A new era of accessible luxury | The CEO Magazine

Walk into a neighborhood salon and nobody asks about its booking software or supplier partnerships. Guests notice simpler things: Was the salon easy to find? Did their stylist listen? Do they leave feeling like themselves, only more confident?

Those small moments are the visible side of a much larger business. And at FS Cut & Color, the business behind the chair is being reimagined.

Founded as Fantastic Sams in 1974, the brand helped make professional haircare an accessible part of everyday life. More than 50 years later, its challenge is not to become unrecognizable. It is to remain unmistakably relevant.

Leading that work is Kimberly Amadon, CEO of DESSANGE Group North America. Alongside her leadership team, Amadon is guiding a transformation that extends beyond a new name and identity into the systems, partnerships and people that determine whether a salon succeeds.

The brand behind the experience

The move from Fantastic Sams to FS Cut & Color gives fresh expression to a familiar proposition – professional haircuts and color, delivered with personal attention at an attainable price. The positioning is intentional. Guests want expertise, convenience, value and a place where they feel comfortable. FS Cut & Color calls that balance “affordable luxury.”

Its ‘Look Fantastic. Feel Unstoppable.’ campaign captures the idea. Great hair is the service; confidence is the feeling guests take with them. But delivering that promise across independently owned salons requires more than advertising. It requires equipping franchisees and stylists to fulfill it, appointment after appointment.

For Amadon and her team, modernization starts with the practical details guests rarely see.

Easier booking. Better communication before and after a visit. More useful business information for franchisees. A stronger presence when someone searches for a nearby salon.

FS Cut & Color is advancing its digital and operational capabilities, including work involving Zenoti, to connect more of that journey. The aim is not technology for its own sake. It is to reduce the distance between someone looking for a salon and the people ready to welcome them.

For franchisees, these capabilities also serve a business purpose – making operations more manageable and giving local teams stronger tools to attract and retain guests.

Putting professionals first

Software cannot create a thoughtful consultation, execute a complex color service or turn a first-time visitor into a regular. Stylists do that.

That is why education is central to the brand’s evolution. FS Cut & Color has expanded hands-on learning, virtual training and on-demand resources, recognizing that new stylists, experienced managers and franchisees need different kinds of support.

A strengthened partnership with SalonCentric gives franchisees access to professional brands, education and salon business resources. It is one example of connecting national-scale relationships to local salon needs.

The strategy recognizes a simple truth: investing in the people behind the chair is also investing in the guest experience.

FS Cut & Color salons are independently owned and operated. That local ownership is essential to the brand’s character. Franchisees know their teams, guests and communities.

The franchisor’s role is to make those businesses better supported, not less personal. Brand marketing, operational guidance, education, technology and supplier relationships can create advantages that would be harder for an individual salon to build alone.

Amadon and her team are approaching the next chapter with that balance in mind – a recognizable national identity supported by resources that help local entrepreneurs compete in their markets.

A future built one visit at a time

There is no single unveiling that completes the transformation of a legacy brand. It takes decisions, investments and everyday improvements, many of which guests will never notice directly.

What they will notice is how easy it feels to book, how welcome they feel and how they look when they leave.

“I want to invite everyone who has known us as Fantastic Sams, especially those who haven’t visited in a while, to come rediscover us as FS Cut & Color,” Amadon says.

“There’s a new energy taking shape across our network, and we’re excited for guests to experience it. The warmth, personal connection and value that built this brand are still at our heart, but there’s so much more to discover. We can’t wait to welcome you back.”

For FS Cut & Color, that’s the point. The company’s next chapter is being built behind the scenes so that what happens in the chair can remain beautifully simple.