ReThink. : Alternative Hair As A Fashion Accessory
SherriRenée Experiencing hair loss first hand was a gift of a sort. It forced me to experience the psychological effects of hair loss and how self-esteem is challenged by losing such an important part of our physical identity. Creating the perfect solution became my obsession.
I had to rethink alternative hair. Fifteen years ago, hair extensions were becoming very popular and warmly received by the public. Everyone was buying them. I thought if I could create small "accessory like" hair that addressed site-specific areas, then the public would embrace wearing hair in a more fashion-forward sense while addressing the problems of hair loss.
2012 - 2015 The Creation of the Parisian Hair Enhancement Collection.
Armed with an artist’s eye and an engineer's obsession with detail, Sherri Renée innovated a unique, 100% hand-crafted human hair enhancement collection for those who want hair loss image recovery, cosmetic enhancement, and simple, modern convenience.
With over forty patented design elements, the Parisian Hair Enhancement Collection includes toppers, volumizers, bangs, parts, falls, ponytails/chignons, crowns, extensions, and full enhancements (wigs). All designs are artistically engineered, hand-made by experienced artisans, and reflect the authentic beauty of the wearer.
Defining Design Excellence : Understanding Form
SherriRenée The foundation of design excellence starts with an extensive understanding of form: one of seven elements of art that connotes a three-dimensional object in space. While you may be asking "what does this have to do with hair enhancements?", trust me ~ everything.
When designing hair enhancements, one must consider the underlying head and neck anatomy. Head shape, size, contours, soft tissue vs underlying bone structure, proportion, and facial features represent the foundation on which form will originate. Having a clear understanding of an individuals' anatomical structure will encourage design excellence ~ providing seamless transition, "natural" comfort, and properly addresses the desired areas of hair enhancement.
Defining Design Excellence : Sourcing Free Trade Hair
Our free trade hair is respectfully sourced from Eastern Europe, Italy, and Indonesia and is designed to mirror the color nuances, texture, and uniqueness of its wearer. Equally as important to how authentic a wearer feels and looks, is knowing where and how the hair was sourced.
SherriRenée It is important to understand that everyone has rights, and if life is to be sustainable, everyone’s rights must be recognized and no one exploited. If organizations, community groups, and individuals support and promote fair trade, they are contributing to the creation of a fair and sustainable global community.
Sherri Renée Alternative Hair Couture begins with her visionary, Sherri Renée Romm.
A graduate of Information Systems/Computer Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Fine Art Major from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Sherri Renée combined her artistic and technical aptitude to become a sought-after Master Hair Architect | Designer when she incorporated Versacchi Studios in Baltimore, Maryland in1994. Her passion for the arts and desire to help others has been the impetus behind her success.
Sherri Renée spent the first part of her professional life in both the corporate and art world. She acquired her business savvy while working as an independent information systems consultant to several Fortune 500 companies including Bethlehem Steel, T.Rowe Price, IBM, Westinghouse, and BG&E. At night, Sherri Renée pursued her artistic passion ~ painting and sculpting ~ while attending MICA. She has exhibited and sold her paintings in galleries and art shows throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions.
In 1992, a close friend was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Sherri Renée was deeply concerned with her friend's depression that was not only a result of her diagnosis but the loss of her hair ~ her most precious physical attribute. Using her artistic skills and fueled by compassion, Sherri Renée designed and partnered with a factory to create a human hair prosthesis that mimicked her friend's own hair. A local stylist was hired to cut and style to create the finished look.
SherriRenée It was at that moment I saw my friend's confidence and spirit return. I was greatly inspired and knew this was a very powerful moment not only for my friend but for me as well. I realized my own life would be affected forever. I had found my calling.
1992 - 2012
Marks over two decades of critical experiential years working directly with an extensive hair loss clientele.
Sherri Renée gained vast experience in the diagnostic, design, and engineering of alternative hair solutions for thousands of clients worldwide. She is widely recognized for her innovative design work in alopecia, fine and thinning hair, chemotherapy, radiation, hormonal imbalance, autoimmune, and trichotillomania hair loss.
SherriRenée I am very curious by nature and have always asked "how" I can make things better ~ it is the artist and engineer in me. When I personally experienced hair loss after two pregnancies and a thyroid condition, I had even more motivation to find answers.
Defining Design Excellence : Base Materials / What You Can't See
SherriRenée It's very curious to look back and reflect on the experiences that lend inspiration to my designs. Among many, a major influencer happened on a long-awaited mom-daughter trip to Paris. Obviously, Paris has always been viewed as a style mecca for fashion, quality, and innovation.
While shopping, I discovered an exquisite lingerie boutique featuring french silks, lace, and organic cotton fabriques used in the finest French lingerie. I had this crazy idea that I could incorporate them into the bases of my enhancement designs. This would create a more lightweight, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing ~ even impart a more feminine "feel" to alternative hair design.
That non-traditional thinking helped shape the interiors of our alternative hair couture.
Defining Design Excellence : Color In An Alternative World
Mastering the color component of alternative hair is crucial to delivering excellence to your client. Failure to deliver even basic color-matching results is not only unpleasing to the eye and promotes detectability, but lost opportunity for a beautiful outcome.
Mindfulness, observation, and color mastery breathe new life, aesthetics, and endless possibilities. The foundation of color mastery includes color mirroring (matching), observing chiaroscuro principles, color design/order refinement, and embracing gray (white) as a blank canvas to creating your alternative hair vision.
SherriRenée My extensive background in fine art ~ painting and sculpting ~ has had a huge influence on how we approach the colorization of alternative hair couture. Our entire artistic paradigm views each enhancement creation as an "artistic endeavor" of sorts. Observing nature and understanding the underlying principles of color, shadow, and light and its effect on form frees us from the traditional approach to "hair restoration" and opens our creative minds to deliver extraordinary results.
2015 - Present
Alternative Hair as an Art Form
Momentum increased as word of mouth quickly spread among other stylists and salon owners, creating regional interest and prompting the formation of Sherri Renée & Co.
SherriRenée Our fine art and engineering paradigm offers a refreshing, original perspective to the alternative hair industry. Combining fine design aesthetic and engineering with contemporary hairdressing invites exquisite beauty and many smiles on our clients' faces. Collaborating with like-minded hair designers | artists seemed natural. Sharing compassion for helping others look and feel better combined with a passion for creative work is what we do as beauty professionals.
Our Brand, Mission and Partners
The Sherri Renée brand expresses a vision that changes perception and establishes tastes for alternative hair in the global beauty marketplace. We integrate fine arts with engineering to create alternative hair couture that inspires beauty, contemporary lifestyle, and personal transformation.
Our professional partners are our real point of difference. Each hair professional is "trié Sur le violet" (carefully chosen) based on a strong commitment to cutting edge hairdressing combined with the passion, skills, and fortitude required to express alternative hair as an art form.