Meet the team
Creative Director & Founder Of UNA
Kelly Manu
It was at age 11 that Kelly first started colouring her own hair and saving her pocket money so she could buy box colour from the supermarket.
From: Wellington
Speciality: Lived-in hair and beautiful blondes
Coffee order: Iced Americano
Favorite movie: Trainspotting
How do you like to chill: Hanging out with my two cats and having a margarita in the sun!
Favorite place to travel: Palm Springs, anywhere in the desertWhat career would you be doing if you weren’t doing this? I would probably still be in makeup!
It was at age 11 that Kelly first started colouring her own hair and saving her pocket money so she could buy box colour from the supermarket. Initially though, after leaving school, she went on to study graphic design, and then fashion make-up and special effects. Working in editorial and film she realised quickly that she needed to be able to do hair as well as makeup to get the jobs she wanted so she completed a hair apprenticeship - and never looked back.
By 2019 she was leading her own classes for L'Oréal Professionnel, and has been their New Zealand French Balayage expert since 2020 - a role which has seen her teach across the country. It's no surprise then that a hybrid of balayage and classic foiling is her favourite technique in which she creates beautifully blended lived-in blondes. Kelly has won a plethora of awards which most recently includes being named the L'Oréal Colour Trophy winner in 2022.
Although she's an introvert she says she feels blessed to create such beautiful connections with clients. "I get to experience with them all of the big life experiences; first boyfriends, marriages, babies. Making my clients happy is the best part of my day and what always motivates me to improve my skills to give them the best hair and experience possible." Having worked on multiple New York Fashion Weeks Kelly had envisaged living overseas - and was even offered her dream job in Manhattan. But she pivoted post covid and found a new project to dedicate her time to - that project became UNA.
Senior Stylist
Zoe Zheng
Zoe’s journey into hairstyling was initially sparked by her parents' suggestion but also fueled by her love for fashion and connection with diverse individuals.
From: China (Shantou)
Speciality: Textured cutting and all lightening services
Coffee order: Decaf oat latte
Favorite movie: About Time
How do you like to chill: Read, meditate and exercise
Favorite place to travel: China (lots of places to explore)
What career would you be doing if you weren't doing this? I would probably have a business of my own!
Zoe’s journey into hairstyling was initially sparked by her parents' suggestion but also fueled by her love for fashion and connection with diverse individuals. She excels in creating textured hairstyles such as shags, mullets, and short haircuts. Her passion extends to lightening services, specializing in balayage techniques and panel lightening to bring out the unique characteristics of her clients.
Working with open-minded clients eager to explore different hairstyles, Zoe's experience covers various hair textures, including wavy, curly, and fine hair. What she enjoys most about being a hairstylist is the joy and satisfaction her clients express after each service. Her motivation to continually improve stems from the desire to meet and exceed clients' expectations.
Ensuring the health and integrity of her clients' hair is a priority for Zoe and thorough consultations always guide her services. She’s always committed to great results not just in the salon but also when you leave, including home haircare recommendations and maintenance advice so you always have a good hair day.
Stylist
Claudia Reader
Searching for a profession that was creative, and remembering that feeling of leaving the salon satisfied solidified Claudia’s career decision.
From: Auckland/Tauranga
Speciality: Red heads and Coppers, anything vibrant!
Coffee order: Flat white
Favorite movie: It’s not a movie but I love watching The Office!
How do you like to chill: Taking my dog Tilly for a walk and going out for lunch or dinner with friends or family.
Favourite place to travel: Currently it would be Nice in France but I still have a lot more travelling to do!
What career would you be doing if you weren’t doing this? Anything creative, I love all jobs that are very hands on, but I feel that I have stepped into the best one of them all as a hairstylist!
Searching for a career that was creative, and remembering that feeling of leaving the salon satisfied made becoming a hairdresser an easy decision for Claudia. She's worked in salons from Tauranga to Auckland and particularly likes doing creative colours such as reds and coppers alongside creating beautiful blondes.
Her career highlights (so far) include moving to Auckland to work alongside the team at UNA, flying to Sydney to help with the L'Orèal Colour Trophy Gala, and assisting Kelly on a shoot for Fashion Quarterly magazine. In June this year she was also invited to become part of the L'Orèal Creator Team, working to promote new products and techniques that are transforming hairdressing all over the world.
Of working at UNA Claudia says it's important that every client's hair should reflect who they are as an individual. "Through their everyday life I want my clients to feel they can achieve what l do in the salon and be able to do it every week at home, therefore it's not so much the transformations that are important. I want their hair to be practical, lived in but also feel really beautiful and confident," she says. She loves to spend a bit of extra time with her clients teaching them tips and tricks on how to maintain their style at home!
Nail Technician at Studio Ten Nails
Gemma Lloyd
When lockdown hit New Zealand in 2020 Gemma started drawing again which inspired her to learn a new creative skill.
When lockdown hit New Zealand in 2020 Gemma started drawing again which inspired her to learn a new creative skill. She signed up for a nail technician course and fell in love with the process from the prep to the art work.
Gemma uses products from The GelBottle; their highly sought-after gel polishes are rich, highly pigmented, chip-resistant and offer extreme long lasting shine.
Specialising on working with natural nails, Gemma uses builder gel (BIAB) which is a strong structured gel product. She loves to finish this off with some nail art, often eager to try out different ideas and is particularly skilled at hand painted designs.
While how the nail looks is important, Gemma is equally concerned about nail health and works to transform clients nails to the best they can be with in-house treatments, and take away advice to promote nail growth.
