March 25, 2022
SOZO Beauty School
Japan’s first international school for beauticians and stylists
By Metropolis
Finding the salon or stylist that’s perfect for you is hard enough on its own. Once you factor in living in a foreign country with different hair textures, styles and language, the task can almost seem impossible. Everyone deserves to feel good and have easy access to skilled, English-speaking stylists who are confident in their abilities — SOZO School is looking to accomplish just that.
In 2010, Keizo Koriyama and Aoki So opened SOZO HAIR & MAKE with the vision to make people from around the world happy through hair. To accomplish this, they mastered the skills and techniques to work with any hair texture, while breaking down language barriers, thus enabling them to open their doors to customers of any nationality. Now, with half its customer base made up of foreign clients, SOZO is looking to share its keys to success with stylists across Japan through its new international school for beauticians.
Launched in 2022 by Hayase Mori, Keizo Koriyama and Syusaku Nakazono, SOZO Beauty School is Japan’s first international school for beauticians. SOZO doesn’t look to train stylists from the ground, but rather increase and broaden their skillset, as well as their confidence with working with and marketing towards foreign clientele, all while empowering them to use English as a tool. Through professional online English lessons and practical, first-hand experience of styling foreign hair models, SOZO Beauty School strides to unshackle Japanese stylists who feel they can’t cut foreign hair, and ultimately hope to change the status quo of the salon industry.
From low salaries to excessive overtime, hairstylists in Japan have historically had a tougher time earning what they deserve when compared to their counterparts around the world. As pioneers in the industry, SOZO Beauty School believes that by making salons in Japan more global-friendly will lead to better working conditions, a larger customer base, and increased salaries, contributing to the Japanese beauty industry as a whole.
SOZO Beauty School offers a range of courses, including English-language courses and technical training that’s available both online and in-salon. Ranging from a one-day intensive training session to a six-month program, there is something to suit any stylist’s aims, the amount of time they can commit and their budget. Whether you want to study abroad as a stylist in the future and are looking for something to give you that extra edge or you’re eager to invite more English-speaking clients to your salon, SOZO’s school is ready to support you. Contact SOZO’s team today to find out more.
