The Keune Edit: How Beauty Brings Us Together
Connecting in Real-Life: What You Missed at the Keune Edit Chicago
Keune brought their luxury, salon-first philosophy to Chicago with an intimate lunch at Morgan’s on Fulton, where a curated group of industry guests gathered for an afternoon of global artistry, personalized care recommendations and pro-focused education.
Representing Behindthechair, Stephanie Bong, BTC Editorial Director, and Kristen Cote Favaro, BTC VP of Account Development, attended the event alongside Keune leadership, educators, salon owners, artists and content creators for a closer look at how the family-owned brand is continuing to invest in stylists, salons and the future of professional beauty.
A Luxury Lunch Rooted In Artistry, Education and The Power Of The Salon
The event opened with live artistry from UK award-winning editorial stylist Luke Benson (@lukebensoncreative) and Keune Global Creative Director, and Massimo Morello (@maximomorello), Keune Global Brand Ambassador. The two artists maintained very different aesthetics, yet both represented the same philosophy: beautiful hair starts with craft. Watching them work wasn’t just about seeing finished looks walk out of the room. It was watching years of education, discipline, creativity and artistry unfold in real time. One look felt effortless and lived-in. The other, polished and refined.
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Together, they represented the versatility of modern salon work and the elevated standard Keune continues to champion globally.
Then came the deeper message behind the day. Pasha Ghanei President of Keune USA, spoke about “Beauty Brings Us Together,” and suddenly everything clicked into place. This gathering was Keune’s way of physically bringing together every layer of the professional beauty industry, all sitting at the same table.
“This event is all about the concept of beauty brings us together,” Pasha shared. “When you look around, there are some familiar faces…we have some of our top salons in, two of our first ambassador salons, our global educators, our marketing and education teams, Keune USA Founder George Keune Jr., content creators, trade media and local media. It’s everyone from all different parts of beauty.”
For Pasha, the throughline was clear: No matter where beauty is happening—at home, backstage, in the salon or during a milestone moment like a wedding—the professional stylist remains the expert.
How Keune is Taking A Salon-First Approach To Personalized Care
It showed up during the personalized consultations with Amber Skrzypek, Keune National Training and Development Manager, where guests weren’t simply handed products. They were listened to. Their hair concerns, routines, goals and needs were discussed individually before customized recommendations were made. It reinforced something Keune clearly believes at its core: professional beauty should never feel one-size-fits-all.
The activation tied directly into Keune’s Shop Small, Care Big campaign, a salon-first initiative encouraging clients to return to the chair, trust the expertise of their stylist and shop professional care products in the salon. As a brand sold exclusively through salons, Keune’s message was rooted in protecting the professional recommendation and reinforcing the value of expert-led care.
Read Next: Why Keune Has Quietly Built One of the Most Loyal Followings in the Industry
BTC Spills All: What Editors Look For On Instagram, Social Tips for Success and What To Expect From the Keune Partnership
The event then shifted into a conversation featuring Amber, Kristen and Stephanie, who discussed how stylists can use Instagram more strategically to get noticed by BTC. The panel covered quick profile fixes, what editors look for when sourcing work and realistic ways stylists and salon owners can make content creation more manageable.
Kristen also previewed what stylists can expect from BTC’s ongoing collaboration with Keune, emphasizing storytelling, education and salon support as key pillars of the partnership.
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“There are so many stories to tell within Keune,” Kristen shared. “Right now, we’re really focused on the history—who is Keune, the world’s best kept secret. Then we’re going into what is always our sweet spot: education. Because that’s been a big problem the last few years, that hairdressers have really gotten away from that education and it’s great you are focusing on that as a brand.”
She continued by highlighting Keune’s investment in bringing global artists like Luke to teach in the U.S., as well as the brand’s commitment to supporting salons through initiatives like Shop Small, Care Big.
“We’re so excited because there are so many opportunities for us to amplify how Keune is helping salons, whether they’re commission salons or independent salons. It’s so aligned with our mission of helping hairdressers,” Kristen said. “Expect to see a lot of amplification on social, articles and digital storytelling. We work with brands for years and years—it’s not a one-off thing.”
Stylist POV: The Value Of Partnering With A Brand That Listens
Later, Luke and Massimo returned to the stage to share more about their work with Keune and why, as hairstylists, they value partnering with a brand that prioritizes artistry, education and accessibility.
For Luke, the relationship with Keune represents more than a brand partnership, it’s a creative home. “I was working for everyone else, but I never wanted to go the whole way with them,” Luke shared. “I never felt like me. Sometimes, for longevity, you earn more by partnering with the right people, producing good work, getting rebooked and growing.”
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Luke also spoke about his passion for education and the many ways it can show up in the industry—not only through teaching classes, but through creating the looks, shaping product direction and helping stylists understand the bigger picture behind the brand as he played a pivotal role in relaunching Keune’s style and care lines.
He also pointed to the accessibility and responsiveness of Keune as a family-owned brand, noting that stylists and partners can connect more directly than they often can within larger conglomerates.
By the end of the event, guests didn’t leave talking about the menu or the aesthetics of the room. They left talking about the feeling. The conversations. The artistry. The sense that Keune is building something bigger than products. They’re building community. And in an industry built on human connection, that may be the most powerful investment a brand can make.
From global creative inspiration to practical social media advice and personalized care prescriptions, the Chicago event offered a clear message for pros: Keune is investing in the salon, the stylist and the client experience that happens when professional expertise leads the way.
Discover the Keune Difference: See Why Stylists Are Taking a Closer Look at Keune
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