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14 July 2016 | beautystorebusiness.com Standard Of Styling Irons ® is available in extra-long hybrid irons with 2 inches of additional curling surface that can be used as a wand or curling iron, and a rotating tip that helps the iron wind eas- ily for the stylists that use a marcel. The other finishes are Rainbow Gold, Ceramic Tourmaline, NanoCeramic and Titanium. I have never stepped into a salon that does not have a Hot Tools curling iron in it, and with the addition of the extra-long irons, we have reinvented ourselves, and our customers are loving the additional length of these irons. As I mentioned above, the curl trend has helped us get the word out about our great irons. But even before curls were so in vogue, we still did a great appli- ance business with stylists. A stylist can use a Hot Tools curling iron to do almost anything. The old-school stylist uses the larger-diameter irons as a straightener, and now you see many people using a flat iron to form a curl or flip; but nothing beats a Hot Tools curling iron to make the perfect curl. Thankfully, we have great tools in all categories to help the stylist do a great job. What are the most significant trends taking place right now, and what is their influence on beauty? Taricco-Cropp: It is no secret that curls are in, and we know curls better than anyone else in the marketplace. We have won numerous awards, includ- ing InStyle "Best Beauty Buy" for our gold curling iron, since the inception of the award. That makes me very proud to be involved with this brand. What I love most about curls is that there are so many varieties, from beachy, wavy, super curly to natural-style curls. I do not see curls going away. They will always exist in some fashion, given the diver- sity of our stylists and their customers. Although curling irons are the tools that made us the industry standard for all stylists, we also offer many fabulous dryers and flat irons, including a new extra-long plated flat iron that I adore and two swipe-touch flat irons that will speak to the technology user who loves digital. With our iconic award-winning tools and the new products we are developing, we are well prepared for the next big style trend. We are working with top stylists to help develop some trends of our own, with some exciting new-product launches on the horizon. Ooh! I forgot to mention the "barber- ing" trend; although truth be told, I believe it is much more than a trend at this point. It is a lifestyle. I absolutely love the look of the new shops popping up everywhere. I love the old-fashioned chairs, the hot-towel shave services, and the look and feel of the barbershops I go into. Because of this trend, we redesigned a DC dryer we car- ried for many years. The Taifun dryer is in a silver-chromed body and has a fabulous airflow and retro look. I saw some of the American Crew staff using it at their booth at the shows. It has always been great. But now, with a professional AC motor to improve the life and sound quality, it has the look and shape that should appeal greatly to the barbering community as well as stylists. We expect it to relaunch in the new AC motor by August 2016. Who are Helen of Troy's top customers? Hagstrom: We have a large number of customers in various classes of trade. We service SalonCentric and Beauty Systems Group's CosmoProf, and many other regional distributors in the full- service channel. We sell to large chain salons, such as ULTA, Regis Salons, JCP Salon, Beauty Brands, Great Clips, Ratner Cos.' Hair Cuttery and others. We service Sally Beauty Supply in the store/OTC world. We also have a large network of what I classify as "redis- tributors" that sell to smaller beauty suppliers and OTCs around the country. They include Jinny Beauty Supply, Ben's Beauty Supply, Nancy's Beauty Ware- house, Ventnor Beauty Supply and a host of others. Finally, we also sell to companies such as Marianna Industries, Burmax and HedLux, which service cos- metology schools. Who are Helen of Troy's manufacturers reps? Hagstrom: For Hot Tools, we utilize The Kirschner Group in the West, Mid- west, Southeast and Southwest, as well as internationally. We utilize Gerry Udell Inc. in the Northeast. For Gold 'N Hot, it is the same as Hot Tools, except that we utilize Jay Stone Sales in the Southwest. Helen of Troy held its all-reps 2016 kickoff meeting before the Western Buying Conference. Will it be in Las Vegas again next year? Hagstrom: We hold our national sales meeting at the beginning of every January. For years, we held this at our U.S. headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Based on a number of factors, I made the decision to hold it in Las Vegas this year, prior to the Western Buying Conference. Logistically, it made more sense. Yes, we will hold it in Las Vegas again next year. What are some of the most significant things you see taking place within the beauty industry right now or in the near future? Bailey: What I think is most important is bringing innovation, based on consumer understanding, to the industry. We need newness to build this industry. There is too much "me too." We need to bring revolutionary products to the industry to make stylists' work easier and give them new tools to build their business. As we understand it, VIP accounts can visit Helen of Troy at its U.S. headquarters. Please share more about this. Hagstrom: The majority of our products are appliances; so it can be difficult to take our show on the road. For years, we have been hosting our largest customers at our U.S. headquarters in El Paso, Texas, where they visit us three times annually. We find this is extremely productive for multiple reasons: Our customers are away from the distractions of their offices. All of our products are here; not just the new items "The Taifun dryer [has] a silver-chromed body, fabulous airflow and a retro look … [It's] expected to relaunch [with an] AC motor by August." Images courtesy of Helen of Troy The new Taifun dryer (Model No. HT7016D)