Founder of D. Anthony Hair Studio focuses on style education

Derek Anthony takes pride in his work as a stylist, but it is his role as a hair educator that brings him the most joy. The founder of Nyack’s D. Anthony Hair Studio places a large emphasis on teaching in his salon, using a training system he’s adapted through the years to get new hairdressers ready to satisfy clients in their own chairs.

“(When I started), there was no structured program that walked you from, ‘Okay I graduated hair school, what’s the process I need to go through to get onto the salon floor and be qualified to really do this?’ That’s what I wanted to bring (to my salon), but I realized I had to go through that process myself first.”

A Ramapo High School graduate, Anthony began doing hair at the age of 15 through the Rockland BOCES program in West Nyack. At 18, he was given his own chair at a now-defunct salon where he worked for over nine years. Though Anthony soon maintained a thriving list of clients, his “sink or swim” experience of learning through trial and error left him feeling unsatisfied in the more technical aspects of his work. So when the then 27-year-old stylist opened his own salon in August 2011, he pivoted his focus to enhancing his own hair education.

For the first few years of owning D. Anthony Hair Studio (then located on Hudson Avenue), Anthony took every class he could, even taking a month-long bootcamp with Manhattan-based brand Arrojo to elevate his technical skills. He then partnered with the brand, finally establishing an educational program in his own salon.

D. Anthony Now

Eight years after moving to its current location on Nyack’s Main Street, D. Anthony Hair Studio continues to train its six stylists in hot new trends and classic cuts. What began as an 18-month program to learn twelve different cut and color techniques (using five models and a grading system) has been adapted into a six-month long program to fit the fast-paced nature of a post-pandemic world. Still, Anthony emphasizes that he only puts stylists on the floor when they’re polished and ready.

“We focus on the basics to get them ready, but not everybody learns at the exact same pace,” Anthony explained.

“If somebody’s ready to get on the salon floor sooner, we can qualify them for certain services they can provide at a high quality, and for the other services they’re still learning—we just won’t book them for that yet…So you’re still in training, but you’re getting more real-time experience on the salon floor right away.”

While Anthony instills a focus on education in his employees, he also strives to provide similar services for his clients, hosting events like “Blowdry Bootcamp” to teach people how to style their hair at home or explaining what he’s doing as he’s cutting or styling their hair during an appointment.

To make clients feel beautiful, Anthony tells RCT, is his favorite part of the gig.

“Client interaction is my favorite part, for sure,” Anthony said. “Helping transform someone’s look, helping someone feel really great about themselves when they look in the mirror. That’s what a lot of hairdressers say and it’s a cliche, but it’s really true.”