Born from a Belief That Hair Is Personal
In 2013, master stylist Marcus Chen left a senior position at a Fifth Avenue salon to pursue a radical idea: a salon where the experience matters as much as the result. He found a modest 800-square-foot space on West 42nd Street and built Strands from the ground up.
Marcus had spent a decade training under some of the industry's most celebrated names — Vidal Sassoon in London, Shiseido's color labs in Tokyo, and the editorial teams at Milan Fashion Week. He wanted to bring that global artistry home to New York, but in a way that felt warm, personal, and accessible.
The philosophy was simple: listen first, cut second. Every appointment at Strands begins with a conversation — about your style, your routine, your life. Because a great haircut isn't just about technique. It's about understanding the person in the chair.
