The Summit Social | Issue Two
Photographer / @olya.shnd
Shop / @prephair @preptulum
Talent / @wavyyy @alliemari
Close your eyes and imagine you’re on a beach. Feel the warm sun rays shining down on you and the hot sand on your feet. Listen to the crashing of the waves and feel a soft breeze from the Caribbean Sea. Open your eyes, you are in Tulum, Mexico. Sound enticing!?
We’re back at it with The Summit Social // Issue Two and, naturally, we were inspired by the story of a young salon owner, stylist, boss-babe and Winnipeg OG who ventured to open up a destination shop. We called up our salon partner Chelsea Marinelli, the owner of Prep Hair in both Winnipeg & Tulum, to get the scoop on all things tropical. (Margarita in hand – obvi!)
Just five years after opening Prep Hair in Winnipeg, Chelsea partnered with her sister Allison, to open a destination salon in Tulum. Motivated by the sisters’ mutual love of travel and adventure, Prep Tulum opened its doors in Fall 2017. While both women agreed this has been the busiest and most hectic year of their lives, Chelsea and Allison maintained that it was also the most rewarding. Some of their favourite beauty brands featured at both salon locations include: Redken hair colour, Evo, and R+Co.
Allison, who manages the Winnipeg location and bookings for Tulum, gave us some insight on a day in her life, “Honestly it’s a lot of work! Owning any business is a 24-hour job I’m sure. Put it this way, we charge our phones overnight and they’re at 17% by 9 am.”
Both Chelsea and Allison run the social media pages for @prephair and @preptulum, and with well over 15k followers, it’s no wonder they can’t keep their phone batterries in the green. Even though it’s not all “sunshine and roses” for this busy duo, both expressed they wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s rewarding to see 20 females all supporting each other with colour consultations, a 5-star review pop up online, or a client tear up over her new extensions after finishing two rounds of chemo and beating breast cancer”. Both entrepreneurs shared their love and appreciation for their team of 20 stylists, their loyal clientele, and the excitement associated with the businesses’ continual growth. Read on to find out more about the Marinelli sisters. X
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Innovative. Creative. Busy.
Favourite shoes to work when standing on your feet all day?
Haha. I never wear comfortable shoes, but slip ons probably, because they can slip off.
Do you have any nicknames?
Wavy.
What are some of your signature cuts/styles?
The Brigette Bardot (versions of it at least.) Cut the slept on beach wave style.
What’s your spirit animal?
Black Panther with a ruby on its neck.
If you raid one woman’s closet, who would it be?
Carrie Bradshaw, without a doubt.
What’s your favourite fashion trend of all time?
Vintage tops + patterns on patterns.
What is the worst beauty trend you have ever tried?
Skinny eyebrows & tattoos, I wish I could remove them all. Not my brows…my tattoos.
If you were a rapper, what would your stage name be?
Cheap Skate. Lol just made that up in one second. I am pretty cheap sometimes. Thanks dad.
Beer or Wine? Coffee or tea?
Wine. Coffee, before 4.
Where are you originally from?
Winnipeg OG.
What do you love most about the industry?
Making people oh so happy & TRAVEL.
What is your favorite part about coming to work each day?
Growth. The excitement of growing my business, my girls and my ideas.
Who is your style icon?
Carrie Bradshaw or Dorothy/Blanche.
What is your favourite hair product right now?
For me: Salty Dog Evo / Chiffon R+Co.
For clients: Evo’s Builders Paradise for everything.
If calories didn’t count, what meal could you eat every day for the rest of your life?
Homemade pasta, homemade tomato sauce and a pound of parmesan cheese + chilies.
What’s the one thing you need to have in your purse at any given time?
An iPhone charger.
If you had a superpower what would it be?
To be able to zap myself to work, meetings, or anywhere in the world with the blink of an eye, so I’m never late for anything again.
What’s the best compliment that you’ve ever received?
That I am a crazy, non-stop, boss-babe.
What’s one accomplishment you’re most proud of?
Opening a salon in Mexico, on the beach, in Tulum.
Do you have a secret talent?
Breathing underwater.
“Flying gliders in England by myself is the most adventurous thing I’ve ever done.”
What do you do in your spare time?
Listen to wave noises on my phone or watch Real Housewives.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t open up a salon…haha.
Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?
Retired + travelling.
What’s one track that gets you going before the start of your work day?
Wave noises haha or Kate Bush.
What made you start Prep Tulum? Favourite Tulum hotspot?
I started Prep Tulum because: Tulum is the bomb, everyone goes there, there is no other Salon there (we are still the only one on the strip and its beautiful beyond belief). Azulik for wine in the tree nests, Gitano for dinner & dancing and Prep for a blowout on the beach.
What’s one thing you wish you knew at 18?
I wish I knew to save and buy a house earlier.
Name a movie title that best describes your life.
Speed.
