Jameson Dakota

STYLIST

Growing up as a kid in Kentucky, I never dreamed that I would ever live in a city like New York, but the older I got, the more my restlessness grew and my dreams became too large for my small town to contain.

I grew up encompassed by all that was fashion, art, music, and more specifically—hair.

I began cutting the hair on all my younger cousins’ dolls; studied magazines and album covers for who’s hair looked best, and what the latest trends were. This was something that was always a part of me, but I never really gave it much thought as a career. I never thought it would be something that would eventually snowball to be a huge part of my life.

Growing up in the performance art realm, I initially went to college and majored in Theater with the intention to pursue a career on stage - my then happy place.

I spent most of my college years staying up until 4am—after long days of class and rehearsals—doing all my friends’ hair. I began to notice that It become my other happy place; a way for me to connect to someone on a different level; to be a vessel of self-expression, self-love, and self-worth.

I made the move to NYC.

After years of auditioning and bar-tending (another passion of mine), I noticed that I began to miss those late nights of doing hair and fostering that creativity.

I was at a crossroads. After months of deliberation, I made the choice to embark on a new journey. I enrolled in Barber School in Tribeca (ABI) and set my sights on learning as much as possible.

I knew I wanted to learn men’s grooming as the foundation of my career, then to build further.

The week before graduation, in a serendipitous moment, I met Jaime; who introduced me to her then boyfriend, Robin. I later began assisting them at Sally Hershberger NoMad, where they worked as Stylists. When “The Kin Room” began, they asked me (or I forced my way in) to finish my apprenticeship with them.

I spent years working, watching, and learning; preparing myself mentally, emotionally, and skillfully for my chance to step up and earn my own space to cultivate art, build new relationships, and create a confidence in people.

I’m so thankful for this life I never would have dreamed possible, and so excited for the promising future.

Remember—hair isn’t just hair…t’s fashion, it’s art, it’s the only accessory you wear everyday.

Cheers to all the friends who’ve trusted me on this journey and a cheers to all the new ones I haven’t met yet.

“KINHOUSE—where there’s always a seat for you at the table.”