On the Verge

Very few 27-year-olds can claim 15 years of on-the-job experience, but Martinez began manning the shampoo station at the tender age of 12, in the Modesto, California, salon where his mom was a stylist. After beauty school he snipped strands at San Diego’s A Robert Cromeans Salon and San Francisco’s Joseph Cozza Salon. He has been with New York’s Butterfly Studio since 2007, but Martinez hasn’t lost his West Coast sensibility when it comes to hair. His specialty: shaping Manhattan manes into beachy, tousled styles. Working in the Big Apple has forced him to up his game, he admits. “New York women know what they want, and they expect you to perform,” he says. “I have to do my homework: looking at magazines and watching all the awards shows.”

Butterfly Studio, New York, 212.253.2100

Return to On the Verge or read about other up-and-comers:

Renato Almeida Leanne Citrone Tifany Douglas Dayrl Scott McDonald James Read Veronica Sanabria David Shafer