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EVENT REPORT   05.01.08 4:14 PM PRINT | SEND TO A FRIEND |
Dual Purpose
Paul Mitchell's early-evening event at a rooftop garden and loft in Rockefeller Center used two distinct areas to launch two product lines to beauty editors.
Curly or straight, coarse or fine, long or short, hair can have opposing qualities, so why not a dual-themed party designed to showcase two dramatically different new product lines from a professional hair-care product manufacturer?

Last night about 65 beauty editors gathered at 620 Fifth's loft and garden for the Paul Mitchell Pro Tools and Tea Tree launch event. The doubleheader was designed to introduce the editors (and, it follows, their readers) to the company’s newly revamped Tea Tree line of shampoos and conditioners, as well as its new Pro Tools line of professional appliances. Intentionally or not, the two-pronged event also tied in nicely with the Pro Tools tagline, “It’s about time” by saving the beauty editors the step of having to attend two separate launch events.
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Photo Gallery 
                              Paul Mitchell branded the venue's pool for the Tea Tree product line.

                              Paul Mitchell branded the venue's pool for the Tea Tree product line.                                        
  
                                        In the garden, the production team constructed three wooden cabanas designed to highlight the products in the Tea Tree collection.

                                      Arrangements of lemons decorated the inside of the cabana that represented the Lemon Sage product line.                                                          
  
                              Each cabana incorporated a product's ingredients—the Lemon Sage cabana was decorated with lemons and lemon-flavored hard candies—and stocked with a garden-party-appropriate drink, like fresh sage lemonade.

                    Indoors, the decor was more modern, featuring an illuminated runway.                                                          
  
                  The 10-foot-long bar with video screens displayed hairstyling products from the Pro Tools collection.

                            John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems, introduced the runway presentation.                                                          
  
                            During the runway show, stylists backstage quickly altered the hairstyles of the models.

                            Four models showcased the versatility of the Pro Tools with different hair styles.                                                          
 
Paul Mitchell branded the venue's pool for the Tea Tree product line.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash

“We know editors have so many events going on, so we thought we’d show [them] the new direction we’re taking the brand [all at once],” said Jenny Overdevest, director of public relations for John Paul Mitchell Systems. “We’re making our first foray into the professional tools arena, but we’ve also had a lot of changes in our Tea Tree brand. [It’s] about two sides of the business.”

At the entrance, guests were directed outside to the “Zensory lounge” on the venue’s lush green patio. There, event design and production company Event Energizers had constructed three wooden cabanas, called Zen, Zest, and Zing, to complement the Tea Tree collection: Lavender Mint, Lemon Sage, and Tea Tree. Each incorporated props according to the product ingredients (the Lemon Sage cabana was decorated with lemons and lemon-flavored hard candies) and stocked with a garden-party-appropriate drink, like fresh sage lemonade.

Overdevest wanted the garden part of the event to reflect the experiential aspect of the Tea Tree products; to that end, piped-in aromatherapy from Scentevents replicated the scent of each product line, and guests were treated to hand massages and pulse-point massages using the line’s soon-to-be-released body moisturizers, as well as scalp massages. “We’re trying to hit all the senses,” Event Energizers’ John Ierardi said.

After communing with nature, the guests returned inside to find a distinctly modern setup, featuring a white, red, and black color scheme, designed to promote the Pro Tools line of sleek, high-tech hairstyling appliances. A 10-foot-long bar with video screens displayed flatirons, diffusers, and hairdryers, and a 40- by 20-foot perpendicular illuminated runway with custom scrims and a truss structure served as the stage for a brief runway show in which four models demonstrated the tools’ versatility. (Their hairstyles were quickly altered behind sheer white scrims.)

Caterer Sonnier & Castle played up the duality of the event in its menu, serving hors d’oeuvres like salmon tartare with lime mint cream and cucumber red-onion relish on wooden trays in the garden, and mini cheeseburgers on lacquered trays indoors.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the number of attendees at the event.

   —Erika Rasmusson Janes

 

Paul Mitchell Pro Tools and Tea Tree Launch

Catering Sonnier & Castle
Design, Production Event Energizers LLC
PR ShopPR
Scents Scentevents
Venue 620 Loft & Garden

RELATED TOPICS Paul Mitchell
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