Sam Villa: An Educator, Inspiration and Light In The Industry

With more than 40 years in the beauty industry, Sam Villa has collected many titles throughout his career. He’s Redken’s Global Artistic Ambassador, he’s started his own company, Sam Villa Hair, he’s a world-traveling educator, and he’s been nothing short of an inspiration, leader and icon to stylists everywhere.

There is one thing he’ll say he isn’t though—he’s never claimed to be an inventor. Instead, he calls himself both a student and a teacher with an unwavering passion for education. “My goal has never been about being successful,” Sam says. “I just always want to add value to the industry.”

And for more than 40 years, that’s exactly what he has done. This past weekend Sam was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the PBA and was celebrated throughout the weekend at Cosmoprof North America.

While there are many factors that have shaped who Sam has become throughout the years—his family, his upbringing, Redken, Sam Villa Hair and more—at the crux of it all is his belief in the power of education. “My dream is to see a show floor where the only thing everyone gets is a microphone. There would be no loud music, no DJ, no T-shirts flying all around—can you image it?” Asked Sam. “On the show floor you’d be hearing only the sound of teaching and the sound of learning.”

While teaching is no easy task, with Redken and his own brand beside him, Sam has truly mastered it. “Redken has made me who I am today. As a teacher, they’ve given me the resources and the classes to learn it all. And then with my brand, it’s been more about the power of social media, we’ve put education out there that the industry just really started to embrace. And all of this, I believe, is really what has enabled me to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Sam’s mission has always been simple and straightforward: to share with others and uplift our industry in the process. He says, “sharing is the greatest gift we can give one another to help each grow and prosper, and we all need to pay it forward.” In an emotional speech, watch Sam explain in his own words exactly what winning this award means to him. Congrats, Sam!