Marco Santini, Co-owner

Born in 1970 in Florence, Italy, Marco Santini has been in the beauty industry since 1986.

At the age of 16, Marco attended styling school in Florence to satisfy a creative urge. It was there he met future business partner Leonardo Manetti. After a year of training in Italy, Marco studied at London’s Alan International. With a fresh energy, he returned to Florence to teach cutting techniques at the renowned Paolo Chirivi Salon. Soon after, Marco traveled to Spain to gain experience under Luis Llongueras.

In 1994, Marco arrived in New York. Building a loyal clientele at The Spot hair salon, he began an editorial career by assisting the industry legends: Eugene Souleiman, Orlando Pita, Sam McKnight, Neil Moodie and Ward. Marco’s work soon caught the eye of Bumble and bumble founder Michael Gordon, and by 1997 Marco was one of Bb.’s most successful editorial stylists. He remained with the salon until 2008.

Over the last ten years, Marco’s work has appeared in Vogue (Italy), Vogue (Russia), Vogue (Germany), Glamour, Marie Claire, V Magazine and Dazed and Confused. He recently styled Diane Kruger for the cover of Mixte.Leading shows at Fashion Week around the world, Marco has collaborated with such prominent designers as Custo Barcelona, Nicole Miller, Vivienne Tam, Carlos Miele, Jeremy Laing, Diego Binetti and Geova.

In 2008, Marco opened ION Studio in New York City with business partners Leonardo Manetti and Pasquale Ferrante.