The Salon By Instyle At JCPenney Names Creative Directors

The Salon By InStyle at JCPenney has named award-winning stylists and seasoned salon business experts Dilek Onur-Taylor and Michelle O’Connor as Creative Directors for its more than 800 salons. In their roles, Dilek and Michelle will conceive and execute the division’s image and identity, and translate their concepts into implementable styles and techniques for the company’s more than 13,500 hairstyling associates.

“We’re delighted that Dilek and Michelle will be stepping into these important positions,” says Salon Vice President Natalie Lockhart. “As members of our team for the past five years, they have already contributed substantially to the growth of our salons. Their efforts have resulted in higher industry and consumer awareness for the artistry of our associates, and at the same time, they have been instrumental in developing the strong artistic team we have today. We’re confident they will drive our business even further in their new roles.”

In addition to creating the company’s seasonal trends and brand marketing assets, and leading technical and career-building education, Dilek and Michelle will spearhead live events, including the company’s appearances at trade shows and at public relations and fundraising activities. They will provide creative direction for Expert Edge, the division’s bi-monthly magazine, as well as for the division’s Salon Live bi-monthly broadcast. They will also be responsible for testing and providing feedback for the salons’ retail and back-bar products.

Both women joined JCPSalons in 2012 as Artistic Regional Managers. In those roles, they were responsible for coaching and developing more than 55 educators, creating and implementing training programs, participating in educational, trend and media photo shoots and appearing at trade shows and live educational events nationwide.

Prior to joining JCPenney, Dilek was a successful salon owner and a well-regarded lead artist for Joico/Shiseido. Michelle started her career as a dancer, then obtained her cosmetology license after an impressive career in the performing arts. She went on to work in one of Ft. Lauderdale’s leading salons, eventually becoming a sought-after session artist for clients like Victoria’s Secret and J.Crew, as well as a salon owner and an in-demand artist for Mizani.

>In 2016, Dilek was nominated in the BTC #ONESHOT Hair Awards in the Texture category. That same year, Michelle was nominated for the #ONESHOT Hair Awards in the Color and Avant Garde categories, and won the North American Hairstyling Award for Texture in 2016. Both Dilek and Michelle are NAHA winners. Dilek was a finalist in 2013 in the Texture category and in 2016 in the Avant Garde and Texture categories. In 2014 she won the NAHA award for Texture, and in 2016, she took home the NAHA award in the Contemporary Classic category.

“We both look forward to building upon the impressive accomplishments of the Salon By InStyle at JCPenney, and taking our team in innovative new directions,” say Dilek and Michelle. “We’re completely in sync in our beliefs that education, excellence and a superb customer experience are at the core of success for any salon, and we’re looking forward to sharing our vision with our team, and with Salon By InStyle clients.”