eccentric and humble. But he also exhibited an eagerness to learn and a passion for his craft, so much that Sally Hershberger and Vidal Sassoon commended him for his raw talent and his growth over the course of the competition. And grow he did, right into the number two spot - taking second place and outdistancing the thousands of other stylists who auditioned.

Thanks to his hard work after the show and becoming a guest artist with ISO he’s recognized all over the world. He hosts and judges The Supreme Salon Tour “Hairwars,”. He’s in demand for personal appearances, video projects and more. Mollin was featured in “50 Hairstylists,” a book featuring the fifty most influential hairdressers in the country. His passion and raw talent for his craft has turned him into one of the most exciting innovative hairdressers in the industry.

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Angela Avorio

Director of Education

Angela Avorio is a platform artist, director of education, and stylist behind the chair. With over 17 years as a licensed cosmetologist, teacher, and entrepreneur she has dedicated her time traveling from different countries and states to further her education. Learning from such greats as Nick Arrojo, Tim Hartley, Eric Fisher, Robert Cromeans, Robert Lobetta, Sonya Dove, Christopher Dove, Stephanie Kovcielski, Martin Parsons, Yosh Toya, Toni and Guy Mascolo, Vidal Sassoon, Beth Minardi, Vivienne Mackinder and her most recent education at the Kemon Headquarters in Tuscany, Italy and Intercoiffuere Miami. With all her inspiration and hard work Angela has developed a premier training programing targeting recent cosmetology graduates to develop the skill and confidence they need to succeed in the real world. She has been recognized in Modern Salon Magazine for raising funds for breast cancer and sponsors “Carrie’s Fund” a scholarship fund for underprivileged children to attend beauty school. Angela has experience working on commercial and video sets, major fashion runway, editorial, charity, and has airbrush make-up accomplishments. Locally she has been acknowledged by Chicago Tribune, Star newspaper, New Lenox Patriot, and the “Carrie’s Fund” website. Angela embraces hard work with an open heart, and a passionate mind.

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Mike Hill

Director of Education

A hairstylist for almost 30 years, Mike Hill has joined the crew at Ben Mollin Hair Education to bring his mad mix of cut and color skills to the region. Mike has been employed by some of the top salons in Chicago and was trusted to help manage, coordinate and direct young stylists. After over a decade in the industry, Mike was seeking out more training and education. He was hired by the prestigious Vidal Sassoon salon located in the Water Tower Place on Michigan Avenue. Mike entered the apprenticeship program as a varder (experienced stylist) and finely tuned his cutting skills. Since completing Vidal Sassoon’s program, Mike has played key roles in developing apprenticeship programs throughout Chicago. Mike thrives on learning, so he makes certain to attend several advanced workshops around the country to secure his role as a premier stylist in this industry.

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Matthew Backus

Starting off as a former Specialist, responsible for making the Chicago markets in 50 NASDAQ issues, Matthew went down in history to be the only person to ever cut hair on the trading floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange. Graduating from Pivot Point in 2006, he left the financial markets behind to pursue his new career as a hair colorist. After spending some time locating a reputable Chicago salon, he spent the next 2 years as an apprentice, to develop the art and theory of hair coloring. Matthew sought out the Mollin’s to round off his training and establish his new salon to call home. Matthew has experience working with the VIP Lollapalooza After Party, photo shoots, fashion shows, weddings and more. He now works to compliment the hair cutting of Alex Garcia, as well as his own clients to provide them with beautiful color and styling.

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Alex Garcia

Artistry is in his blood….it flows through his veins and pours out of his hands to create customized beauty looks. Alex is a graduate of the American Academy of Art with a bachelors in Fine Art. After art school, Alex moved to Los Angelos to attend a highly esteemed makeup school, Make Up Designery (MUD) and polished his skills as a makeup artist. He is highly skilled at airbrush makeup, custom blends, and being able to accentuate your best features. He is a master at all lash applications, be it for a one time special event or for a semi-permanent look to last up to a month. Knowing how facial features compliment each other, he has also perfected brow shaping and will customize your brow shape to your unique face shape. In addition to his makeup passion, he completed his education in cosmetology, in order to complete looks with both hair and makeup. He books weddings all year round, will travel to you for all of your wedding needs and is highly focused on making his mark to create beautiful, flawless looks.

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