Mike Martinez is a Mexican American Hair Stylist originally from the Sonoran Desert. He grew up around art, music, punk and DIY culture which led to his love of all things creative. In between playing and touring with bands he discovered his passion for hair while giving haircuts to the artists and friends he would meet on the road. After choosing to focus on hair as a career he moved to New York and went on to become a senior stylist and eventually the Creative Director at the Cutler Salons in both New York and Los Angeles as well as Co-Owner of the Los Angeles location.
While in New York, Mike began doing hair backstage at fashion week and has worked for over a decade at the Milan and Paris shows including Maison Margiela, Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Betsey Johnson, Thom Browne and Rick Owens amongst many others. Since 2020, Mike has been the lead Hair Stylist for the Enfants Riches Déprimés shows in Paris.
Outside of his fashion and beauty pursuits, Mike has traveled the world, documenting lifestyles and interviewing people. In 2013, he helped launch Everything Is Stories, an ongoing audio survey of individuals who have experienced transcendence and/or power of the will. The podcast has gained an international audience and has collaborated with popular programs such as Radiotopia’s Love and Radio, KCRW’s Unfictional, and MTV News. In 2018 their first short film, Reviled and Maligned, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was shortlisted for documentary of the year.
Mike believes strongly in sharing his knowledge and giving back to help uplift disadvantaged communities. In 2015 and 2016, Mike spent an extended period of time in Rishikesh, India, providing education and mentorship to disenfranchised women for the non profit Fearless Beauty. In 2016 Mike was instrumental in bringing that program to the inmates at the women's jail at Rikers Island. This was the first ever vocational program for the women's jail at Rikers and has been hailed as one of the most successful programs in the prison's history.
Despite his busy schedule, Mike still works as an educator for both Cutler Salons and Fatboy Hair, training and ushering in a new generation of hairdressers.
Mike is based between NYC and Los Angeles.
Select Clients: anOnlyChild, Céline, Coach, Ecco, Enfants Riches Déprimés, Fatboy, Jacques Marie Mage, John Varvatos, Levi's, Mejuri, Mr. Porter, Noah, Ralph Lauren, Saturday's NYC, Tia Adeola and Vogue Singapore.
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