If you could choose a different career, what would it be?
Real estate agent.
What was your first job?
Newspaper girl.
Dead or Alive- who would you want to collaborate with?
Bowie.
What’s your favourite app?
Instagram – not to look/like stuff, but just because without it we would never have gotten to where we are now.
What is one piece of advice you would give to a young women trying to shine today?
Measure 7 times before you cut. Get 4-5 quotes on anything before you decide on something. Don’t go into debt, you don’t have to. - CM
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Compassionate. Thoughtful. Indecisive.
Favourite shoes to wear when standing on your feet all day?
Loafers or sandals.
Do you have any nicknames?
Allie.
What are some of your signature cuts/styles?
Braids and waves.
What’s your spirit animal?
A bear.
If you raid one woman’s closet, who would it be?
Shannen Jai.
What’s your favourite fashion trend of all time?
Head to toe monochromatic neutral tones.
What is the worst beauty trend you have ever tried?
Low rise jeans.
Name one thing you can’t live without?
I could live without all my ‘things,’ I’m more attached to people. But I’m most annoyed if I leave the house without my Ray Bans haha.
If you were a rapper, what would your stage name be?
Sasha Channing - only because that was our first pets name and the name of the first street we grew up on. Isn’t that the formula?
Beer or Wine? Coffee or tea?
I love both beer and wine. Hard to choose. Depends on the occasion and the food. Same answer for coffee and tea!
Where are you originally from?
Born and raised in Winnipeg.
What do you love most about the industry?
I think I love the art of it. Watching stylists transform hair into something beautiful is so amazing.
What is your favorite part about coming to work each day?
Seeing our team work together and support each other - in work and in life.
Who is your style icon?
Kim K, duh. Or Shannen Jai or Lissy Roddy.
What is your favourite hair product right now?
Serums! Anything moisturizing. My hair is curly and has a lot of texture, so the more hydration the better! EVO Head Mistress is giving me life this summer.
If calories didn’t count, what meal could you eat every day for the rest of your life?
The funghi pasta from Posada Margherita in Tulum, or my Nana’s veggie lasagna mmmm!
What’s one thing do you need to have in your purse at any given time?
Rose Bud Lip Salve and Sunglasses.
If you had a superpower what would it be?
Teleportation 100%.
What’s the best compliment that you’ve ever received?
One of the stylists told me the other day that I’m her ‘work rock’ and that she couldn’t get through life without me
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
Travelled Europe with a friend for 2 months when I was 23.
What’s one accomplishment you’re most proud of?
Prep! And being vegan.
“My secret talent would be that I can figure out any problem, with any iPhone, anywhere.”
What do you do in your spare time?
Cook, try new recipes.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My grampa told me to never stop learning. Education is so important.
Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?
On a beach in Kauai eating mangos and coconuts.
What made you start Prep Tulum? Favourite Tulum hotspot?
We loved the city so much we wanted it to be able to travel there more. Fav spots are: Papaya Playa for the beach, Posada Margherita for dinner, Gitano for drinks.
Who is your favorite artist? Musical artist?
Right now, it’s Haux.
What’s one thing you wish you knew at 18?
Fake glasses are lame, especially if you’re wearing contacts.
Name a movie title that best describes your life.
Hustle & Flow.
If you could choose a different career, what would it be?
Holistic Health Coach and Vegan Meal Prep.
What was your first job?
I worked in a flower shop.
Dead or Alive- who would you want to collaborate with?
Jen Atkin.
What’s something that recently moved you?
I just met my friend’s new baby and she was only 6 hours old!
What’s your favourite app?
Audible or Headspace.
What is one piece of advice you would give to a young women trying to shine today?
Follow your intuition, trust yourself and don’t let anyone break your stride.
What song do you sing in the shower?
Not a big singer in the shower, I’d rather relax than party haha.
Do you have a favorite quote or mantra?
“Where your focus goes the energy flows.”
How would you describe your personal style?
Simple, chic and sophisticated - not always though haha. I’d take a pair of shorts, a hoodie and slippers over anything, any day.
Last but not least, let’s talk about being Winnipeg OGS!!! What are your favourite parts about the city? Fave drink locations, restaurants, hangout spots etc.
Currently our fav lunch spot is Circle Kitchen - it’s a delicious vegan restaurant that just opened up right beside us. Verde juice bar is an all-time fave. And let’s be honest, we frequently hit up Bar Italia more than once a day.
We take turns going back and forth to Tulum. One of us goes every month. We have a
beautiful Mexican stylist there named Karina who runs the shop full time while we’re in Winnipeg. We’re actually flying her in to Winnipeg next month so she can be immersed in our salon here and learn from our girls. She is SO excited.
We send our Winnipeg stylists to Tulum for events, photo shoots, collabs and weddings.They stay in our apartment, get escorted around by Karena, get a paid holiday and make some cash too. Who could say no to that!?” X